On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to focus on Iran in his Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump, while the US leader is more likely to want to discuss Lebanon and Syria. United States
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran says it doesn’t seek to resume negotiations with Washington Sharaa says Syria seeks security deal with Israel; Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival The country welcomed 3.52 million visitors during the first half of 2026, more than double the figure recorded a year earlier, as the government pushes to reconnect to the world and promote tourism as a pillar of economic recovery. Syria
Syria seizes arms shipment on Iraq border destined for Hezbollah The operation comes as part of the Syrian authorities' efforts to curb illicit arms smuggling through its territory, namely intended for Hezbollah. Lebanon
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran declares 'existential war' as US strikes reach near Tehran By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Kremlin confirms S-400 talks with Turkey By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Facing new refugee wave from Syria, Ankara sends delegation to Moscow As a new offensive by the Syrian regime sends 120,000 Idlib residents fleeing toward the Turkish border, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his nation "will not carry such a migrant burden on its own." Syria
Russia weighs two reconstruction strategies for Syria In the face of US sanctions, Moscow is considering whether the outsourcing of reconstruction efforts for Syria may be better for Russia than a long-term presence. Syria
Intel: Pentagon refuses to put timeline on Syria mission Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused to put a timeline on the Pentagon’s scaled-down mission to defeat the Islamic State and guard Syrian oil fields at the agency’s last press briefing of the year. Syria
Rojava Information Center, a media bridge to the world outside An all-volunteer group of local and international journalists and researchers established the Rojava Information Center in the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria to ensure that events there are reported internationally through their own work as well as by assisting established foreign outlets report from the region. Syria
Dollar shortage crisis in Lebanon spills into Syria The Syrian pound's value plummeted against the US dollar after the Lebanese pound depreciated. Lebanon
Intel: Top US and Russian generals link up to talk Syria Gen. Mark Milley, the top US military official, met his Russian counterpart Gen. Valery Gerasimov in Bern, Switzerland, today as part of an ongoing high-level military dialogue between the United States and Russia. Syria
Intel: Pentagon renews calls for US allies to join Syria fight Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters traveling in Europe on Monday that the United States needs to continue to grow the 81-nation counter-Islamic State coalition in Syria to ensure the defeat of the militant group. Syria
Erdogan renews call for ‘safe zone’ support as Syrians return Turkey says that Syrian refugees are moving to an area under its control in northeast Syria, two months after capturing the strip of territory from Syrian Kurdish fighters. Syria
Syrians struggle to survive amid pound crisis The Syrian pound has significantly declined against the dollar, which has affected the purchasing power of citizens and led to many stores shutting their doors. Syria
Congress on verge of passing long-stalled Assad sanctions package Congress is on the brink of sanctioning Syria’s Bashar al-Assad government after three years of struggling to get the legislation approved. Syria
Residents in northeast Syria brace for winter as oil smugglers thrive While Deir ez-Zor is shipping oil other places thanks in part to a man named Hyena, many of its residents are suffering from poverty and the cold. Syria
White House provides lifeline to US ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia Turkish and Saudi leaders look to Trump to prevent relations with the United States from going bad to worse. Saudi Arabia