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Syria

July 9, 2026

Damascus 7:51 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

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

Anwar Aslan trial

German court convicts ex-Syrian officer of crimes against humanity

Anwar Raslan is the highest-ranking former Syrian government official to be tried for crimes committed in Syria's civil war.

A fighter with the Syrian Democratic Forces inspects a makeshift shelter dug in a trench at a makeshift camp for Islamic State members and their families in the town of Baghouz, Deir Ez-zor, Syria, March 9, 2019.

Syrians dig for Islamic State left-behinds in eastern desert

Many unemployed Syrians have embarked on dangerous search and excavation operations for money, gold and weapons left by the Islamic State in Deir ez-Zor governorate.

AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images

Poverty forces Syrian children to skip school, collect ordnance

For several child workers in the Idlib countryside, the detritus of war has become their livelihood.

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Intel: Biden faces bipartisan frustration over Syria policy

The top members on the House and Senate foreign affairs panels cautioned against giving “tacit approval of formal diplomatic engagement with the Syrian regime.”

Men standing in the back of a truck after fleeing battles between SDF and IS in the Syrian village of Baghuz arrive after crossing a desert to a region controlled by the SDF in Deir ez-Zor on Jan. 26, 2019.

Syrian Kurdish forces require displaced Arabs to obtain 'expat card' to remain in their areas

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is requiring Arabs displaced from all Syrian regions who are living in the areas under their control to obtain an expatriate card to be allowed to enter or remain.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

UN extends Syria cross-border aid without challenge from Russia

The Biden administration eased restrictions on aid groups working with the Syrian government in November.

Anas al-Kholi with his camera near Damascus.

Syrian activists tell stories of displacement over lost decade

Displacement and exile have become a common narrative for Syrians since 2011.

A journalist films the wreckage of a building described as part of the Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC) compound in the Barzeh district, north of Damascus, during a press tour organized by the Syrian information ministry, on April 14, 2018.

UN accuses Syria of failing to answer for chemical weapons program

The UN's top disarmament official said Syria's full disclosure was "essential" to resolving outstanding issues.

A fighter from the SDF carries a book on Islamic criminal legislation said to have belonged to the Islamic State, recovered in Baghuz, Syria, on March 13, 2020.

Islamic State ramps up activities in eastern Syria

Islamic State is applying Sharia rules in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor and imposing taxes on residents by force of arms.

Syrian Kurds parade a doll, made of wood and colorful fabric, as they perform the "Bride of the Rain" ritual in the northeast city of Qamishli on Nov. 19, 2021.

Ancient Kurdish rain ritual revived in Syria as drought continues

Kurdish farmers in the countryside of Qamishli revive an ancient ritual called Ziwa, or the Bride of the Rain, to invoke rain after seasons of drought.

Syria fighting

Syrian soldiers killed in deadly Islamic State ambush in Deir Ezzor

The Syrian army loyal to Bashar al-Assad has struggled to control the country's eastern desert.

Oil well pumps are seen in the Rmeilane oil field in Hasakah province, Syria, July 15, 2015.

Islamic State cells impose levy on oil investors in northeastern Syria

Islamic State cells are imposing levies on oil investors who have been contracted to work in oil fields in agreement with the controlling forces in northeastern Syria, as a share of the oil investment in a bid to finance their activities.