Interview US oil firm HKN aims to double output in Syria's formerly Kurdish-run fields HKN Vice President Matthew Zais tells Al-Monitor the company plans to double production at Syria’s northeastern oil fields while tackling pollution, as questions remain over the future of the Kurdish-run Jazira Oil Company. Matthew Zais HKN vice president for government affairs
Iraq's Zaidi meets Sharaa on first Syria visit: What to know Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to assuage concerns about his past militant activity in Iraq, whose oil trade and security cooperation with his two country is rising. Iraq
Syria slams Jordan over crossborder strikes, denies coordination: What to know Jordan said its airstrikes targeted ISIS fighters, while Syria said civilians were killed, sparking outrage. Syria
Culture Syrian women easy target in Sharaa’s drive to consolidate power Syria’s interim president is balancing Western demands for inclusion with pressure from Islamist hard-liners as he seeks to consolidate power and shed his jihadi past. Syria
Analysis What’s at stake for Turkey as Israel heads to the polls? By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Analysis How Israel’s elections could bring thaw with Syria By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis 'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Pro-Iran militias increase attacks, rhetoric against foreign troops Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has called on the United States and Iran "to avoid settling scores in Iraq." Iraq
Turkish-controlled Syrian region faces water crisis The drop in the groundwater level and the drying up of some artesian wells have caused a water crisis in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, and many citizens have been struggling with the high prices of drinking water sold from cisterns. Syria
Syrian jihadist group ramps up efforts to oust rivals from Idlib Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, has asked a Chechen jihadist group to either join its ranks or leave the battlefronts, in a move that many consider to be part of HTS' policy to have its name removed from international terrorist lists. Syria
Islamic State exploits economic downturn in Iraq, Syria, US envoy says John Godfrey said the thousands of suspected Islamic State fighters held in northeast Syria constitute a security threat to the region. Syria
US adds Turkey to list of countries using child soldiers A US State Department report called out Turkey for providing support to armed groups in Syria that use children in combat. Turkey
Syrian aid agencies brace for vote on border crossing: 'There is no Plan B' Humanitarian actors are stockpiling supplies and sounding the alarm ahead of a UN Security Council vote that could eliminate the United Nations' last remaining entry point into northwest Syria. Syria
Iraq seeks to rehabilitate Islamic State families Baghdad’s program to allow families of Islamic State adherents to return from a Syrian camp and to reintegrate them back into Iraqi society stirs controversy. Iraq
Russia rules out opening second Syria border crossing for aid Russia's UN ambassador said his government is still considering whether or not to veto the UN's mandate for Syria's last remaining aid crossing. Syria
Turkey's mixed record against Islamic State Structural problems continue to keep Turkey from putting in place a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamic State elements in the country, despite numerous operations against networks linked to the radical Islamist group. Turkey
Kurdish-led forces intensify crackdown on Islamic State cells in northeast Syria Islamic State activities seem to have diminished during the month of June in the Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria amid a crackdown led by the Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria
Iraq-Syria border strikes on pro-Iran ‘militias’ spark retaliation Airstrikes on both sides of the Iraqi-Syrian border near Qaim conducted by the United States were followed by retaliatory strikes by Iran-linked groups against a Kurdish-led SDF base housing coalition forces in eastern Syria. Iraq
US forces in Syria come under attack after airstrikes on Iran-backed militias Renewed fighting in Iraq and Syria is bound to set off scrutiny in Congress. Syria
