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Syria

May 19, 2026

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Car bomb in Syrian capital leaves 1 dead, 23 injured: What to know

Tuesday's bombing is the latest in a string of recent security incidents in Damascus.

NICOSIA, CYPRUS - APRIL 24: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for an informal meeting of European Union leaders on April 24, 2026 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The EU heads of state and government are meeting over two days to discuss the conflict in Iran and the Middle East, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the effects of high fuel prices, and how Europe may contribute to de-escalation and a peace agreement. (Photo by Byron Smith/Getty Images)

Syria's Sharaa renews ban on Israeli imports in customs law: What to know

The renewal comes even as Damascus pursues US-backed security talks with Israel aimed at reducing tensions along the border.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives to attend the second day of the first Syrian-Emirati (United Arab Emirates) Investment Forum, at the People's Palace in Damascus on May 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Ports and infrastructure: UAE embraces new economic order in Syria

UAE-Syrian ties have moved faster than expected, with Abu Dhabi embracing President Ahmad al-Sharaa and relations shifting from normalization to investment opportunities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Interview

UK fintech brings foreign currency accounts to Syrians at home

A Syrian citizen exchanges old banknotes for new notes released and distributed by the central bank, at a bank in the capital, Damascus, on Jan. 3, 2026.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Khaled Hablas

Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know

Pictured in this undated image is the Al-Thawra oil field in Raqqa governorate, as rehabilitation works continue to restore production capacity.

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

A portrait of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is affixed on a door in old Damascus, September 8, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13D2N

How Lucky Is Syria’s President?

Bashar al-Assad knows that despite a brutal war, his allies have his back and his opposition is fractured — and also that the end of his regime does not mean the end of the war in Syria.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G8 Summit at Lough Erne in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland June 17, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (NORTHERN IRELAND - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX10R8R

Obama, Putin Acknowledge Limits of Power

The Russian initiative concerning Syria gives the international community a little breathing room to effect a realistic resolution to the conflict.

U.S. President Barack Obama hugs Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as President Shimon Peres (L) watches on, before Obama's departure from Tel Aviv International Airport, March 22, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FBUO

Israel Will Pay for Obama’s Hesitancy On Syria

Israel should expect little in return for its support of US President Obama's policies on Syria.

An activist wearing a gas mask is seen in Zamalka area, where activists say chemical weapons have been used by forces loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad in the eastern suburbs of Damascus August 22, 2013. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX12TQ6

Israelis Question Obama Response To 'Smoking Gun' in Syria

Senior Israelis wonder what it means for US policy toward Iran that US President Barack Obama did not act on a "smoking gun" in Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry smiles with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) at a press briefing at the State Department in Washington before a day of talks August 9, 2013. U.S. and Russian officials will seek to maintain a working relationship when they meet in Washington on Friday even though the political mood between the two countries has hit one of its lowest points since the end of the Cold War. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12F1G

Russian Initiative Offers Hope Of Breakthrough on Syria War

Getting Syria to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention and give up its chemical weapons gives new hope for a surge in US-Russian diplomacy to end the war in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds out his arms as he walks past U.S. President Barack Obama (L) during a group photo at the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg September 6, 2013. Above Obama is British Prime Minister David Cameron. At right is Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (RUSSIA - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTX139JC

Putin Wins Big in Syria, With Assist From Obama

President Barack Obama's threat to use force against the Syrian chemical arsenal paved the way for the initiative by Russian President Vladimir Putin and maybe a solution.

Russian Diplomacy Transforms Debate on Syria

The Russian initiative on Syria's chemical weapons slows the Obama administration’s flagging effort to get congressional support for a military strike.

Lebanese army soldiers install barbed wire to close a road leading to the U.S. embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, before a protest against potential U.S. strikes on Syria, September 7, 2013. U.S. officials ordered non-emergency personnel and their family members out of Lebanon on Friday "due to threats," the U.S. embassy in Beirut said in a statement. REUTERS/Hasan Shaaban (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX13BL1

Lebanon as 'Theater of Surprise' In Syria War

Lebanon is the traditional battlefield for regional conflicts.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan speaks during
the presentation by the Istanbul 2020 committee as a candidate to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games, in Buenos Aires September 7, 2013. The IOC will elect the winning city from candidates Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo on Saturday afternoon at their 125th Session in the Argentine capital. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool (ARGENTINA - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS) - RTX13BCO

Turkey’s Policies Defied By Latest Twists in Syria

Turkey seems to be on the wrong side of events in Egypt and Syria.

Spanish peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol on their armoured vehicle in Khiam village, southern Lebanon July 24, 2013. Europe's decision to blacklist Hezbollah's "military wing" was triggered by the Lebanese movement's growing role in Syria, but the partial ban may have little practical impact due to fears of destabilising Lebanon and the wider Middle East. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX11X5R

UNIFIL, Hezbollah Prepare For Possible Syria Strike

Having cooperated for decades in southern Lebanon, both UNIFIL forces and Hezbollah are preparing for the repercussions of US-led military action in Syria.

Mustafa Abu Bekir, 23, is carried by a family member as they enter Turkey from the Turkish Cilvegozu border gate, located opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa, in Reyhanli, Hatay province, September 9, 2013. Abu Bekir introduced himself as a Free Syrian Army fighter who was severely injured and lost his legs during a bombing by the Syrian Air Force while he and others were fighting in the front line against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Iblib almost a month ago. T

Turks on Syria Border Oppose US Military Strike

Many Turkish residents of the border town of Reyhanli — hit by twin car bombings May 11 — worry that they are in jeopardy as a result of a US miltiary strike on Syria.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Martin E. Dempsey (L), John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State (C), and Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense, present the administration's case for U.S. military action against Syria to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, September 3, 2013. President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged quick congressional action authorizing the use of military force against Syria and won the support of leaders from both parties in the House of Representatives for limited strik

Obama Administration Should Stop Conflating Syria, Iran

The Obama administration is risking a breakthrough with Iran in its rhetoric on Syria.