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

Palmyra

Syria

July 9, 2026

Damascus 8:51 pm

26°C

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

Idlib motorcycle

Opposition-led government in Syria's Idlib increases taxes on motorcycles

Civilians in northwest Syria, where motorcycles constitute a common and inexpensive method of transport, are struggling to pay several new taxes imposed by the HTS-led government.

Children are pictured in the northern city of Raqqa, the former Syrian capital of the Islamic State, on Dec. 19, 2021.

Kurdish leaders say poverty 'biggest threat,' driving Syrians into arms of IS

Offers of money by the Islamic State to join its ranks prove "irresistible" to those hit hard by Syria's collapsed economy.

Idlib market

Syrian jihadist group opens food market north of Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Idlib in northwestern Syria, is supporting development projects in various economic sectors.

Syria badminton

Syrian women and girls in Aleppo find new outlet in sports

Many young women in Afrin, northern Aleppo, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) are showing great interest in sports, as opposing social customs and traditions begin to fade.

Bishop Ephraim Maalouli (R) speaks at a ceremony, after he was appointed as the new metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox archieparchy of Aleppo and Alexandretta, at Saint Elias Cathedral, Aleppo, Syria, Dec. 10, 2021.

Syrian government loosens travel restrictions on Christian clergy

The Syrian government has waived border fees for Christian church leaders entering the country.

A member of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham holds the group's flag as others parade with their flags and those of the Taliban's declared "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" through the rebel-held city of Idlib, Syria, Aug. 20, 2021.

Syrian jihadi group sees wave of defections in Idlib

Schisms within Hayat Tahrir al-Sham are widening as its leader shifts to convey a moderate image and eliminate more radical rival groups.

A Syrian man holds the Iranian flag as a convoy carrying aid provided by Iran arrives in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, Sept. 20, 2017.

Iran expands economic reach into oil-rich region of Syria

Iran exports to Syria are increasing, a sign of an improving economic relation between the two countries.

Meeks

Intel: Final defense bill gives Congress more oversight of US Syria policy

Lawmakers are grabbing the reins on the Biden administration’s dormant approach to Syria’s conflict.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, at the Pentagon on Sept. 3, 2021, in Arlington, Virginia.

UK warplane shoots down 'hostile' drone near US base in Syria

The latest drone incursion comes as indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran are on thin ice.

Israel Syria

Israel focused on Syria as well as Iran

A report by the Washington Post has attributed two attacks to Israel in the past year and a half against Syrian military facilities linked to its past chemical weapons program.

Syrians cook bread inside a school turned into a shelter for people displaced by the war, in the rebel-controlled town of Hamouria, in the eastern Ghouta region, Syria, Dec. 23, 2017.

Syrians resort to ancient bread-making methods in Idlib's food crisis

Displaced Syrians in Idlib are replacing bakery bread with handmade bread, turning to traditional methods during the area's food shortage.

ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

Intel: Egypt seeks US sanctions assurance in gas plan for Lebanon

Egypt's minister of petroleum and mineral resources says his government needs a guarantee from Washington that Cairo's involvement in the Arab Gas Pipeline project will be exempt from US sanctions on Syria.