Syria - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palmyra

Syria

May 1, 2026

Damascus 3:32 am

19°C

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

One of the two top political leaders of the Syrian Kurdish alliance and co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council Ilham Ahmed attends a press conference, in Paris, on Dec. 21, 2018.

Syrian Kurdish leader says US should stay in Syria regardless of who is president

President of Executive Committee of the Syrian Democratic Council Ilham Ahmed spoke at a virtual event at the DC-based Newlines Institute today.

Displaced Syrian boys carry water back to their tent at a camp for the internally displaced near the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on July 29, 2020, as Muslims across the world are getting ready to celebrate Eid al-Adha.

Camp residents in northwest Syria struggle to secure clean water

Some camp residents in northwestern Syria lack clean water, and despite all the efforts made by organizations in this field, some still find it difficult to obtain drinking water, especially with the approaching summer season.

Syrian refugees enter Turkey in 2013

Why are Syrian refugees returning from Turkey?

More Syrian refugees are expected to return home from Turkey this year if the Turkish authorities continue to impose lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A photo taken on May 3, 2021 shows a giant portrait of President Bashar al-Assad at the Umawiyin square in Syria's capital Damascus, ahead of this month's presidential elections.

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief meets with Syrian counterpart in Damascus

The meeting takes place during the first official visit to Damascus by Saudi Arabia since 2012.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Syria’s presidential elections, explained

Described as a farce by opponents, Syria’s upcoming presidential elections are designed to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power until at least 2028.

Members of the Syrian Kurdish internal security services known as Asayish and Syrian government forces man a joint checkpoint in the Tayy neighborhood in Qamishli, Syria, April 27, 2021.

Despite truce, Kurdish authorities in Qamishli fear return of Syrian government-affiliated forces

Under a Russian-sponsored agreement, the Syrian government-affiliated National Defense Forces retreated from the Tayy neighborhood in Qamishli, which is now under the control of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration.

US forces patrol in Syria

US soldier faces criminal charges over firefight with Syrian regime

Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson is accused of recklessly endangering his own men by allegedly bringing them into close contact with Syrian pro-regime forces.

Books lie on the floor at a makeshift school in the town of Atme near the border with Turkey, in the rebel held Idlib province on September 5, 2018.

Turkish-backed FSA soft power initiative includes libraries

The increase in the number of public libraries in the relatively stable areas controlled by the Turkish-backed FSA in the countryside of Aleppo reflects the development of various cultural activities.

Members of the Syrian Kurdish internal security services known as Asayish and Syrian government forces man a checkpoint in Tayy neighbourhood in the northeastern city of Qamishli, after the implementation of a Russian-brokered cease-fire agreement, Syria, April 27, 2021.

Syrian government, Kurdish forces end dispute in Qamishli

The clashes between the Syrian government-affiliated forces and Kurdish security forces ended in Syria's northeast city of Qamishli after reaching an agreement between the two parties under Russian auspices.

Syrians sit inside a prayer hall of a cemetery where displaced families took refuge in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on Feb. 23, 2020.

Suicide on rise among young people in northwest Syria

The organization says children account for nearly one in five recorded suicide attempts and deaths in northwestern Syria.

A picture taken on April 20, 2020 shows a 120-bed ward at a specialised hospital for coronavirus cases inaugurated by the Kurdish Red Crescent around 10 kilometres outside the Syrian city of Hasakeh after the first COVID-19 death was reported in the northeastern region.

Northeast Syria's pandemic response in jeopardy as cases rise, charity warns

Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, the region's hospitals are grappling with a major shortage of oxygen and testing supplies.

A boy awaits departure during the release of another group of Syrian families from the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds suspected relatives of Islamic State (IS) group fighters, in Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria, on Feb. 20, 2021.

CENTCOM chief warns children risk radicalization at Syrian al-Hol camp

Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie said radicalization would remain a problem unless countries repatriate and reintegrate the children of suspected Islamic State fighters.