Analysis Ports and infrastructure: UAE embraces new economic order in Syria UAE-Syrian ties have moved faster than expected, with Abu Dhabi embracing President Ahmad al-Sharaa and relations shifting from normalization to investment opportunities. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
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.
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 SDF commander in chief
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. Lebanon
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran’s Ghalibaf: US must accept Tehran proposal By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Facebook users take aim at crime, security checkpoints, life in Syria Syrians are using social media to share their experiences, including at regime-controlled checkpoints, in this case with the goal of reaching decision-makers and improving the treatment of those stopped at them. Syria
Turkish daily exposes transfer of weapons to IS The feud between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his rivals in the Gulen movement is turning up news: Is there a link between exposure and the police raid of newspaper offices? Syria
IS intensifies attacks outside Aleppo After news broke of the US-Turkish plan to establish a safe zone in Syria, the Islamic State stepped up operations against opposition forces in Aleppo's northern countryside. Syria
Turkey's 'foot-dragging' on fight against IS continues Diplomats say Turkey’s sincerity will be judged by its determination to continue its active support of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State. Syria
Turkey’s protracted PKK problem Although many Kurds do not like the leftist and secular agenda of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the PKK has shown great resilience, in part as the result of the fragmented Iraqi and Syrian states and political missteps by Turkey. Iraq
Syria's Palestinians divided over whom to support The war in Syria has split the allegiance of some Palestinians, with Hamas in Yarmouk supporting the armed opposition and those in Nairab aligned with the Syrian regime. Palestine
Saudi king wants Obama to tackle Iranian 'mischief' King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud will make clear during his White House visit that Riyadh’s lukewarm support for the Iran nuclear deal depends on the United States keeping Tehran in check. Saudi Arabia
Ankara needs to explain its turnaround in dealings with PKK As confrontations persist between Turkish government forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party, the government has remained mum about the reasons for the breakdown of the Kurdish peace process. Syria
Syrian Shiites take up arms in support of Assad's army Syria's tiny Shiite community is taking greater steps toward arming itself as the civil war grinds on. Syria
Syrian mortar shells sow fear in Jordan border town Many residents of Ramtha, northern Jordan, are calling for military action to contain the violence in Syria that is spilling over onto their city, where mortars fall on houses and parents are afraid to send their children to school. Palestine
Why did it take Saudi Arabia 20 years to catch Khobar Towers bomber? Reports have emerged that Saudi Arabia is holding Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mughassil, a Saudi Shiite who masterminded the 1996 attack on US military housing in Khobar that left 19 servicemen dead. Saudi Arabia
Has Syria's Arab-Kurdish rivalry reached a breaking point? The establishment of a safe zone on the Turkish-Syrian border is likely to further deepen the divide between the Arabs and Kurds in the area. Syria