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Syria

July 9, 2026

Damascus 5:59 pm

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US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

US to drop Syria from terror blacklist

The terrorism label remained a key obstacle to Syria's postwar reconstruction.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron following a joint press conference in Damascus on July 7, 2026.

Explainer

French energy, shipping giants explore Syria deals during Macron visit

The two countries signed preliminary pacts spanning transport, healthcare, banking, infrastructure and development on Tuesday, even as twin explosions in the capital underscored the fragile investment environment.

Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images

Macron's Syria visit eyes to boost France's economic role: What to know

The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen cooperation and various regional developments during the first visit by a Western head of state to Syria since the civil war ended.

Latest News

Two explosions hit Damascus as Macron visits Syria

Security personnel and first responders prepare to cordon off an area near the Four Seasons Hotel following two blasts nearby in Damascus on July 7, 2026. Syrian authorities said 18 people were wounded by two blasts in central Damascus on July 7 near the hotel where France's president spent the night, with the Elysee Palace saying his visit is ongoing. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Syria’s wheat fields turned into first battleground over reconstruction

Farmers roast harvested wheat using fire in a field on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, on May 18, 2026.

Haddon Barth

By Haddon Barth

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

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

Clashes between Druze fighters, Syrian forces raise fears of renewed violence

Volunteers of the Druze-led National Guard manage traffic at a checkpoint, Suwayda, Syria, Jan. 22, 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

AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images

Islamic State leader killed in overnight US raid in Syria

The operation near the Turkish border followed a deadly Islamic State prison break in Syria last month.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Blizzard overwhelms displaced in northwest Syria

A blizzard has destroyed hundreds of tents in the camps of northwest Syria, where thousands of displaced residents live without heat or medical services.

Syrian students study via WhatsApp

Low-cost internet services reach Syria's al-Bab

Internet access in the countryside of Aleppo are rapidly expanding thanks to private companies and intense competition.

Syria Azaz

Turkish-backed rebels step up attacks on Islamic State in north Syria

The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army is cracking down on the Islamic State cells, amid an uptick in suicide attacks in north Syria.

AFP via Getty Images

Fighting resumes at Islamic State prison in Syria

Syria's Kurdish-led alliance had declared the prison secure yesterday.

Russia military

How Russian moves in Syria are linked to Moscow's Ukraine strategy

Large-scale exercises in the Mediterranean are meant both to increase capabilities in Syria and to send a message to NATO.

Britain law

UK appeals court says woman in Syria unlawfully stripped of citizenship

The woman, who is living in the Al-Roj camp in northeast Syria, had sought repatriation to the United Kingdom.

A woman stands by a metal fence at Roj camp that houses family members of people accused to belong to the Islamic State and who were relocated from al-Hol camp, in the countryside near al-Malikiyah, Hasakah province, Syria, Sept. 30, 2020.

How attack on Kurdish-run prison in northeast Syria will affect Islamic State

The Islamic State launched a massive attack on a Kurdish-run prison in Hasakah in northeastern Syria with the aim of releasing about 5,000 inmates.

AFP via Getty Images

Syria’s Kurdish-led forces regain control of Islamic State prison

Some two dozen hostages were freed and more than a thousand IS detainees surrendered after a six-day firefight that left at least 200 dead.

An aerial view shows the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib, Syria, Jan. 16, 2022.

Idlib residents demand release of detainees in jihadist group’s prisons

The families of detainees in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s prisons in Syria’s Idlib province organized a series of protests, demanding that the group free their relatives, amid rumors that some of them will be executed.

Syria Hasakah

Syria’s Kurdish-led forces advance into Islamic State prison

Syrian Kurdish-led fighters have advanced slowly into the Hasakah prison amid reports of hostages.

Kurdish security forces in Syria's Hasakah on Jan. 22, 2022, amid ongoing fighting with the Islamic State.

Islamic State prison break reinforces value of US military protection for Syria's Kurds

‘Cubs of Caliphate’ are among 700 boys held in Islamic State prison, as Syrian Kurdish forces keep up the battle to retake control