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August 8, 2026

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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani meets with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Ankara, Aug. 6, 2026.

Syria's Shibani updates Turkey on Kurds' integration, slams Israel during Ankara visit

The visit highlighted Ankara's growing influence in post-Assad Syria, with the two neighbors expanding strategic coordination on security and regional affairs.

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.

Latest News

Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Damascus, Aug. 3, 2026. IKRPresident/X

On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump

Trump Netanyahu

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

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks at a rocket warhead tip after a simulated test of atmospheric re-entry of a ballistic missile, at an unidentified location in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on March 15, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA 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. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR A

Netanyahu's road to Iran runs through North Korea

Israel fears that if North Korea continues to develop its nuclear arsenal, Iran will no longer agree to restraints on its nuclear program.

Why did Russia offer autonomy for Syria’s Kurds?

Draft constitution from Russia seeks to decentralize Syrian state authority, limit presidential powers; Turkish forces struggle in two-front campaign against both the Islamic State and Syrian Kurds; Al-Monitor offers in-depth reporting on Syrian Kurdish region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with Syrian opposition representatives in Moscow, Russia January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RTSXL2Z

Russia offers outline for Syrian constitution

Russia’s three-pronged plan for Syria’s constitution addresses secular and Kurdish concerns, as well as governmental structure, including limits on presidential power.

Syrian Kurdish people rally on Mistanur hill during a gathering to celebrate Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, on March 21, 2015. AFP PHOTO/YASIN AKGUL (Photo credit should read YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images)

Hope and fear for Syria's Kurds

In the first of a new series of long-form, in-depth articles, Al-Monitor traveled to the northeastern Syrian town of Derik to explore the transitional and often contradictory nature of the Kurdish-administered territory still commonly called Rojava.

Israeli girls play near a sign at Mount Bental, an observation post in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that overlooks the Syrian side of the Qunietra crossing August 21, 2015. Israel said it killed four Palestinian militants in an air strike on the Syrian Golan Heights on Friday, after cross-border rocket fire from Syria prompted the heaviest Israeli bombardment since the start of Syria's four-year-old civil war. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX1P1OA

What's behind Israel's decision to welcome Syrian orphans?

Right-wing nongovernmental organizations in Israel have launched campaigns in favor of Syrian refugees, calling upon the government to show that Israelis care about their neighbors being massacred daily.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Vice President Mike Pence (C) attend a ceremonial swearing-in for U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly (L) at Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSXCQV

Turkey holds applause for Trump's safe-zone promise

Turkey would still likely welcome a US-sponsored safe zone in rebel-held areas, but the new US president's pledge to order safe zones did not specify where in Syria they might be established.

Members of the Free police attend a ceremony celebrating the inauguration of the "Free Police" in the Syrian border town of Jarablus January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTSX6LA

Syria's new national security force pledges loyalty to Turkey

A video of a new police force in Syria trained and equipped by Turkey shows the troops chanting Islamist and nationalist slogans, casting doubt about Ankara's claims that it has no designs on its former Ottoman dominion.

Tunisian protestors hold the Iranian and the Syrian flags as they demonstrate outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 28, 2013 in Tunis, calling on their Islamist-led government to renew diplomatic relations with Syria and the regime of Bashar al-Assad. AFP PHOTO / FETHI BELAID (Photo credit should read FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images)

Will Tunisia restore diplomatic ties with Syria?

The resumption of diplomatic relations with Syria has become an urgent matter for the Tunisian government, given the large number of Tunisian fighters involved in the Syrian war.

A fighter of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) stands next to damaged buildings in the northern Syrian town of Kobani January 30, 2015. Sheets meant to hide residents from snipers' sights still hang over streets in the Syrian border town of Kobani, and its shattered buildings and cratered roads suggest those who fled are unlikely to return soon. Kurdish forces said this week they had taken full control of Kobani, a mainly Kurdish town near the Turkish border, after months of bombardment by Islamic

Syrian Kurds rebuilding Kobani from rubble

The Kurds have high expectations for Rojava despite challenges.

Mohammad Alloush (C), the head of the Syrian opposition delegation, attends Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov - RTSWWYO

How are Syrian peace talks holding up?

There were no breakthroughs on the first day of negotiating between the Syrian regime and opposition representatives, but talks resumed this morning.

Children play soccer at a playground in the northwestern Homs district of Al Waer January 17, 2015. U.N. aid workers have started delivering food to tens of thousands of people trapped in a besieged district of Homs city in Syria following negotiations with warring parties, officials said on Friday. . REUTERS/Stringer (SYRIA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR4LTIK

How sports became means of defiance in Syria's besieged al-Waer

Al-Waer district, one of the last rebel-held areas of Homs, has suffered under a regime siege for years, pushing its residents to demonstrate their determination to endure.

Participants of Syria peace talks attend a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov - RTSWWZ1

No major deals likely at Astana talks on Syria

The Syrian sides are making no promises at the peace talks in Astana, and despite their joint support for a political solution, neither are Turkey and Russia.