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)

Turkish-backed policemen man a checkpoint in the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin on March 31, 2018.

Infighting between Islamist, Turkish-backed armed groups continues in north Syria

Infighting between Turkish-backed factions in north Syria continues despite pleas by civilians, with most recently dozens of members of the civilian police resigning in response to a shootout with the military police that left two of its members wounded.

Syrian rebel fighters prepare in anticipation of an attack by the Bashar al-Assad regime on Idlib province and the surrounding countryside, in Kafr Zeta, Syria, Aug. 30, 2018.

Syrian jihadi group escalates campaign against foreign fighters in Idlib

While some believe that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is tightening the noose around foreign fighters in Idlib with the ultimate goal to expel them, others consider that it serves the interest of civilians in the city of Idlib.

A drone image shows Syrian demonstrators gathering during a protest in the village of Maaret al-Naasan in Syria's Idlib province on May 1, 2020.

Jihadi group takes on Salafist opponents in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham cracks down and arrests Salafists who support anti-HTS protests.

Civilians participate in a Territorial Defense unit training session on Feb. 05, 2022, in Obukhiv, Ukraine.

Russia claims Ukraine is staging atrocities a la Syria’s White Helmets

The Russian government has made similar claims about the pro-rebel Syrian rescuers in the past.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Israeli soldiers are pictured stationed near the northern Israeli border with Lebanon, Nov. 11, 2020.

Analysis

Israel seeks answers to Iranian drones

The Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle that infiltrated Israeli airspace last week and then returned to Lebanon worries the IDF.

Lilach Shoval

By Lilach Shoval

A picture shows a snow-covered displacement camp for Yazidis in the area of Dawudya, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Dahuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jan. 25, 2022.

Yazidis react to killing of Islamic State leader

The death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who committed war crimes against the Yazidi community in Sinjar and supervised the Sinjar genocide in which thousands of Yazidis were killed, sparked varied reactions among Yazidis.

Syrian fighters at the graduation of new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham members in Idlib province on Aug. 14, 2018.

Syrian jihadi group tightens noose on Arab, foreign fighters in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is pressuring foreign jihadis in Idlib and giving them two choices: Leave, or integrate into the local community.

Majd Kamalmaz

US talks directly with Syria on missing American but White House a ‘holdup,’ family says

The family of Majd Kamalmaz is pleading with the White House to build on previous engagement with Damascus, saying the Syrians have demanded to speak with a high-level US official.

A Syrian soldier looks over at the town of Daraa from his position in the southern city of Sweida on Jan. 23, 2013.

Violence on rise in Syria’s Suwayda

Residents of Syria’s southern city of Suwayda accuse the Syrian government of supporting gangs and the spread of weapons, which encourage violence within the community.

Orphan Syrian children and displaced widows wait for food aid at El Ardiye orphanage, Idlib, on Nov. 26, 2021.

Women in northwest Syria take on physically demanding jobs

Many women in displaced camps in northwest Syria have been forced to find jobs, often difficult and physical ones, due to the deteriorating security conditions and the absence of the family’s breadwinner.

A displaced Syrian girl rides in the back of a truck on the way to Deir al-Ballut camp in Afrin's countryside on Feb. 19, 2020.

Killing of woman by Syrian jihadi group sparks protests in camps

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham shot a woman in the head for smuggling fuel from the opposition areas into Idlib, prompting protests and clashes in the camps for the displaced.

Members of the Belarusian Army take part in a parade at Fort Tiuna, held as part of the celebrations of the Bicentenary of the Venezuelan independence, in Caracas on April 19, 2010.

Belarus leader denies Russian claims about sending troops to Syria

Belarus’ leader has said a Russian government document claiming an agreement with Moscow to send Belarusian troops to Syria is false.