Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon. Lebanon
Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, national oil production stood at between 400,000 and 500,00 barrels per day before falling to under 100,000 bpd during the conflict. Syria
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran’s Ghalibaf: US must accept Tehran proposal By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border. Turkey
Analysis MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis 'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Will US, Russia be able to turn 'words on paper' into action in Syria? The United States and Russia, meeting with international powers, announced that they had agreed on a plan for rapid humanitarian aid delivery to seven besieged areas in Syria and to try to work out a temporary truce to go into effect after one week. Syria
Why some Syrian fighters transferred to Turkey vow to return Although Ahrar al-Sham is associated with al-Qaeda, the people of Zabadani who were forced to flee to Turkey when the regime took over consider it a moderate group and continue to support it. Syria
Battle for Aleppo rages on after peace talks suspended Faced with their toughest challenge to date, Syrian rebels are losing ground in Aleppo ahead of the Geneva III peace talks slated to resume Feb. 25. Syria
Syrian Kurds' agenda simmers on back burner Though Syria’s Kurds have been calling for the establishment of a federal state, just like their counterparts in Iraq, their demands may never reach the international peace platforms. Syria
Saudi Arabia turns to Turkey Following the visit of a Turkish delegation to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom hopes to establish economic and military ties with Turkey to counter the expanding Iranian influence in the region. Saudi Arabia
Can Erdogan bully Turkey's armed forces into invading Syria? Following his failure in Aleppo, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s eagerness for a military intervention in Syria is stronger than ever, but will the Turkish military acquiesce to his plans? Syria
How fighters are filtering across the Syrian-Turkish border Turkey is handling tens of thousands of refugees trying to cross its border from Syria, but isn't sure how it will deal with the accompanying militants, their families and IS-affiliated fighters. Syria
Syria's Sharia courts Sharia courts founded by armed groups in Syria are currently the sole judicial power in the areas outside the regime’s control. Syria
Obama's anti-IS envoy: Shiites saved Iraq President Obama's envoy praises all sides in a bid to keep the coalition together. Iraq
Will Kerry be able to salvage Syria peace talks? US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was preparing to test Russian seriousness as he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed possible Syria cease-fire arrangements. Syria
What's next for Syria? As new talks commence on solving the Syria crisis, the international community speculates on what Russia's first move will be. Syria
Iran defends its support for Syria, Iraq Iranian officials and media argue that the fight against terrorists in Syria and Iraq is in defense of Iran. Syria
