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

Palmyra

Syria

July 10, 2026

Damascus 12:28 am

23°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

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters of the Sultan Murad Turkoman brigade.

Turkish-backed factions outmaneuver Syrian jihadist group in Idlib

The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army in north Syria announced a series of mergers recently, derailing plans by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to seek rapprochement with some of the factions affiliated with the Syrian National Army.

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces gather in the village of Susah in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, near the Syrian border with Iraq, Sept. 13, 2018.

Iran’s new brigade infiltrates tribes in east Syria

Iran is working on controlling and infiltrating the Syrian community by supporting local leaders affiliated with it, forming tribal councils and appointing new sheikhs from small clans and families to spread Shiism in its areas of control in east Syria.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish-backed Syrian groups pursue drug operations in Aleppo

The Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army is reportedly cracking down on drug dealers in the Aleppo countryside.

Syria Pedersen

'Big disappointment': Syrian constitutional negotiations fail again

UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said the Syrian government's side did not present a new proposal as previously agreed.

A member of security of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in the countryside of the Hasakah province, on June 27, 2020.

Turkey tells Syrian opposition forces to increase military readiness

The timing and extent of the anticipated operation against Syrian Kurdish forces are still uncertain and will likely depend on Ankara’s weighing of tradeoffs with Washington and Moscow.

Gasoline prices are displayed in Turkish lira at a gas station in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on June 15, 2020.

Protests break out in Syrian city controlled by jihadist faction

Protests erupted in Idlib against the Syrian Salvation Government, affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, amid high inflation and deteriorating living conditions.

Syria US soldier

US base in Syria hit in suspected drone attack

The remote Tanf outpost has been quiet for years, but Iran's pinprick provocations may once again be targeting the base, which plays a key role in Washington’s effort to obstruct Tehran's influence.

A Syrian fighter with Turkey-backed forces is pictured on a road between the northern Syrian towns of Tell Abyad and Kobani on October 22, 2019.

Suspected Turkish drone strike targets three people in Syrian Kurdish town

Turkey's latest strike comes on the four-year anniversary of the Kurdish fighters' capture of Raqqa from the Islamic State.

CHRISTINA ASSI/AFP via Getty Images

Refugees returning to Syria face reprisals from government

The rights organization documented arrest, arbitrary detention, torture and other forms of abuse among Syrian refugees who returned to their home country from Lebanon and Jordan.

Displaced Syrian women walk at a camp in Kafr Lusin village on the border with Turkey in the northwestern province of Idlib, Syria, March 10, 2020.

Female volunteers in northwestern Syria raise awareness of breast cancer

Volunteers raise breast cancer awareness among women in opposition areas in northwestern Syria, where access to health care is limited.

Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) attend the funeral of an Arab fighter.

Ankara-backed Syrian forces 'fully prepared' for Turkish operation

Turkey has threatened to launch a military operation against the SDF in the wake of attacks carried out by the latter in north Syria.

Turkish and Syrian students prepare food in a kitchen,. as part of the "Mutfakta Umut Var - Hope in the Kitchen" project attended by Turkish and Syrian youths, Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 8, 2020.

EU looks to boost Syrian businesses in Turkey

Many Syrian refugees are working in Turkey without work permits, and the European Union is trying to support their small businesses.