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July 24, 2026

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Tourism students and visitors visit the ruins of the ancient city of Apamea in the Hama countryside, Syria, on July 8, 2026.

Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival

The country welcomed 3.52 million visitors during the first half of 2026, more than double the figure recorded a year earlier, as the government pushes to reconnect to the world and promote tourism as a pillar of economic recovery.

Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images

Syria seizes arms shipment on Iraq border destined for Hezbollah

The operation comes as part of the Syrian authorities' efforts to curb illicit arms smuggling through its territory, namely intended for Hezbollah.

A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump at White House in Washington, on Nov. 10, 2025.

Syria, US hold first business forum since sanctions relief: What to know

The one-day forum in Damascus was organized by Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and the US-Syria Business Council, which was established in Washington last June to advance trade and investment between the two nations.

Latest News

Explainer

How Macron seeks to carve out France's role in new Syria

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) welcomes France's President Emmanuel Macron for a joint press conference in Damascus on July 7, 2026.

US to drop Syria from terror blacklist

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, 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

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the third session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 19, 2024.

Erdogan hails Turkish century, calls for eliminating terror threat in Syria

Syrian Kurds distance themselves from the PKK.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 13: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens to translation as he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and five Republican U.S. senators in the Oval Office of the White House on November 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. During their meeting, Trump and Erdogan were scheduled to discuss Turkey's purchase of a Russian air defense system as well as the Turkish offensive against the Kurds in Syria. Also in DC today, the first public impeachment hearings took place in the House Intell

Analysis

As resurgent ISIS exploits Syria’s void, will Trump cede fight to Turkey?

Following the fall of the Syrian regime, the Islamic State is exploiting power vacuums to rebuild as Turkey positions itself to potentially take over counter-ISIS efforts while advancing its own regional interests.

Colin P. Clarke

By Colin P. Clarke

In Pittsburgh, US, reporting on counterterrorism, militancy

Storks are seen as a combine harvests wheat on a farm field near Malopolovetske village, some a hundred kilometers from Kyiv on July 20, 2024, amid Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine sends Syria 500 tons of wheat in first post-Assad aid: What we know

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated a desire to help Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who was heavily backed by Russia.

Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration are deployed after closing a road leading to the Alawite-majority Mazzeh 86 neighbourhood in western Damascus, on Dec. 26, 2024.

Amid Alawite tensions, Syria's new rulers launch security operation: What we know

Syrian authorities conducted a search and made arrests in Tartous on Thursday following an ambush the day prior and amid rising violence throughout the country.

US Representative Mike Waltz speaks during a hearing of the House Task Force on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 26, 2024.

Trump's national security adviser says ISIS, Israel border priorities in Syria

Congressman Mike Waltz said the incoming Trump administration will re-designate Yemen’s Houthis as terrorists and said the prospects for Israel-Saudi normalization are “good.”

Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Assad Hassan al-Shibani, meets with Polish officials in Damascus.

Syria's new foreign, defense ministers close to Turkey, influential in HTS

Following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s new transitional government swiftly filled vacancies by appointing new foreign and defense ministers on Saturday.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives for a meeting with visiting Druze officials from Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party, in Damascus, on Dec. 22, 2024.

From UK to Jordan: Delegations pour into Damascus, meet Syria's al-Sharaa

Officials from the Arab world, Turkey, the US and Europe have sent delegations to Syria since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the European Political Community summit at Puskas Arena on Nov. 7, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary.

Turkey’s Erdogan says end near for PKK, Syrian offshoots

The Turkish president's remarks come amid growing speculation of an imminent Turkish-backed rebel offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

People celebrate the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad and Baath Party rule, Umayyad Square, Damascus, Dec. 8, 2024.

Analysis

Turkey in post-Assad Syria: Balancing PKK, jihadist threats & opportunities

Although pleased with the rebel takeover in Syria, Ankara wants to avoid the instability that gripped Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A man rides his scooter past a destroyed mosque and apartment buildings in Harasta, near the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Dec. 19, 2024.

Analysis

China seeks to protect Syria interests, work with HTS on Uyghur 'threats'

With a new administration in Damascus, China is revaluating its relationship with Syria and increasingly focused on rise of Islamists' threats.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes hands with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) before a picture of the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during their meeting at Ankara Esenboga Airport on December 12, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's Erdogan offers help in Syria state structure ahead of Fidan visit

The Turkish president said his top diplomat will soon travel to Damascus to support Syria's interim government in its fight against groups that Ankara deems a threat to its national security.

The leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that headed a lightning rebel offensive snatching Damascus from government control, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, waves to the crowd before addressing them at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, gave a speech as the crowd chanted "Allahu akbar (God is greatest)," a video shared by the rebels on their Telegram channel showed. (Photo by Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP) (Photo by ABDULAZIZ KE

US scraps $10M bounty on HTS leader Golani after meeting in Damascus

A delegation including Assistant Secretary Barbara Leaf and hostage envoy Roger Carstens met with leaders of the powerful rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.