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September 27, 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

Soldiers of a Russian military convoy and their US counterparts exchange greetings as their patrol routes intersect in an oil field near Syria's al-Qahtaniyah town in the northeastern Hasakah province, close to the border with Turkey, on Oct. 8, 2022.

Russia, Iran quietly coordinating in Syria to pressure US, official says

Russia is trying to squeeze the US out of Syria's airspace while the IRGC continues to flow weapons used to attack US bases into the country, a senior military official said.

Vehicles carrying the first UN delegation to visit rebel-held northwestern Syria, arrive through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey on February 14, 2023.

Syria tells UN it will grant aid access via Bab al-Hawa

The announcement comes two days after the UN Security Council failed to reauthorize its vital cross-border aid operation into Syria.

A convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid is seen parked after crossing the Syrian Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, on July 10, 2023.

UN fails to extend Syria cross-border aid mission after Russian veto

Russia killed a compromise resolution that would have kept aid flowing into northwest Syria for another nine months.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (C) and Manchester City's Emirati owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan (R) attend the UEFA Champions League final football match between Inter Milan and Manchester City at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, on June 10, 2023. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's Erdogan revs up diplomacy with focus on Syria, Gulf funds

After the president's reelection, Turkish diplomacy has found a new impetus in cementing ties with the Arab world, driven in part by Ankara’s hopes of attracting Gulf funds to prop up its ailing economy.

A US soldier guides the MQ-9 Reaper drone as it lands at Subic Bay Freeport Zone on April 23, 2023, as part of the US-Philippines joint military exercise 'Balikatan'. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP) (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian fighter jets harass US drones over Syria twice in 24 hours

A Russian Su-35 forced two French Rafales to take evasive maneuvers over the Iraq-Syria border on Thursday as the Pentagon warned of increasing harassment.

A convoy transporting humanitarian aid crosses into Syria from Turkey through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing on Jan. 18, 2022.

US, Russia clash over UN's aid lifeline to Syria

Ahead of the vote, UN humanitarian leaders are urging the Security Council to keep open “any and all avenues” to deliver aid to Syrians in need.

Jordanian Foreign Minsiter Ayman Safadi (L) meets with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara on July 4, 2023.

In Turkey visit, Jordan's FM says Ankara, Amman on same page on Syrians

The foreign minister of Jordan, whose country hosted a series of mediation meetings between Damascus and other Arab capitals, traveled to Ankara after meeting with Assad in Syria.

People look at a tank near a circus building in the city of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023.

Pentagon watching closely Wagner’s Mideast posture as questions surround its future

In an excerpt from this week's Security Briefing, Pentagon correspondent Jared Szuba looks at what's next for Wagner's forces in the Middle East and North Africa following the private military company's short-lived mutiny in Russia.

captagon

US outlines strategy to counter Syria's lucrative Captagon trade

The report to lawmakers details US plans to support the counter-narcotics capacity of Syria's neighbors and impose sanctions on the key drug traffickers fueling the regime's operations.

Wagner group

Putin’s Syria policy hangs on amid Russian crackdown on Wagner

Israeli-Saudi normalization linked to Netanyahu White House visit; Israel’s booming arms exports; Turkey-Sweden ties strained ahead of NATO summit; would an 'informal' Iran deal require congressional review?

Prigozhin

What's next for Wagner in Syria, Africa after Putin mutiny?

Yevgeny Prigozhin's mercenary army usually acted as an unofficial extension of Russian foreign policy, but many questions have arisen following last week's aborted revolt.

A child stares at a US soldiers patrolling a village in the countryside of the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, near the Turkish border, on July 23, 2022. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria, Palestine, Yemen biggest violators of child soldier recruits: UN

The report coincides with renewed Russian airstrikes in Syria’s last rebel stronghold of Idlib in the northwest.