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Syria

April 30, 2026

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A young man stands in the entrance of tunnels that were used by the ISIS and the Assad's regime for fighting. Tadamon, Syria, February 7, 2025. (Photo by Raghed Waked / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by RAGHED WAKED/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know

Amjad Youssef appeared on video, allegedly killing dozens of civilians in 2013; he is the latest member of the Assad regime to be captured by the new Syrian government.

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Analysis

'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance

Backlash erupts after dancers perform to Missy Elliott’s “Work It,” exposing the tightrope between Sharaa’s outreach to the West and pressure from his Islamist base.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives ahead of a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 31, 2026.

Syria’s Sharaa makes fourth visit to Saudi Arabia, first since Iran war: What to know

The visit comes in light of the deepening economic relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia post-Assad.

Members of Iraq's security forces stand guard on the the al-Rabia border crossing with Syria on April 20, 2026.

How Syria's border opening with Iraq redefines Turkey-Kurd balance

After years of closure, the reopening of al-Yaaroubiya crossing is redrawing Kurdish economic leverage and reinforcing Turkey’s regional strategy.

Latest News

EU to restore Syria cooperation pact ahead of May talks: What to know

Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP via Getty Images

Sharaa distances Syria from Iran war, says Israel talks ongoing: What to know

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish Presient Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey April 17, 2026.

Analysis

Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?

Kurdish people waving Kurdistan flags gather to celebrate Nowruz on the hill of Urkesh in the countryside of Amuda in northeastern Syria on March 18, 2026. Nowruz, meaning "new day," is an ancient festival that marks the start of spring and the new year on the vernal equinox, which usually falls on March 20 or 21. It is celebrated by more than 300 million people worldwide and has been observed for over 3,000 years across regions including the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus and parts of Eastern Euro

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US troops depart Syria, ending decade of presence in fight against ISIS

Boys along a road wave to an approaching US military mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) armored fighting vehicle moving in a convoy transporting Islamic State group detainees being transferred to Iraq from Syria, on the outskirts of Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Feb. 7, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Danny Makki

In London, reporting on Syrian politics and culture

Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Cagatay Cebe

In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism

Rebels leave Douma in April 2018

Syria blames Israel for destruction of evidence in Douma chemical attack

The UN's chemical weapons watchdog warned Syria's government not to move or tamper with the gas canisters recovered at Douma.

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in a prison where men suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakah on Oct. 26, 2019.

Iranian forces in Syria establish new prison in Raqqa

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is redeploying and building new bases and prisons in its areas of control in northeastern Syria after coming under repeated Israeli and US airstrikes.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters of the Sultan Murad Turkoman brigade are pictured during a military show in the Afrin region in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's northern Aleppo province on Nov. 17, 2020.

Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse, criminality in Syria’s Afrin

The serene topography of the Syrian enclave of Afrin belies the power vacuum and violence now afflicting many of the territories under the control of Turkish-backed forces in the war-torn country’s northeast.

Protesters hold Syrian flags, posters and pictures of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as they demonstrate against Western airstrikes against the Syrian regime, Belgrade, Serbia, April 15, 2018.

Serbia has its reasons for sending ambassador to Syria

Belgrade breaks with EU consensus by being one of the first European countries to upgrade its relations with Damascus to ambassadorial level.

Syrian al-Liwa Party

New Druze political party, military faction take shape in Suwayda

Suwayda has a new political party and an associated military arm after decades of Druze exclusion from the Syrian political scene.

Jihadis of former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Syrian jihadi groups crack down on rivals in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is tightening the noose on the jihadi Jundallah group and asking it to join it or leave Idlib, in what observers described as an attempt on the part of HTS to get rid of non-Syrian fighters.

Al-Nusra Front billboard near Aleppo

Syrian man in Netherlands convicted of war crimes for soldier's execution

A court sentenced Ahmad al Khedr to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2012 execution of a regime soldier, which was captured on film.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syrian government shelling in Idlib kills 9, including 3 children

Syria's last rebel stronghold has seen an uptick in government attacks, with at least 10 children killed in the past two weeks.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham kicks Chechen jihadis out of Idlib

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham told the Chechen jihadi group Jund al-Sham it could either join its ranks or leave Idlib, the group's members evacuated their military positions in the countryside of Latakia.

Restoration work at Great Mosque in Idlib

Idlib authorities begin restoration of historic mosque

The government affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib is restoring the historic Great Mosque, which was severely damaged by Syrian government shelling.

A Syrian vendor sets up his stall of fruits at the recently reopened Nassib border crossing in Daraa province, at the Syrian-Jordanian border south of Damascus, Nov. 7, 2018.

What does Saudi ban on Syrian produce mean for Assad’s government?

The kingdom's decision to ban the import of produce from the government-held areas is viewed as a sign that the kingdom has not changed its position toward the Syrian government.

Syrian Kurds demonstrate against the Turkish offensive on Kurdistan Workers Party areas in northern Iraq, in the northeastern city of Qamishli, Syria, June 10, 2021.

Kurdish parties split over Russian invitation for dialogue with Syrian government

Kurdish politicians in Syria split over Russia’s invitation to hold a dialogue with the Syrian government, with some accepting the invitation based on conditions, while others were skeptical about such a move.