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Syria

August 6, 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

Animosity toward US uniting Turkey, Russia, Iran in Syria

A loose alliance between Turkey, Russia and Iran in Syria is fraught with tensions driven by developments on the ground, but the three remain united in their desire not to provide advantage to the United States.

Airstrikes catch up to displaced Aleppans in Idlib

Syrians who fled Aleppo years ago and settled in Idlib are on the run once again or fearing for their lives as the regime, backed by Russian air cover, intensifies its attacks in the province.

U.N. peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol near the Lebanese-Israeli border as they drive past a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah in Adaisseh village, southern Lebanon January 29, 2015. Two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish peacekeeper were killed when Hezbollah fired a missile at a convoy of Israeli military vehicles at the Lebanon border. A U.N. spokesman and Spanish officials said the peacekeeper was killed as Israel responded with air strike

Trump seeks to slash funding for UN missions in Mideast

The State Department budget is seeking across-the-board cuts to international peacekeeping missions worldwide.

A U.S soldier stands on a bridge with his gun in the town of Gwer northern Iraq August 31, 2016. Picture taken August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - S1AETYVKSRAA

Pentagon budget retains same troop levels in Iraq, Syria

The Donald Trump administration’s new budget for the Pentagon leaves in place nearly 6,000 US troops in Iraq and Syria.

TOPSHOT - A convoy of US forces armoured vehicles drives near the village of Yalanli, on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, on March 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

US, Turkey could be on collision course in Syria

Neither side is backing down as Ankara and Washington exchange tough talk over potential confrontations in Syria.

A man walks on rubble at a damaged site after an airstrike in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Damascus, Syria February 9, 2018. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh - RC18866F2CF0

Despite defeat of IS, Syria war risks major power conflict

The United States and Russia should abandon "proxy wars" and back a new UN Security Council resolution for a regional peace conference.

Israel, Syria, Iran clash in the skies

Israel reacted strongly to the Iranian drone that penetrated its territory and to Syrian fire targeting an Israel Defense Forces jet.

Syrian Army soldiers walk along a street in Deir al Zor, Syria in this handout picture provided by SANA on September 11, 2017. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. - RC17E35CAF70

Pentagon plays down Russian influence in Syria after clash with US-backed forces

Secretary of Defense James Mattis insisted that Moscow had little control over Syrian troops that attacked US allies; Mattis also dismissed fears that the United States is getting dragged into another Middle East war.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) stand near U.S military vehicles in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria April 29, 2017. Picture taken April 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC16C054E9B0

US support for Kurds in Iraq, Syria unaffected by tensions with Turkey

The Pentagon is standing by Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria despite growing political pressure to back off, according to a government audit.

Turkish forces are seen on Mount Barsaya in northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28, 2018.REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi - RC1E13D8A6D0

Ankara’s Syria incursion risks sparking long-term ethnic feud in Turkey

Turkey’s military intervention into Afrin might disrupt the social ties between Turkey’s Kurds and Turks permanently and spark an ethnic Turkish-Kurdish feud that could last for generations.

Can Geneva build on Syrian peace talks in Sochi?

Russia's congress on Syria can boast some achievements, but it also leaves plenty for Geneva to resolve.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson steps off his plane as he arrives at the presidential hangar in Mexico City, Mexico, February 1, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero - RC1A25512B30

Tillerson travels to Middle East to talk post-IS stability

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey next week. But veteran diplomats warn that US goals for Syria need to be scaled back.