Syria Conflict

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 15, 2026.

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

Matthew Zais

HKN vice president for government affairs

Zaidi

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.

Mourners attend the funeral of those who were killed in airstrikes carried out by Jordan the night before on the village of Al-Taf in the Al-Lajat region, located in the northeastern countryside of Daraa, on Oct. 27, 2026.

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.

New female cadets from the new women's police academy attend the first cohort graduation ceremony after completing a six-month training program, in al-Tal on the northern outskirts of Damascus, on Sept. 22, 2026.

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.

Latest News

Analysis

What’s at stake for Turkey as Israel heads to the polls?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York, on Sept. 19, 2023.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

How Israel’s elections could bring thaw with Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly gathering, UN Headquarters, New York, Sept. 22, 2026.

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

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Syria to rejoin Arab group at IMF, leaving Russian-led constituency

An attendee walks past signage displayed inside the venue for the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 14, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial picture shows Syrians gathering at the site of an improvised explosive device which hit a joint Turkish-Russian patrol on the strategic M4 highway, near the Syrian town of Ariha in the rebel-held northwestern Idlib province, on July 14, 2020. - Three Russian and several Turkish soldiers were wounded in Syria's restive Idlib province when a joint military patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device, Russia's defence ministry said. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) / The erroneous photographer's

Roadside bomb hits Russian-Turkish patrol on key Syrian highway

The Russian military said Tuesday that three Russian troops and an unspecified number of Turkish soldiers were injured in the attack.

A Turkish military convoy is seen parked near the town of Batabu on the highway linking Idlib to the Syrian Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, on March 2, 2020. - The Syrian government pledged to repel Turkish forces attacking its Russia-backed troops in northwestern Syria as tensions spike between Damascus and Ankara. Since December, Syrian regime forces have led a deadly military offensive against the last major opposition stronghold of Idlib, where Turkey supports some rebel groups. Damascus said i

UN Security Council vote leaves one crossing open between Turkey, Syria

The decision has closed another border point after weeks of disagreement between Russia and other member states.

Erdogan: Turkey on path to ‘unstoppable power’ in region

Turkish president throws his lot in again with Russia and Iran in Syria, expands plans for influence in North Africa and moves to convert the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.

First confirmed COVID-19 case detected in northwest Syria

The first case of the coronavirus in Idlib follows a veto at the UN Security Council today of a resolution that would have allowed aid to reach the embattled area via Turkey.

Intel: US CENTCOM commander meets with head of Syria’s Kurdish forces

The head of Syria’s Kurdish-led militias said he met today with the top commander of US forces in the Middle East, Gen. Frank McKenzie, in northeast Syria.

UN report blames civilian deaths in northwest Syria on government and rebel groups

The report by the United Nations' Syria commission details numerous possible war crimes in recent months by both pro-government forces and the rebel group HTS.

Syrian children, who fled air strikes in their hometown, are pictured near tents at an informal camp for displaced people where they live with their families in northern Syria's Idlib province on January 7, 2020. - Displaced Syrians are spending the winter out in the open and non-governmental organisations have appealed for international support ahead of a decisive UN Security Council vote on cross-border aid.
The UN Security Council was to vote on extending humanitarian aid to Syria, including to some of t

Russia, China veto UN vote to extend aid to Syria’s opposition-held northwest

Russia previously made clear its intent to veto the proposal, despite last-minute hopes the Kremlin might abstain.

Hopes that Russia will drop objections to UN humanitarian aid routes to Syria begin to rise

With only hours left for the UN Security Council to announce the outcome of a vote on a draft resolution extending the mandate for critical aid routes to Syria, hopes are rising that Moscow won't stand in the way.

Humanitarian aid to Syria meets Russian resistance at the UN Security Council

Russia isn't budging from its resistance to deny crucial humanitarian aid to northwest Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C), Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attend a joint press conference following a trilateral meeting on Syria, in Ankara on September 16, 2019. (Photo by Pavel Golovkin / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAVEL GOLOVKIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Iran, Russia, Turkey discuss stabilizing Syria in virtual summit

The presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia held a virtual summit to discuss the latest developments in Syria today.

TOPSHOT - Bags of Russian humanitarian aid are seen laying on the ground, after residents refused to accept them, in the town of Derouna Arha near the Syrian border with Turkey on June 16, 2020. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Congress urges UN to reopen humanitarian aid crossings into Syria

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers urged the United Nations to reopen a key border crossing into Syria, which Russia shut down in January using its veto power at the Security Council.

Syrians buy bread in the town of Binnish in the country's northwestern Idlib province on June 9, 2020. - Syrians held a third day of rare anti-regime protests over deteriorating living conditions Tuesday in the government-held city of Sweida, a war monitor said, as the value of the pound sunk. The value of the Syrian pound has plummeted with dizzying speed in recent days on the informal market, sending prices skyrocketing nationwide and shuttering shops. Dozens rallied in the majority-Druze city of Sweida i

Intel: US pledges nearly $700M in humanitarian assistance for Syrians

The US State Department announced it would be providing an additional $696 million in humanitarian assistance to Syrians.