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Syria

October 20, 2026

Damascus 11:21 pm

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Trucks loaded with goods wait to cross over to Syria

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is reshaping economic ties between Iraq and Syria

Iraq and Syria are expanding trade and energy cooperation, but security risks, economic challenges and longstanding mistrust raise questions about whether their growing partnership can endure.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

Analysis

'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma

The Israeli leader revealed that he spoke with the Syrian president last year, but stalled talks and Israel's fortification of a security zone on Syrian land underscore his mistrust of Sharaa.

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

An attendee walks past signage displayed inside the venue for the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 14, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images)

Syria to rejoin Arab group at IMF, leaving Russian-led constituency

Syria will rejoin the Arab constituency at the International Monetary Fund beginning Nov. 1 and has applied for membership in the EBRD.

Latest News

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

In first, Israel’s Netanyahu says he held call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Culture

Syria reopens Aleppo's 1,300-year-old Great Umayyad Mosque after 13 years

A view of the Great Umayyad Mosque during the reopening ceremony, Oct. 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

People in the old city of Damascus, Syria, September 17, 2018. Picture taken September 17, 2018. REUTERS/Marko Djurica - RC1F0309D400

US sees renewed leverage over Assad in Syria

The Donald Trump administration is confident that its pressure is eroding the Syrian regime and its allies.

Members of the delegations attend a session of Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov - RC13C7234CC0

US Syria envoy heads to Turkey after criticizing peace initiative

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed a call by President Donald Trump’s representative to “pull the plug” on negotiations with Russia and Iran, arguing it’s Syria’s best shot at a political resolution.

Voters elect first woman to local council in Aleppo, Syria

Local elections were held recently in the Free Syrian Army-held town of Ain Jara, where more women voted than men and a female candidate was elected to the local council.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan speak during a ceremony to mark the completion of the sea part of the TurkStream gas pipeline, in Istanbul, Turkey November 19, 2018. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC12DCA255B0

Russia, Turkey seek to break deadlock in Syria over Idlib

Russia and Turkey say they will stick to their agreements on Idlib, but recent military developments in the area expose the challenges the countries may encounter in fulfilling their respective commitments.

Jordan, Syria make headway in resuming normal ties

The Syrian and Jordanian governments appear to be moving forward with normalizing relations, with the resumption of official visits and talk of cooperation.

A woman walks past destroyed buildings in the government-controlled part of Homs, Syria, September 18, 2018. REUTERS/Marko Djurica SEARCH "SYRIA LIFE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1EE143EBF0

US Syria envoy: Let's pull the plug on Russia-led talks

US Syria envoy James Jeffrey would like incoming UN Syria envoy Geir Pederson to have a clear path for negotiating a solution for Syria.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attends the plenary session of Syria peace talks brokered by Iran, Russia and Turkey in Astana on November 29, 2018. (Photo by Stanislav FILIPPOV / AFP) (Photo credit should read STANISLAV FILIPPOV/AFP/Getty Images)

UN Syria envoy's last Astana meeting ends with mixed results

While the UN envoy to Syria lamented the 11th meeting of the Astana talks as a "failed possibility" to make progress, other participants felt differently about the results.

US sanctions unlikely to crack Iran’s support for Syria

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have perfected low-budget warfare; Putin draws his own red line with Israel and Iran; Erdogan’s zero-sum approach to Syrian Kurds.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks at a press conference about the latest Republican Effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC1EF698A6F0

Congress gives Rand Paul the run-around to pass Syria sanctions bill

Congress may resort to parliamentary parlor tricks to pass overwhelmingly bipartisan Syria sanctions legislation because of opposition from one senator.

Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during last day of Ashura, in Beirut, Lebanon September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC1B0033DBD0

Iran’s shift of tactics endangers Israel

Israel Defense Forces are confronted with a new reality in which Hezbollah receives weapons from Iran by air cargo landing in Beirut and not by truck convoys from Syria.

A Syria Civil Defence member carries a wounded child in the besieged town of Hamoria, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2018. REUTERS/ Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "POY GLOBAL" FOR FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "REUTERS POY" FOR ALL BEST OF 2018 PACKAGES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. - RC12D7212D70

Intel: Why the US is backing off ousting Assad

Syrian soldiers and pro-regime militiamen man a heavy machine-gun mounted on the back of a pickup truck as they ride in the recently retaken desert town of Al-Qaryatain on October 26, 2017.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported on October 23, 2017 that Islamic State (IS) group militants massacred more than 100 people in the desert town of Al-Qaryatain during the month before they lost it to regime forces.
Before the civil war broke out in 2011, al-Qaryatain was a symbol

Syria seeks to integrate myriad paramilitaries

The Syrian government faces a "what now?" dilemma as it struggles to deal with all the militant groups it recruited to fight for the regime, along with rebels who have surrendered.