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Syria

October 16, 2026

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An attendee walks past signage displayed inside the venue for the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 14, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images)

Syria to rejoin Arab group at IMF, leaving Russian-led constituency

Syria will rejoin the Arab constituency at the International Monetary Fund beginning Nov. 1 and has applied for membership in the EBRD.

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

The Turkey-born militia chief and a longtime ally of the Assad-regime, was sought by Ankara over the deadly Reyhanli bombings and by Damascus over his alleged role in massacres on the Mediterranean coast.

In first, Israel’s Netanyahu says he held call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa

It is the first publicly disclosed contact between the leaders of Israel and Syria, which lack formal relations and have fought several wars. Sharaa’s government began US-mediated talks with Israel in 2025.

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

In a break from past policies, the new governments in Damascus and Baghdad are clamping down on militant groups with the capacity or desire to harm regional partners.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Latest News

Culture

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

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

Analysis

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

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

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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)

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

Relatives of Ahmet Uyan, 45, and Ahmet Ceyhan, 23, who were killed in yesterday's car bombings, mourn in the town of Reyhanli of Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border May 12, 2013. Turkey said on Sunday it believed fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were behind twin car bombings that killed 46 people in a Turkish border town. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said those involved in the bombings in Reyhanli on Saturday were thought also to have carried out an attack on the Syrian coast

Explosive Message on Turkey’s Border

Cengiz Candar doesn’t expect Turkey’s response to the Reyhanli blasts, which killed 46 people, to go beyond tough rhetoric, despite its accusation that Syrian intelligence was behind the attack.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan take part in a family photo during the G20 Summit of major world economies in Cannes November 3, 2011. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2TKEP

Obama’s Talking PointsFor Erdogan

Henri Barkey considers what President Obama might, and should, say about Syria when he meets Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan in Washington on May 16.

A man repairs shoes in his shop as locals pass through on a street in the town of Cizre in Sirnak province, near the border with Syria March 23, 2013. Turkey's fledgling peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group is all over the headlines. After three decades of war, 40,000 deaths and a devastating impact on the local economy, everybody seems ready for peace. Pro-Kurdish politicians are focused on boosting minority rights and stronger local government for the Kurds, who make up abou

The Kurdish Minority Within the Syrian War

Professor Eyal Zisser, expert on Syria, explains to Shlomi Eldar the divisions and discord among the Kurds living where the Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish borders converge, and how this will impact the future of Syria.

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks during his joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman May 7, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZDGZ

Five Reasons the US Should Stay Out Of Syria

The first order of business should be a negotiated cease-fire and a transition in Syria that recognizes the role of Iran and other regional parties, not arming the rebels or launching military attacks, writes Seyed Hossein Mousavian.

Israeli soldiers walk together during a training close to the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria on the Israeli occupied Golan Heights May 7, 2013. Israel played down weekend air strikes close to Damascus reported to have killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, saying they were not aimed at influencing its neighbour's civil war but only at stopping Iranian missiles reaching Lebanese Hezbollah militants. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (MILITARY POLITICS) - RTXZDG0

Nasrallah Threatens Golan Front With Israel

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has announced that the next phase of the Syria war will not be limited to Syria, but will include Lebanon and Israel as well, reports Ali Hashem.

Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels gather to listen to the speech of the PKK leader on April 25, 2013 in the Qandil mountain, the PKK headquarters in northern Iraq. Kurdish rebels announced they would on May 8, 2013 begin withdrawing from Turkey into their safe haven in northern Iraq amid a peace drive between Ankara and the rebel movement. AFP PHOTO STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Are PKK Fighters Moving to Syria?

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu claims Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters are withdrawing from Turkey toward Syria to fight against the Assad regime, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is projected on a screen during a live broadcast as he speaks to his supporters at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Al-Nour radio station, which is operated by the Hezbollah in Beirut, May 9, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS MEDIA ANNIVERSARY) - RTXZGEB

Nasrallah Increases Stakes in Syria War

Famous for his use of allusions and nuance, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah spoke with an unusual clarity and directness on May 9 about Syria, writes Scarlett Haddad.

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wave Hezbollah, Lebanese and Amal movement flags as one of them carries a poster depicting Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, at a protest against a film made in the United States that mocks the Prophet Mohammad, in Tyre, southern Lebanon September 19, 2012. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTR385LT

Will Syria Retaliate For Israeli Airstrikes?

If Syria is going to retaliate for Israeli's recent strikes, it is unlikely to do so soon, alone or in a manner that would lead to a comprehensive war, observes Haytham Mouzahem in an examination of official statements.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to China's President Xi Jinping (not pictured) during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing May 9, 2013. Netanyahu is on an official visit to China between May 6 and 10. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZFXC

Netanyahu's Chinese Wall

On an official visit to Beijing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to convince China that a nuclear Iran threatens the stability of not only the Middle East, but also the global energy market, writes Ben Caspit.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iranian-made Fateh 110 (Conqueror) (L) and Persian Gulf (R) missiles are seen next to a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a war exhibition held by Iran's revolutionary guard to mark the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), also known in Iran as the "Holy Defence", at Baharestan square near the Iranian Parliament in southern Tehran September

The Airstrikes in Syria: Winners and Losers

A week has passed since the airstrikes in Syria, making it a good time to take stock of the situation from Israeli, Syrian, Hezbollah and Iranian perspectives, writes Yoav Limor.

People applaud as Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah appears on a screen during a live broadcast to speak to his supporters at an event marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Al-Nour radio station, which is operated by the Hezbollah in Beirut, May 9, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS MEDIA ANNIVERSARY) - RTXZGEQ

Hezbollah's Russian Connection

Jean Aziz asks whether Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has reassured his base following two televised speeches in nine days.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is pictured after a signing ceremony granting Turkey a partner status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in Almaty April 26, 2013. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (KAZAKHSTAN - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTXZ0SD

Davutoglu Warns Of 'Ethnic Cleansing' in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lectures on Syria as the Kurdistan Workers Party starts to withdraw from Turkey, writes Tulin Daloglu.