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February 13, 2026

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A campfire burns inside al-Hol camp on Jan. 26, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Exclusive

Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq

The detainees were handed over from SDF custody to the US-led coalition for transfer to Iraqi prisons.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

SDF commander in chief, Mazlum Kobane, meets with Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on Feb. 5, 2026.

Exclusive

100 non-Syrian Kurds return to PKK’s Qandil stronghold under SDF-Damascus deal

The transfer of non-Syrian PKK fighters to Iraq’s Qandil Mountains follows a US-brokered SDF-Damascus deal aimed at easing tensions and preserving Kurdish forces under national army oversight.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a meeting with Russian President at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 28, 2026. (Photo by MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

In Syria, Sharaa's brothers take spotlight with Saudi, Russian dealings

Hazem al-Sharaa is playing a key role in Syria’s economic development and ties with the Gulf, while Maher al-Sharaa is involved in diplomacy with Russia, though another brother has reportedly fallen out of favor with the president.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's army chief says 'no plans to withdraw' from Syria

Turkey’s military chief said that Ankara has no plans to withdraw troops from northern Syria despite recent Damascus-SDF agreements.

Latest News

Analysis

Saudi-backed airline to test Syria’s aviation recovery

This picture shows a Syrian Arab Airlines Airbus A320-200 aircraft and the control tower at Damascus international airport as the new Syrian authorities prepare to reopen it, on December 16, 2024. Damascus's airspace reopened on December 12, the airport director told AFP, after a closure since December 8, when president Bashar al-Assad's government fell. Syrian Airlines aircraft maintenance director said takeoffs and landing would be decided by the transport ministry, adding that the carrier hoped to "expan

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Lebanon, Syria sign deal to transfer 300 Syrian prisoners: What we know

A picture shows a view of a street with access to a detention center under the Adliyeh (Palace of Justice) bridge (L) of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on Aug. 7, 2022.

Feature

Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol

Members of Syrian security forces at the entrance of the al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakah province which holds around 24,000 people, including some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities on Jan. 21, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Billion-dollar AI, clean energy deals headline Saudi 'Davos in the Desert'

Humain, an AI firm backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the PIF, signed a $3 billion deal with AirTrunk, a company backed by US asset manager Blackstone, to build a data center campus in the kingdom.

Fighters from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army faction stand by a "technical" pickup truck at a position near the Tishrin Dam in the vicinity of Manbij, in the east of Syria's northern Aleppo province, on January 10, 2025 amidst ongoing battles with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Turkish military academies to train 49 Syrian cadets amid joint drills: What to know

The training and drills mark the first visible implementation of the military cooperation deal Ankara and Damascus signed in August.

RANIA SANJAR/AFP via Getty Images

In Saudi Arabia, Sharaa hails 'historic opportunity' for Syria investment

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa touted investment opportunities in his country as he addressed business leaders and officials at the 9th Future Investment Initiative Conference in Riyadh.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs and special envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn speaks during a session on reconciliation and reconstruction at the 2019 World Economic Forum.

White House withdraws Rayburn’s nomination for top Mideast policy role

Decision raises questions about future role of the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau as the Trump administration relies on special envoys to cut through bureaucracy with big promises for a region still reeling from interlinked wars.

A United Nations convoy evacuating families from Sweida moves through the buffer zone in Busra al-Harir in Syria's southern Daraa province on July 22, 2025.

Bus attack in Syria’s Suwayda kills 2 as violence flares: What to know

Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hiji is calling for independence for southern Syria’s Suwayda province as violence continues in the area despite a July ceasefire.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Patriarch John X Yazigi in Damascus, Oct. 26, 2025.

Feature

Syria's sole Christian lawmaker says she trusts Sharaa — other minorities are less sure

Syria’s only Christian lawmaker navigates a fractured political landscape as minorities and women seek representation under a new Islamist-led government.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

AFP via Getty Images

Postwar Syria receives first direct shipment from China: What to know

The commercial vessel Queen Vivian arrived at Tartous Port from China, bringing some 16,000 tons of steel and various equipment, Sana reported Monday.

Syria's internal security forces are deployed in Tadamon to secure a protest in Tadamon, Syria, on Feb. 7, 2025.

Analysis

Syria officials: US strike on jihadi commander a message to rebel holdouts

A US strike that killed a prominent rebel in Syria in early October aimed to send a message to militants who refuse to join the new Syrian national army, Syrian sources told Al-Monitor.

Cagatay Cebe

By Cagatay Cebe

In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism

A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025.

Feature

Inside Congress' battle to repeal Syria's Caesar sanctions

Five months after President Trump pledged to lift sanctions on Syria, the harshest penalties remain on the books.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz will be Turkey’s first ambassador in Damascus since the former ambassador left the country more than a decade ago.

Turkey taps Nuh Yilmaz as first ambassador to Syria in 13 years

Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz will be Turkey’s first ambassador in Damascus since his predecessor's withdrawal more than a decade ago.