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Politics & Security

CEO of Colony Capital Tom Barrack speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention, on July 21, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Analysis

Tom Barrack, Trump's pick for Turkey ambassador, is good news for Erdogan

The US billionaire's close ties with the president-elect and a portfolio in dealmaking could provide room for improvement in Ankara-Washington ties, according to experts.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Mohamed Bashir, who heads HTS's so-called Salvation Government, holds a press conference in the rebel-held northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Nov. 28, 2024.

Who is who in Syria’s first interim government after Assad's fall

HTS and its government arm have installed a new interim prime minister and cabinet in Damascus. Who are they?

Fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) inspect damaged and abandoned military vehicles and equipment at the Qamishli international airport, formerly a joint Syrian-russian military base, in northeastern Syria's city of Qamishli on Dec. 9, 2024.

Exclusive

Syria’s Kurds withdraw from Manbij following US ultimatum

The ultimatum came as the militants failed to comply with an agreement brokered by the United States to pull out of the city in exchange for assurances that Turkey and its SNA allies would not attack the SDF east of the river.

Amberin Zaman

Jared Szuba

By Amberin Zaman , Jared Szuba

US forces patrol oil fields near Syria's northeastern border with Turkey in the Qahtaniyah countryside in the far northeast corner of Hasakah province, on Sept. 3, 2024.

Top US general meets with Syria’s Kurdish forces after Assad falls

Washington has laid out its conditions for supporting post-Assad governance but appears reluctant to leverage its military foothold in Syria as Turkey-backed rebels continued to attack the Kurdish-led SDF, threatening the fragile cohesion among US-backed militias seen as essential to keeping a lid on the dangerous remnants of Islamic State group.

Latest News

Analysis

Iran pursues wait-and-see approach in Syria as it copes with Assad's downfall

TOPSHOT - An aerial picture shows members of Syria's White Helmets civil defence service clearing vehicle carcasses and rubble from a street in Aleppo on December 5, 2024. Islamist-led rebels captured the central Syrian city of Hama on December 5, days after seizing the country's commercial hub Aleppo in a lightning offensive against President Bashar al-Assad's forces. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Israel destroys Syria’s navy after breaching buffer zone: What to know

Israeli military vehicles cross the fence as they return from the buffer zone with Syria.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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Analysis

Israel sees opportunity, favors federalism in post-Assad Syria

Israeli tanks take position near the fence with the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from the rest of Syria, near the Druze village of Majdal Shams, Dec. 8, 2024.

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

Syrian opposition to form transitional government after Assad’s ouster: What we know

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Syria's Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group that headed a lightning rebel offensive snatching Damascus from government control, addresses a crowd at the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria, Dec. 8, 2024.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

In Paris, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

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

Elizabeth Hagedorn

State Department Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Jared Szuba

Pentagon Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) inspect damaged and abandoned military vehicles and equipment at the Qamishli international airport, formerly a joint Syrian-russian military base, in northeastern Syria's city of Qamishli on Dec. 9, 2024.

Syria’s Kurds faced with all-out war as Turkey, Sunni allies target Kobani

A day after the fall of the SDF-controlled town of Manbij, Turkish proxies advanced today toward the town of Kobani.

Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images

Sednaya, Syria’s most notorious prison, finally exposed: What we know

After the fall of Damascus, detainees have poured out of an infamous Syrian prison, yet some claim more detainees are trapped in cells deep underground.

A fighter prepares mortar ammunition as Turkish-supported forces deploy 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.

Syria’s Kurds under opposition assault as Erdogan vows to protect Turkey from 'terror'

Clashes are intensifying as Turkey-backed forces push up against Kurdish fighters.

Syrians who lives in Turkey wait in a queue at Cilvegozu crossborder gate before entering in Syria at Reyhanli district in Hatay, on Dec. 9, 2024.

Turkey to reopen crossing for returning Syrians as Erdogan hails rebel victory

The Turkish president pledges support for reconstruction as the victory by opposition groups bolster efforts to re

HASSAN JARRAH/AFP via Getty Images

In Lebanon, many hail Assad downfall as Syrian refugees stream home

Many Lebanese are celebrating the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria after Lebanon suffered for decades under the Syrian military occupation and its interference in Lebanese politics.

This combination of pictures created on Feb. 21, 2020 shows US President Donald Trump delivering remarks at a Keep America Great rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Feb. 19, 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony in Jerusalem on Jan. 23, 2020 commemorating the people of Leningrad during the Second World War Nazi siege on the city.

Analysis

Trump presses for Russia-Ukraine ceasefire following Assad’s downfall

The Syria war could also shake up Iraqi politics; Erdogan sees Syria as opening with Trump; Israel not banking on Golani; Assad’s final, desperate hours.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security

US President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Syria in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on Dec. 8, 2024 following a crisis meeting to discuss the sudden overthrow by Islamist-led rebels of President Bashar al-Assad.

Biden says fall of Syria’s Assad 'moment of historic opportunity'

The president said the United States will engage with all Syrian groups to establish a transition away from the Assad regime.

An anti-government fighter celebrates at Umayyad Square in Damascus, on Dec. 8, 2024.

Who controls what in Syria as post-Assad transition begins?

President Bashar al-Assad left Syria shortly before rebel forces took the capital, Damascus, leaving various groups in control of different parts of the country.

A US soldier stands guard outside an oild field as troops patrol the area near Syria's northeastern border with Turkey in the Qahtaniyah countryside in the far northeast corner of Hasakeh province on Sept. 3, 2024.

Biden: US troops to remain in Syria 'to ensure stability' after Assad's fall

Washington has vowed to engage with “all Syrian groups," including HTS, and to assist Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Israel if they are threatened from Syrian territory.

Advisor to the Qatari Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Majed Al-Ansari speaks at the Doha Forum on Dec. 8, 2024.

Qatar says ‘renewed interest’ in Gaza talks, wants unified Arab stance on Syria

Doha, which had earlier suspended mediation efforts, says it supports a viable Palestinian governance model and is formulating a pan-Arab position on Syria that encompasses diverging Gulf views.

An anti-government fighter tears down a portrait of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, after jihadists and their allies entered the northern Syrian city, on November 30, 2024.

Russia state media says Syria's Assad and his family in Moscow

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled Syria after rebels claimed they seized Damascus.

Turkey's Foreign Affairs Minister, Hakan Fidan delivers a press conferense after his meeting with his Greek counterpart in Athens, on November 8, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

With Assad gone, Turkey urges Syrian opposition to unite, warns against PKK

The top Turkish diplomat struck a composed tone following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad and called for unity among the Syrian opposition.