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Syria

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

Walid Jumblatt delivers a speech during a gathering in Ain Zhalta on June 25, 2023.

Ahead of Syria visit, Lebanon Druze leader Jumblatt says give HTS 'a chance'

The influential member of the Lebanese Druze community warned against the influence of Israeli Druze leader Mowafaq Tarif and called for Syria to remain united after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

A Syrian man prays on July 12, 2017, at a cemetary in Khan Sheikhun

Syria’s hidden stash of chemical weapons hangs over post-Assad transition

Destroying what remains of the Syrian regime's chemical arsenal is a top concern for the United States and its partners following Bashar al-Assad's sudden ouster.

US soldiers inspect the site of reported Turkish shelling days earlier on an oil extraction facility on the outskirts of Rumaylan, in Syria's Kurdish-controlled northeastern Hasakeh province on October 28, 2024. Following an attack on October 23 at the state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) near Ankara, Turkey's defence ministry had announced strikes against sites linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq and Syria. (Photo by Delil souleiman / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Im

Pentagon says 2,000 US troops in Syria, not 900

The shell games continue in Washington over how many American troops remain in the aftermath of the war against the Islamic State group.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

US envoy works to reconcile rival Kurds in Syria as Turkey masses forces near Kobani

With the collapse of the Syrian regime in an offensive led by the Sunni militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its Turkey-backed allies, Syrian Kurds need to forge a common front as the new power constellation takes shape.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A Russian soldier stands next to submarines at the Russian naval base in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartous, on Sept. 26, 2019.

Analysis

Russia, reeling from Assad loss, delays decision on Syria naval presence till March

Russia’s military withdrawal from Syria marks a strategic shift, with diplomatic efforts now focused on retaining influence.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Salah Malkawi/Getty Images

Syria's crossing with Jordan reopens as Israeli military takes position in south

Jordanian and Syrian trucks are once again using the only border crossing between the two countries as Israeli troops take position in a buffer zone and European diplomats engage with the new authorities in Syria.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani addresses a crowd at the capital's landmark Umayyad Mosque on Dec. 8, 2024.

HTS expands Syria rule with amnesty programs, minority outreach: What we know

Authorities in Syria, led by the Islamist rebel group, are calling for the dissolution of armed groups and are reportedly allowing alcohol to be served in Damascus as crime and economic issues persist.

French President Emmanuel Macron seen before meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at the Elysee Palace, on Dec. 7, 2024, in Paris, France.

After 12 years, France reopens Syria embassy, EU to follow: What to know

For the first time since France severed ties with the Assad regime, its diplomats returned to Damascus and raised the tricolor flag over the old embassy building.

A Russian warship is pictured at the Russian naval base in the Syrian Mediterranean port of Tartous on Sept. 26, 2019.

With Syria’s Tartous port nearly evacuated, is Russia moving naval assets to Libya?

Russia is moving its troops and equipment in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime, with the Kremlin saying no decision has been taken about the Russian military status in the country as of yet.

People hold a banner featuring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as members of the Syrian community and supporters gather to celebrate the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in the face of an offensive by Islamist-led rebels, in Istanbul's Fatih district on December 8, 2024. Islamist-led rebels toppled Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive that a UN envoy called "a watershed moment" for the nation marred by civil war. (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN / AFP) (Photo by KEMAL ASLAN/AF

Analysis

'We may end up missing Assad': Israel grapples with Turkey’s rising influence in Syria

Reports of Turkish preparations to invade northern Syria, coupled with Israeli officials’ statements of support for the Kurds, further strain the already tense relationship between the leaders of Israel and Turkey.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A convoy carrying humanitarian aid arrives in Syria after crossing the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, on Sept. 19, 2023.

Web of sanctions hinders US aid to post-Assad Syria

A patchwork of preexisting sanctions on Syria complicates any effort by the US government to surge aid to the war-battered country.

Fighters of Turkish-supported forces are positioned on the Buwayhij-Boughaz-Korhoyuk frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria, as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sept. 6, 2023.

Turkey-backed Syrian factions end US-mediated ceasefire with Kurdish-led SDF

Sources told Al-Monitor that negotiations between the sides had “failed” amid “significant military buildups” on the Turkish border.