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September 26, 2026

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Iraqi soldiers from the new 'desert battalion' special forces stand next to military vehicles as the take part in a graduation ceremony, after months of training by the French military, at the Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar west of Baghdad on February 29, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How militias in Anbar could complicate Iraq’s energy ambitions

Securing western Anbar is emerging as a key test of Iraq’s ability to curb armed factions, attract foreign investment and unlock the province’s vast energy potential.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Syria Air

Exclusive

How Syrian Air is braving regional turbulence to rise from the ashes

In an interview with Al-Monitor, CEO Anwar Akkad lays out his ambitious plans to expand the carrier’s fleet, destinations and role in reconnecting Syria to the world.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Can Netanyahu turn Israel's UN isolation into strength at home?

The absence of a Trump meeting would have been awkward for Netanyahu, who has long portrayed himself to Israeli voters as uniquely close to the US president.

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

Gargash

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

"We need a new mindset that these sort of discussions ... can happen at an Iranian-American level, it should also take place at an Iranian-Arab level," Gargash told Al-Monitor.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Syria’s Shibani visits Latakia airport to review Russia deal progress: What to know

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani visits Latakia airport on Sept. 18, 2026.

Lebanon charges 5 in alleged Hezbollah operation to train Assad loyalists

Hibatullah Barakat / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Former Assad official sentenced to 60 years in US for torture

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Culture

Syrian singer Assala returns to Damascus stage after 15-year exile

Assala Nasri (C) attends the 2025 Joy Awards at The Venue, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 18, 2025.

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

A protester stands in front a burning Turkish truck during protests against Turkey in al-Bab, in the northern Syrian opposition held region of Aleppo on July 1, 2024. A man was killed after and Turkish forces clashed in Syria's Ankara-controlled northwest , a war monitor said, in demonstrations sparked by violence against Syrians in Turkey a day earlier. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP) (Photo by BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images)

7 killed in Syria as Turkey detains nearly 450 people over anti-refugee riots

The detentions follow protests that broke out Sunday night and spread to other provinces on Monday.

A man rides a motorcycle near a burning Turkish truck during protests against Turkey in al-Bab, in the northern Syrian opposition held region of Aleppo on July 1, 2024.

4 dead in northern Syria protests following Turkey's anti-refugee riots

The riots targeting Syrian refugees in central Turkey have led to anti-Turkey protests in northern Syria.

A large sign put up by private citizens bearing the portrait of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, with text in Arabic below reading "total allegiance", is displayed along Abo Romaneh street in the capital Damascus on May 10, 2021 ahead of the country's presidential elections. - A Syrian former minister and a member of the Damascus-tolerated opposition will face Assad in the May 26 presidential election, according to the constitutional court in Syria. The election will be the second since the start of a dec

As Assad 'welcomes' mending ties with Turkey, can Russia or Iraq mediate?

The stalled Ankara-Damascus dialogue is likely to see some fast developments, one expert says, though he warns not to expect too much thanks to complications including the upcoming US elections.

Israel Lebanon

Israel strikes Syria, hits deeper in Lebanon as Hezbollah tensions grow

Strikes believed conducted by Israel have increased inside Syria in response to repeated attacks by pro-Iranian groups against Israel since the Gaza war began.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma walk in a street of Paris on December 10, 2010. Al-Assad is on a two-days official visit to France. AFP PHOTO MIGUEL MEDINA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Paris court upholds France's arrest warrant for Assad: What we know

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is wanted in France for his alleged involvement in a 2013 chemical attacks in Ghouta and Douma that left as many as 1,000 people killed.

South Lebanon

Suspected Israeli drone in south Syria kills Syrian army officer

Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, Israel has stepped up strikes inside Syrian territory, targeting Iranian-linked positions.

Syrian Kurdish women walk past an election campaign banner in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on June 6, 2024.

Syrian Kurds postpone local elections amid US disapproval, Turkish threats

The prevailing consensus is that the Biden administration’s opposition was the main driver of the postponement.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after a joint statement to the media in Baghdad on April 22, 2024.

Iraq's PM says Baghdad mediating potential Syria-Turkey reconciliation

The Iraqi prime minister says he is in contact with the Turkish and Syrian presidents as part of reconciliation efforts

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan threatens Syrian Kurdish groups as local elections near

The Turkish president said his country would "not hesitate to take action" as Ankara dials up its threats of a fresh military incursion into regions held by Kurdish-led groups in Syria.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi-Syrian normalization takes off with Hajj flights, return of ambassador

Diplomatic relations have resumed between the two countries as Riyadh appointed Faisal al-Mujfel ambassador to Syria — the first since relations were severed in 2012.

Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad on a state visit to the United Arab Emirates on March 19، 2023

Syrian first lady Asma al-Assad’s leukemia diagnosis: What we know

Assad is facing a relatively difficult path to recovery due to her history of breast cancer, a leukemia expert told Al-Monitor, with sanctions on Damascus further complicating her treatment options.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

US repatriates 11 Americans held in northeast Syria

Five years after the Islamic State lost its final stronghold in Syria, tens of thousands of women and children remain stranded in detention camps in the country's northeast.

Washington Connection