Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border. Turkey
EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria The move marks a major economic step for Syria's recovery after its 13-year civil war and the fall of the Assad regime. Syria
Analysis MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers Home to many of the world's largest wheat importers, the Middle East and North Africa face acute food security risks as the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts global fertilizer flows and pushes up prices. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, Tadamoun massacre perpetrator: What to know Amjad Youssef appeared on video, allegedly killing dozens of civilians in 2013; he is the latest member of the Assad regime to be captured by the new Syrian government. Syria
Analysis 'Is it worth it?' Syria's Sharaa faces backlash over Missy Elliott performance By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Women join opposition police forces in Aleppo’s liberated areas With the help of Turkish trainers, the first batch of policewomen graduated from the opposition’s National Police and Public Security Forces in the areas liberated during Operation Euphrates Shield in the countryside of Aleppo. Syria
Turkey squeezed between American hammer, Russian anvil on Syrian stage The Kurdish issue is only one of the catalysts to indicate Turkey’s weakened posture in Syria, the Middle East and the world. Syria
Syrian opposition can win, as long as it agrees to lose The Syrian regime appears to hold the trump cards in negotiations this week with the opposition delegation in Geneva. Syria
Will Israel launch pre-emptive strike against Assad? Israeli experts claim that the Israel Defense Forces should have struck the Bashar al-Assad regime at the beginning of the war in Syria. Israel
Private military companies: Moscow’s other army in Syria To compensate for troop reductions in Syria, Russia is deploying an array of corporate-organized mercenaries. Syria
US faces uphill battle recouping arms from Syrian Kurds As the fight against the Islamic State winds down, the Donald Trump administration says it plans to get back the weapons it loaned to Kurdish troops opposed by Turkey. Syria
Sochi summit leaves Turkey facing unsavory possibilities It's unknown how far Moscow will go to appease Ankara with regard to the Syrian Kurds. Syria
Four-year-old siege still punishing civilians in Syria's Yarmouk camp Despite talk of negotiations and a breakthrough, the siege imposed by the Syrian regime on the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus continues to claim the lives of civilians. Syria
Trump promises to end 'nonsense' of arming Syrian Kurds, Turkey says Turkish officials say the US president promised Turkey’s leader that arms shipments to Kurds fighting the Islamic State would stop, but observers worry such a move will cost Washington a key partner and undermine stabilization efforts in Syria. Syria
50,000 Syrians on Jordan's border trapped in world power struggle European and other officials are calling on Jordan to facilitate food transfers to Rukban, where some 50,000 displaced Syrians are being denied adequate aid. Jordan
Iranian media: Sochi summit step toward 'new Middle East' Iranian media reported on the trilateral meeting between the presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey in Sochi as a step toward a new Middle East. Syria
IDF prepares for 'new' Syria Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman is asking for an increased budget for the Israel Defense Forces to prepare itself against new threats developing along its northern border with Syria. Israel