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Syria

August 5, 2026

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A Syrian Air passenger jet lands at Aleppo airport on March 18, 2025, the first aircraft to land after it was shut during the offensive that toppled president Bashar al-Assad. "The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority announced the resumption of operations at Aleppo International Airport starting Tuesday, March 18," the official news agency SANA reported. The reopening of the airport in the northern city will see the arrival of domestic and international flights, the authority said, adding that it welcomes all a

Explainer

Syria launching Moscow, Medina flights as aviation momentum builds

Damascus and Aleppo are adding a growing number of international flights in 2026, with activity in Syria's airspace already doubling so far this year amid fallout from the US-Israel-Iran war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday appointed veteran diplomat Dmitry Dogadkin, pictured here, as Russia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Syria, succeeding Alexander Yefimov.

Russia names Dmitry Dogadkin new ambassador to Syria amid thaw: What to know

The appointment of the new ambassador, who previously served as Russia’s envoy to Qatar, comes as Moscow recalibrates its ties with the new Syrian authorities to maintain its strategic foothold in the Mediterranean country.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Damascus, Aug. 3, 2026. IKRPresident/X

Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics

KRG President Nechirvan Barzani’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa underscored the Kurdistan Region’s growing role in Syria’s Kurdish politics.

Latest News

On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump

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Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival

Tourism students and visitors visit the ruins of the ancient city of Apamea in the Hama countryside, Syria, on July 8, 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

Ankara's Afrin plan triggers acrimony among Kurds

Turkey is proposing a diverse governing council for Afrin, but some suspect the idea is really a disguise for Turkish rule.

5 reasons Iran is staying out of eastern Ghouta

Iran’s apparent low profile on the military operations in Afrin and eastern Ghouta has raised questions about its policy toward the Syrian war.

A rebel fighter fires a mortar shell towards Syrian army soldiers, west of Manbij city, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1BFF190D80

Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Turkish diplomats will meet in Washington tomorrow, hoping to build on what Ankara has said are US pledges to push Syrian Kurdish fighters out of Manbij in northern Syria.

Turkish-backed Free Syrian army members ride on a motorbike near a Turkish military vehicle in Afrin, Syria March 19, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1F92C97600

Deciphering Russia's delivery of Tell Rifaat to Turkey

Now that Russia has reportedly handed over the area around Tell Rifaat to Turkey, all eyes are on Turkey’s performance in the expanded area controlled by its allied Free Syrian Army forces west of the Euphrates.

Syrian opposition seeks to clamp down on looting in Afrin

The Syrian armed opposition has taken steps to curb looting in Afrin by some of its members and has promised residents that it will recover and return their stolen property.

Russia, Qatar explore partnership potential

Qatar and Russia both stand to benefit in the Middle East from closer relations: Russia needs Arab street cred and Qatar needs all the friends it can get.

Turkish-backed Syrian Arab fighters walk in the streets after seizing control of the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on March 18, 2018.
In a major victory for Ankara's two-month operation against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, Turkish-led forces pushed into Afrin apparently unopposed, taking up positions across the city. / AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian Kurdish forces cede Tell Rifaat, claims Turkish press

Ankara is already celebrating its victory over the Syrian Kurdish militia in Tell Rifaat today as dreams of a corridor under Kurdish control evaporate.

25 Jan 2016 - Sinjar, Iraq. Kurds Peshmerga walks through the ruins of the city which had a mixed population of yazidi and muslims kurds. The city has been invaded by ISIS/Daesh on the 3rd of August 2014. Sinjar has been officially liberated in November 2015 cutting the road used by the jhiadi group as a supply route between Raqqah and Mosul. The city is today a ghost town inhabited almost only by military groups such as Kurds Peshmerga, PKK, Iraqi Police and YBS (Yazidi Sinjar Resistance Units). At present

Erdogan keeps finger on trigger as PKK exits Sinjar

It's unclear whether reports of Kurdish militants' withdrawal from Sinjar in Iraq have convinced Turkey not to launch a military offensive.

Decision to declassify Syria strike sparks 'war of the generals' in Israel

The Mossad, Israeli military intelligence, the IDF and former decision-makers are all fighting for credit over the 2007 Syrian reactor bombing.

Russia, Turkey stay close despite differences in Syria

Turkey depends on Russia for civilian nuclear power plant.

Jordan, Israel hedge their bets in southwest Syria

Southwest Syria could become the next battleground in Syria's multiple regional wars amid a possible collapse in the US-Russian cease-fire agreement.

Israel's acknowledgment of Syria nuclear strike sparks security debate

The story behind Israel's 2007 attack on Syria's nuclear reactor challenges the assumption that Israeli generals are more competent than Israeli politicians at making security decisions.