Syria - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palmyra

Syria

January 15, 2026

Damascus 5:11 am

-2°C

Members of the Kurdish forces hold a portrait of Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler which reads "Shame on the killers of innocents in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood" during a protest by Syrian Kurds against violence they say was committed by Syrian government forces during recent clashes in Aleppo's Kurdish neighbourhoods, in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Jan. 13, 2026.

Syria declares 'closed military zone' east of Aleppo as Kurds protest

The Syrian government accused the Kurdish-led SDF of mobilizing in the area, reflecting ongoing turmoil following a ceasefire.

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City. — Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Syria’s Sharaa heads to Davos, ending years of global isolation

The World Economic Forum begins on January 19 and ends on January 23, hosting a cohort of around 400 political leaders.

Sheikh Hikmat Salman al-Hijri is pictured at Qanawat, the headquarters of the Druze spiritual presidency, on Dec. 28, 2024, in Suwayda, Syria.

Syria Druze leader Hijri calls for independent entity, says country ‘heading toward partition’

Controversial Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, in Syria’s southern province of Suwayda, praised Israel as the only party he said intervened to stop the killing of Druze during a wave of unrest last summer.

Israel military vehicles drive along the border fence into Israel, near the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, on July 17, 2025. Syrian government forces have withdrawn from the whole of Sweida province after days of sectarian bloodshed in the heartland of the Druze minority, a war monitor and witnesses said July 17, 2025. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

What Syria and Israel’s new communications cell really signals

The deal reached in Paris under US mediation reflects a rare step toward managing tensions but stops short of halting Israeli military strikes or producing a broader security pact.

Rina Bassist

By Rosaleen Carroll , Rina Bassist

Latest News

Exclusive

Closed-door breakdown in Syria-Kurdish talks foreshadowed Aleppo clashes

Bakr ALKASEM / AFP via Getty Images

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Sharaa tells Iraq's Barzani Kurds integral to Syria amid fears of Aleppo spillover

Safin HAMID / AFP via Getty Images

Interview

Top Syrian Kurdish official Foza Yusuf says war with Damascus lose-lose for all

An undated image of Foza Yusif.

Foza Yusuf

Foza Yusuf

Top Syrian Kurdish official

Turkey's Fidan says Israel ties harden SDF stance as Syria clashes grow

ATTA KENARE / 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

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters of the Sultan Murad Turkoman brigade are pictured during a military show in the Afrin region in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's northern Aleppo province on Nov. 17, 2020.

Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse, criminality in Syria’s Afrin

The serene topography of the Syrian enclave of Afrin belies the power vacuum and violence now afflicting many of the territories under the control of Turkish-backed forces in the war-torn country’s northeast.

Protesters hold Syrian flags, posters and pictures of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as they demonstrate against Western airstrikes against the Syrian regime, Belgrade, Serbia, April 15, 2018.

Serbia has its reasons for sending ambassador to Syria

Belgrade breaks with EU consensus by being one of the first European countries to upgrade its relations with Damascus to ambassadorial level.

Syrian al-Liwa Party

New Druze political party, military faction take shape in Suwayda

Suwayda has a new political party and an associated military arm after decades of Druze exclusion from the Syrian political scene.

Jihadis of former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Syrian jihadi groups crack down on rivals in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is tightening the noose on the jihadi Jundallah group and asking it to join it or leave Idlib, in what observers described as an attempt on the part of HTS to get rid of non-Syrian fighters.

Al-Nusra Front billboard near Aleppo

Syrian man in Netherlands convicted of war crimes for soldier's execution

A court sentenced Ahmad al Khedr to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2012 execution of a regime soldier, which was captured on film.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syrian government shelling in Idlib kills 9, including 3 children

Syria's last rebel stronghold has seen an uptick in government attacks, with at least 10 children killed in the past two weeks.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham kicks Chechen jihadis out of Idlib

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham told the Chechen jihadi group Jund al-Sham it could either join its ranks or leave Idlib, the group's members evacuated their military positions in the countryside of Latakia.

Restoration work at Great Mosque in Idlib

Idlib authorities begin restoration of historic mosque

The government affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib is restoring the historic Great Mosque, which was severely damaged by Syrian government shelling.

A Syrian vendor sets up his stall of fruits at the recently reopened Nassib border crossing in Daraa province, at the Syrian-Jordanian border south of Damascus, Nov. 7, 2018.

What does Saudi ban on Syrian produce mean for Assad’s government?

The kingdom's decision to ban the import of produce from the government-held areas is viewed as a sign that the kingdom has not changed its position toward the Syrian government.

Syrian Kurds demonstrate against the Turkish offensive on Kurdistan Workers Party areas in northern Iraq, in the northeastern city of Qamishli, Syria, June 10, 2021.

Kurdish parties split over Russian invitation for dialogue with Syrian government

Kurdish politicians in Syria split over Russia’s invitation to hold a dialogue with the Syrian government, with some accepting the invitation based on conditions, while others were skeptical about such a move.

Syrian Kurdish women attend a protest against honor killings, Hasakah, Syria, July 6, 2021.

Relatives murder Syrian girl in honor killing

The killing of an 18-year-old girl who refused to marry her cousin at the hands of her relatives in the countryside of Hasakah sparked anger and ignited controversy on social media.

US soldiers stand near a Russian military vehicle in the Syrian town of al-Malikiyah (Derik), on June 3, 2020.

Confrontation between US, pro-Iranian groups in Syria and Iraq poses challenges for Russia

While Moscow does not yet have the resources to eliminate Iranian influence in Syria, it would be in its interests to at least prevent the expansion of the activities of pro-Iranian paramilitary structures.