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Syria

October 11, 2026

Damascus 1:16 am

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Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

A view of the Great Umayyad Mosque during the reopening ceremony, Oct. 8, 2026.

Culture

Syria reopens Aleppo's 1,300-year-old Great Umayyad Mosque after 13 years

Syrian authorities are working to restore cultural landmarks and ancient sites that had been damaged or destroyed during the civil war.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Oct. 6, 2026.

Analysis

Why Syria sending troops to Yemen would be a risky bet for Sharaa

Syria insists it will not send troops to fight the Houthis alongside Saudi Arabia, but its economic dependence on Riyadh could complicate Damascus’ resistance to the idea.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Culture

Syria's Kurds, Arabs find common cause in battle for language rights

Youths play the daf, an Iranian frame drum, during a protest demanding the right to education in the Kurdish language in Al-Qamishli, Syria, on September 22, 2026. The demonstrations follow a decision by the Syrian Interim Government to allocate only Kurdish language classes in schools. (Photo by Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

Syria’s Sharaa in Riyadh as Saudi airports come under Houthi attacks: What to know

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Oct. 6, 2026.

UAE-Syria move ahead on $20 billion real estate mega-developments

A view of a traffic roundabout in central Latakia, Syria on June 12, 2025. The city's road network converges near the coast, forming one of the busiest urban intersections in the province. (Photo by Omar Albaw / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria denies meeting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Turkey: What to know

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

Syrian online satirical show gains popularity

A group of Syrian opposition activists has made an online satirical show criticizing well-known figures of the Syrian political scene and mainly focusing on President Bashar al-Assad.

US wins support from GCC, Asian allies for Iran nuclear deal

Israel is outlier on nuclear deal; Rafsanjani tells Al-Monitor that Iran “does not inherently have any issues with Saudi Arabia”; Zarif proposes civil nuclear cooperation with Arab states; Syrian, Iranian and Russian officials meet in Tehran; Al-Monitor’s second annual Middle East lobbying investigation and cultural heritage series.

Nuke deal won't change Iran's approach to region

In the aftermath of the JCPOA, Iran and other regional powers are seeking to engage, but will likely pursue policies to strengthen positions ahead of anticipated talks.

Turkish tanks move on a road outside the southeastern Turkish town of Silopi, near the Iraqi border, October 9, 2008. A senior Iraqi Kurdish official warned Turkey on Thursday against stationing troops inside Iraq and said such a move would not stop cross-border raids by Kurdish guerrillas. REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY) - RTX9D1P

Is Ankara headed toward all-out war with Turkey’s Kurds?

Unless a deus ex machina like the United States enters into the equation between the Turkish government and the PKK, the clashes between the sides will continue.

A hairdresser cuts the hair of a customer at Suleymansah refugee camp in Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, June 11, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

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NGO finds work for Syrian refugees in Turkey

Rizk, a nongovernmental organization affiliated with the Syrian Forum, has been able to secure jobs for many Syrian refugees in Turkey and now hopes to equip Syrians with the skills to rebuild their country when the war is over.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sit next to each other before a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia August 5, 2015. Kerry met for a second time in three days on Wednesday with Lavrov, who has been trying to bring about a rapprochement between Syria and regional states to forge an alliance to fight Islamic State militants. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool - RTX1N53V

US, Russia in talks for UN resolution on Syria

Secretary of State John Kerry has cautiously heralded US-Russian agreement over a potential UN resolution on Syria's chemical weapons, though the two sides' differences over investigative processes and resultant military action are daunting.

Perilous journey for Syrians fleeing to Turkey

With official border crossings between Syria and Turkey closed, smugglers have begun assisting Syrians wanting to cross into Turkey to safety and to work.

Turkey riles Kurds over bodies of dead fighters

Turkey’s refusal to allow entry to the bodies of Kurdish fighters killed in Syria and Iraq has added to already simmering tensions between Ankara and the Kurds.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) and his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moualem (3rd R) hold a meeting in Tehran August 5, 2015. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with officials from allies Iran and Russia that are expected to focus on efforts to end the civil war in his country. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION

Iran-authored Syria plan en route to UN

Not much can be done for Syria until major Middle East players agree to put aside their differences and form a united front against the Islamic State — and Iran has a four-step plan for the next phase.

Members of Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are seen on a military truck that belonged to the Islamist rebels after capturing it near Ras al-Ain, in the province of Hasakah November 6, 2013. Redur Xelil, spokesman for the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Kurdish militias had seized the city of Ras al-Ain and all its surrounding villages. Syrian Kurdish fighters have captured more territory from Islamist rebels in northeastern Syria, a Kurdish militant group said on

US support of Syrian Kurds ruffles Turkey's feathers

Analysts say Ankara may have no choice but to come to terms with the emerging Kurdish reality along its border with Syria.

US, Turkey diverge on role of Kurds in Syria

Turkey reportedly targets Syrian Kurdish militias as it escalates attacks on the PKK; Egyptian journalists alarmed by proposed anti-terror law.

A Lebanese army soldier speaks to U.S. ambassador to Lebanon David Hale (2nd L) during a demonstration of TOW-II missiles, which were donated by the U.S. government to the Lebanese army, in the Taybeh range in Baalbek June 10, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Lobbying 2015: US won't let Syria drag down Lebanon

Lebanon’s central bank and its private financial firms are spending big money to prevent US pressure from unraveling one of the only sectors that still functions in the politically gridlocked nation.