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Syria

August 6, 2026

Damascus 2:40 pm

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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

Kurds divided over blame for loss of Kirkuk

The recapture of Kirkuk by Iraqi forces in the aftermath of the independence referendum is a heavy blow for Kurds in Iran, Syria and Turkey.

A pregnant Syrian woman carries her child at a compound housing Syrian refugees in Sidon, southern Lebanon January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho - RC1333642FD0

Syrian refugees in Lebanon face eviction

Eviction campaigns targeting Syrian refugees have ramped up in recent weeks across Lebanon’s municipalities while the Lebanese government turns a blind eye.

Syria conflict takes its toll on Golan Druze

While the Syrian war has taken quite a toll on Syrian Druze in the occupied Golan Heights, some of the Druze fear Israel could use them as a pretext for expanding cross-border military moves.

Israel chooses sides in Syria

Israel warned that it would not tolerate attacks on the Syrian Druze town of Hader in the Golan Heights.

Digital archive preserves creative side of Syrian revolution

A project called "The Creative Memory of the Syrian Revolution" is building an online archive of artistic expression during the Syrian revolution, posting thousands of cartoons, songs, pictures and other mediums in which Syrians express resistance and hope.

Upcoming Putin, Trump talks should prove interesting

What is the agenda for the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin? Trump wants to talk North Korea, but Moscow is seeking a broader, more in-depth conversation on the Middle East.

Middle East developments rattle sidelined Ankara

Some argue that Ankara has to return to its former position of active neutrality if it is to regain lost influence in the region and contribute to stability.

Iraq’s intervention may change the equation in Syria's Kurdish regions

The closure of the Fish Khabur and Rabia border crossings between Iraq and Syria may jeopardize the Kurdish federal project in northern Syria.

The road to rebuilding Raqqa

The city of Raqqa, newly liberated from the Islamic State by the Kurdish-led and US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces, will now face the challenges of reconstruction and uprooting the jihadi threat once and for all.

Kurdish rift emerges between Erdogan, Putin

A fundamental disagreement over the role of Syria’s Kurds threatens to wreck Turkey’s partnership with Russia, atop already simmering tensions with the United States.

Syria's Arab, Kurdish women join forces to fight for future

Scores of Arab women are joining the Kurdish Women’s Protection Units in Syria as they see an opportunity to improve their lives and the lives of future generations of women.

'Terrorist rehab' opens its doors in northern Syria

An anti-radicalism center has opened its doors in northern Aleppo and is aimed at rehabilitating young people indoctrinated by extremist groups such as the Islamic State.