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July 25, 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

Security and emergency personnel search the rubble of a building destroyed in a reported Israeli strike in Damascus on January 20, 2024. An Israeli strike on Damascus killed the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' intelligence chief for Syria and three other Guards members on January 20, Iran said, in an attack that tore into a multi-storey residential building. (Photo by Louai BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel carries out strikes in Syria targeting south Damascus: government

A number of Iranian IRGC members have been killed in strikes in Syria attributed to Israel in recent weeks.

US soldiers participate in the annual military exercises known as "Eager Lion", near Maan some 200 kilometres south of the capital Amman on May 17, 2017.

3 US troops killed, 25 wounded in Iran-backed drone attack in Jordan

President Joe Biden has vowed to respond after US troops were killed by a suspected Iran-backed militia for first time since Israel's war in Gaza began.

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stand near a US Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Pentagon floats plan for its Syrian Kurd allies to partner with Assad against ISIS

The proposal, which the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces denounced as a "rotten plan," comes as part of a renewed review of Syria policy by the US State Department.

Two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) armed military personnel are monitoring an area while standing guard next to an Iranian Majid anti-aircraft missile system during the Ela Beit Al-Moghaddas (Al-Aqsa Mosque) military rally in Tehran, Iran.

Iran’s IRGC strikes 'spy centers' in Iraq with ballistic missiles

The IRGC also said it struck Syria in response to the recent ISIS attack in Iran.

Smokes billows in Qamishli in northeastern Syria close to the Turkish border on Dec. 25, 2023, amid Turkish military strikes in the area.

Turkey launches retaliatory strikes in Syria, Iraq as Erdogan convenes security meeting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold an emergency national security meeting on Saturday.

Volunteers unload a truck as a convoy carrying humanitarian aid arrives in Syria after crossing the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, on Sept. 19, 2023.

Syria extends humanitarian aid deliveries via Turkey to rebel-held zone

The crossing is the sole artery for UN supplies for the rebel-held northwest of the country.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/afp/AFP via Getty Images

As Captagon war heats up, Jordan escalates airstrikes in Syria

Jordan has clashed with and struck alleged drug smugglers several times in recent weeks as the Captagon trade continues to thrive the region.

Hatira, a Saluki who runs “like a bullet,” in Aliyaa, Syria on Nov. 22, 2023.

Syrian Kurdish village breeds ancient Saluki dogs amid ravages of war

Wealthy Arabs from the Gulf — sheikhs, emirs and princes included — are some of the top customers of Syria's Saluki breeders.

A metal cutout of an Israeli soldier at an army post in Mount Bental near the Syrian border in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on February 9, 2022. - Israel launched strikes against targets in Syria early today, hitting anti-aircraft batteries in response to a missile fired from Syria, the military said. (Photo by JALAA MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel launches strikes in Syria, Lebanon, targets 'Hezbollah infrastructure'

The airstrikes near Damascus follow the Christmas Day death of a top Iranian commander in Syria in a strike widely attributed to Israel.

A vehicle of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is pictured along a road as fighters deploy to impose a curfew in the town of al-Busayrah in Syria's northeastern Deir Ezzor province on September 4, 2023, during a guided media tour organised by the SDF. Days of deadly clashes between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local fighters have rocked Deir Ezzor, threatening a fragile balance in the strategic area.

Suspected Islamic State attack leaves nine dead in Syrian desert

Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters in eastern Syria came under a surprise attack attributed to the Islamic State, which remains active in the area despite losing territory.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Syrian President Bashar Assad during the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. Saudi Press Agency / Saudi Press Agency via AP

2023 in review: Syria triumphant in Arab League as Israeli strikes, Iran ties continue

Coming in from the cold, Damascus — still riddled with economic challenges and Western sanctions — restored crucial relations with Saudi Arabia and the Arab League, fortifying its regional position after being frozen out for over a decade.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander tells Washington not to sell F-16s to Turkey

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, SDF commander-in-chief Mazlum Kobane called on the United States to shore up flagging Kurdish faith in Washington and block any new F-16 sales to Turkey.

Mazlum Kobane

Mazlum Kobane

SDF commander in chief