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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.

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

Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) military police members demonstrate with their flags in the Kurdish town of Al-Muabbadah in the northeastern part of Hassakah province on February 24, 2018, denouncing the Turkish military operation against YPG forces in the northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin. / AFP PHOTO / Delil souleiman (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Erdogan lashes out at US over support for Syrian Kurdish fighters

The president renewed his criticism of Turkey’s NATO partner after a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia said it would deploy troops to Afrin province to battle the Turkish army.

Opposition fighters look out over Lake Maydanki, north of the Syrian city of Afrin, after they took control of the nearby village of Ali Bazan on March 4, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Nazeer al-Khatib (Photo credit should read NAZEER AL-KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Anti-IS coalition paralyzed as YPG faces Turkey

As Turkey's Operation Olive Branch diverts Syrian Kurdish forces from the coalition fighting the Islamic State, a growing number of analysts believe that Washington’s efforts to simultaneously manage Kurdish, Turkish and Russian expectations in Syria are starting to unravel.

Ghouta.com brings Eastern Ghouta's ordeal to the world

Volunteers in Ghouta and Turkey manage an online platform that provides information on the situation in besieged Eastern Ghouta with the hope of bringing the brutal assault there to an end.

A picture taken on March 2, 2018 shows a Turkish army Black Hawk helicopter (front) and a T129 ATAK attack helicopter flying towards the village of Al-Maabatli in the Afrin region in the northwestern Aleppo province countryside as part of the ongoing offensive. / AFP PHOTO / Bakr ALKASEM (Photo credit should read BAKR ALKASEM/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey moves to take key town in Afrin operation

Turkish jets attacked the northern Syrian town of Jindires with the ultimate goal of encircling the city of Afrin.

Stakes rise in Syria as Turkey clashes with pro-Assad militias

As Turkey’s forces approach the center of Afrin city in Syria, it is getting harder for Moscow to control events.

Turkey entangled in Syria cease-fire it once supported

Much to the consternation of many allies, Ankara is challenging the UN Security Council’s cease-fire resolution in Syria, saying it does not apply to Turkey's Afrin operation.

Turkish-Iranian trade revived amid growing cooperation in Syria

Turkey and Iran have reversed a four-year downturn in bilateral trade as collaboration in Syria increases, but the possibility of a setback remains real.

Erdogan calls for mobilization of army reserves in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s growing advocacy of nationalism and war has triggered a new debate in the country, with the opposition calling for sending 800,000 Syrian males in Turkey to fight in Syria before mobilizing Turkish army reserves.

Mideast braces for war: Israel vs. Iran-backed Hezbollah

Israel is threatening a new war against Hezbollah and its weapons plants in Lebanon and Syria.

Turkey continues hostilities in Afrin despite UN cease-fire

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to stay and slay a "dragon" in his military’s month long-campaign against a Kurdish militia in Syria, dismissing assertions from Western allies that the Security Council resolution is intended for the entire war-battered country.

Calls for truce fall on deaf ears in Syria's Ghouta

As Syria seeks to "liquidate" terrorists in eastern Ghouta, escalated fighting leaves little hope for the much-touted "de-escalation" zones.

Syrian Islamist factions join forces against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham

The establishment of the new Syrian Liberation Front unifying the Ahrar al-Sham and Nour al-Din al-Zenki movements was swiftly followed by fierce battles between the new group and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.