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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.

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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

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Ankara, Turkey, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Cem Ozdel/Pool - RC168F133660

Tillerson's departure could disrupt US-Turkey progress

With US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson leaving office, critical Turkey-US plans to meet about Syria could be delayed as Ankara recalibrates to face incoming Mike Pompeo.

A Syrian army soldier is seen securing Syrian Arab Red Crescent trucks carrying aid at the entrance of Wafideen camp in Damascus, Syria March 5, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC12D8D4A5F0

Pentagon braces for emboldened Iran after Syria gains

The Pentagon’s top commander in the Middle East told lawmakers today that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s gains in the yearslong civil war will bolster Iran’s ability to frustrate US aims in the region.

Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, speaks during a meeting of the Federal National Council in Abu Dhabi, January 22, 2013. REUTERS/Ben Job (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: POLITICS) - GM1E91M1H1I01

Turkish-Arab ties marked by fear and loathing

A senior Turkish diplomat says Ankara misread the Middle East and ended up relying on Iran and its backer Russia, the two countries that Arab regimes fear the most.

United Arab Emirates

Russia warns against attacking Damascus, says West is lying

Moscow accuses the United States of wanting to interfere in Russia's presidential election and of concocting fake news about a pending Syrian chemical strike against civilians, and it says it's being falsely blamed for the spy poisoning in the UK.

Casualties continue to mount in Syria's eastern Ghouta

The situation in the besieged eastern Ghouta area continues to deteriorate with shortages of medical supplies, the regime shelling on medical facilities and use of low concentration doses of chlorine.

Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighters are seen in Maryamayn in eastern Afrin, Syria March 11, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC18EE8048A0

Erdogan menaces Afrin as YPG digs in

As Turkish troops head for Afrin, will Turkey commit to the next-level battle it will face there if the People's Protection Units stay and fight?

Russian solders are seen at a new corridor of Jisreen-Mleha road where they expect people to arrive from eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1D320A0E90

Iranian mistrust of Russia surges as Syrian war winds down

The Iranian media increasingly reflects fears and mistrust of Russian intentions in Syria.

US risks irrelevance in Syria with reconstruction taboos

The West’s warranted aversion to helping the Assad regime carries risks for the entire region.

Iraqi and Turkish soldiers wave flags at the Habur Border Gate between Turkey and Iraq in this still image taken from video, October 31, 2017. IHA/ via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. TURKEY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN TURKEY. PART NO ACCESS TURKEY.? - RC19E8A7C400

Turkey poised to open a military front in Iraq

Improved relations between Iraq and Turkey have raised the possibility of a joint offensive against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

The Erbil International Airport is seen in Erbil, Iraq September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC19D0FD09E0

Iraqi Kurdistan’s not so friendly skies opening again soon

Baghdad to formally take charge of Kurdistan Region airports and borders; shift in Syria strategy by Moscow may follow Russian presidential election; Jordan’s king and Turkish president find common ground.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a state awards ceremony for military personnel who served in Syria, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 28, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FBBAD3FD0

Russia considering course change after new challenges in Syria

As Russia's presidential election approaches, Moscow finds itself recently pressured by several negative developments in Syria that are causing it to re-evaluate its strategy there.

Syrian children in Lebanon express their plight with poetry

An exhibition in Beirut combines poems written by Syrian children with Lebanese and Syrian artists’ paintings, drawings and sculptures.