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Syria

May 15, 2026

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A Syrian citizen exchanges old banknotes for new notes released and distributed by the central bank, at a bank in the capital, Damascus, on Jan. 3, 2026.

Interview

UK fintech brings foreign currency accounts to Syrians at home

The launch comes as Syria’s new government attempts to stabilize the country’s shattered economy following the January 2025 rise to power of President Ahmed al-Sharaa after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Khaled Hablas

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon.

Pictured in this undated image is the Al-Thawra oil field in Raqqa governorate, as rehabilitation works continue to restore production capacity.

Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know

Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, national oil production stood at between 400,000 and 500,00 barrels per day before falling to under 100,000 bpd during the conflict.

Latest News

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

Kaja Kallas

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

A print screen of the hacked Facebook page of French television network TV5Monde is seen on a camera viewer in Paris April 9, 2015. French broadcaster TV5Monde was working on Thursday to regain control over its 11 channels and websites after an "extremely powerful" cyber attack claimed by the supporters of the Islamic State, its director said. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann - RTR4WLYH

Is the Islamic State planning a cyber-caliphate?

Under pressure on the battlefield, IS has been moving its caliphate to the virtual world and is targeting Turkey in particular.

A general view shows Aleppo's historic citadel, controlled by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, as seen from a rebel-held area of Aleppo, Syria July 5, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail - RTX2JVC1

In battle for Aleppo, Syria may be at stake

The future of the Syrian revolution could be at stake as regime forces and rebels fiercely battle over control of Aleppo for strategic and symbolic purposes.

Pro-Islamist demonstrators hold a banner that reads "Coup leaders can't trial Mursi" during a protest in support former President Mohamed Mursi at the courtyard of Fatih mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, May 17, 2015. An Egyptian court on Saturday sought the death penalty for former president Mohamed Mursi and 106 supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood in connection with a mass jail break in 2011. Mursi and his fellow defendants, including top Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie, were convicted for killing and kidnapp

Why Sisi, Erdogan won't be making up anytime soon

Relations between Egypt and Turkey may remain cold as long as Cairo continues to repress the Muslim Brotherhood.

Syrian refugees stroll at a refugee camp in Osmaniye, Turkey, May 17, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSF6J7

What's really behind Turkey's controversial plan for refugees?

Many people detect political schemes behind Erdogan’s proposed offer of citizenship to Syrian refugees.

Syrian refugees wait for transportation after crossing into Turkey from the Syrian town of Tal Abyad, near Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, June 10, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX1FYOZ

Erdogan’s citizenship offer fans flames of anti-Syrian sentiment in Turkey

Turkey's polarized public appears to have found a common cause against a proposed offer of citizenship and preferential treatment for Syrian refugees.

Jabhat al-Nusra 'al-Qaeda's largest formal affiliate in history'

Testimony by US official comes as Amnesty International report documents “abduction, torture and summary killings” committed by Jabhat al-Nusra and allied Syrian armed groups.

Lebanese army soldiers and policemen secure the area at the site where suicide bomb attacks took place in the Christian village of Qaa, in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Hassan Abdallah - RTX2IE68

Lebanon reels under weight of Syrian refugee crisis

Lebanon's foreign and labor ministers are extremely worried about the consquences of Lebanon's hosting of Syrian refugees, particularly in light of the June 27 suicide bombings in the Bekaa Valley.

A man walks near damaged houses after Syrian rebels and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front took control of al-'Iss town, in Aleppo countryside, Syria April 2, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - RTSDAHL

Will US, Russia start coordinating against Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria?

The United States, increasingly concerned about the threat posed by al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, is continuing to discuss with Russia a proposal to target Jabhat al-Nusra and IS.

A picture taken on April 21, 2016 shows US President Barack Obama (C-L) attending a meeting with Saudi King Salman (C) and Saudi Defence Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C-R) during the US-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, on April 21, 2016.
During a meeting with Gulf leaders in Saudi Arabia Obama said that "No country has an interest in 'conflict' with Iran".

/ AFP / Jim Watson (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Will IS attacks bring about change in Saudi foreign policy?

The three attacks across Saudi Arabia on July 4 revived dark memories of al-Qaeda's campaign of terror in the mid-2000s.

A man and a boy walk a long a street after they attending Friday prayers at Hacibayram district of Ankara November 21, 2014. Picture taken November 21, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR4GIZA

Ankara’s IS militants return home

In one of the Islamic State’s main recruitment grounds in Turkey, about half of the recruits have returned home, but experts warn that the organization’s appeal is far from over.

Men inspect damage after an air strike on Aleppo's rebel-held al-Shaar neighbourhood, Syria June 8, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail - RTSGM5D

What's behind Syrian regime's latest claims on Aleppo strikes?

While the Syrian regime claims that its airstrikes are carried out against Jabhat al-Nusra’s military positions, the reality on the ground shows that it is targeting residential neighborhoods.

A view of the inner hall of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina March 28, 2005. The ultramodern, 11-storey disc-shaped structure standing on the Chatby Corniche in Alexandria evokes the legacy of the ancient Alexandria library and the Temple of the Muses, the Mouseion, where the Old Testament was translated into Greek from Hebrew for the first time. The institution and the city came to symbolise diversity, culture and learning, and it was the point at which cultures and civilisations met and flourished. Picture tak

Syrian refugees in Egypt showcase their art

On World Refugee Day, young Syrian refugee artists in Egypt were given the chance to showcase their artwork at an exhibit at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria.