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Syria

July 10, 2026

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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

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in a prison where men suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakah on Oct. 26, 2019.

Iranian forces in Syria establish new prison in Raqqa

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is redeploying and building new bases and prisons in its areas of control in northeastern Syria after coming under repeated Israeli and US airstrikes.

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters of the Sultan Murad Turkoman brigade are pictured during a military show in the Afrin region in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's northern Aleppo province on Nov. 17, 2020.

Turkish-backed rebels leave trail of abuse, criminality in Syria’s Afrin

The serene topography of the Syrian enclave of Afrin belies the power vacuum and violence now afflicting many of the territories under the control of Turkish-backed forces in the war-torn country’s northeast.

Protesters hold Syrian flags, posters and pictures of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as they demonstrate against Western airstrikes against the Syrian regime, Belgrade, Serbia, April 15, 2018.

Serbia has its reasons for sending ambassador to Syria

Belgrade breaks with EU consensus by being one of the first European countries to upgrade its relations with Damascus to ambassadorial level.

Syrian al-Liwa Party

New Druze political party, military faction take shape in Suwayda

Suwayda has a new political party and an associated military arm after decades of Druze exclusion from the Syrian political scene.

Jihadis of former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Syrian jihadi groups crack down on rivals in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is tightening the noose on the jihadi Jundallah group and asking it to join it or leave Idlib, in what observers described as an attempt on the part of HTS to get rid of non-Syrian fighters.

Al-Nusra Front billboard near Aleppo

Syrian man in Netherlands convicted of war crimes for soldier's execution

A court sentenced Ahmad al Khedr to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2012 execution of a regime soldier, which was captured on film.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Syrian government shelling in Idlib kills 9, including 3 children

Syria's last rebel stronghold has seen an uptick in government attacks, with at least 10 children killed in the past two weeks.

OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham kicks Chechen jihadis out of Idlib

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham told the Chechen jihadi group Jund al-Sham it could either join its ranks or leave Idlib, the group's members evacuated their military positions in the countryside of Latakia.

Restoration work at Great Mosque in Idlib

Idlib authorities begin restoration of historic mosque

The government affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib is restoring the historic Great Mosque, which was severely damaged by Syrian government shelling.

A Syrian vendor sets up his stall of fruits at the recently reopened Nassib border crossing in Daraa province, at the Syrian-Jordanian border south of Damascus, Nov. 7, 2018.

What does Saudi ban on Syrian produce mean for Assad’s government?

The kingdom's decision to ban the import of produce from the government-held areas is viewed as a sign that the kingdom has not changed its position toward the Syrian government.

Syrian Kurds demonstrate against the Turkish offensive on Kurdistan Workers Party areas in northern Iraq, in the northeastern city of Qamishli, Syria, June 10, 2021.

Kurdish parties split over Russian invitation for dialogue with Syrian government

Kurdish politicians in Syria split over Russia’s invitation to hold a dialogue with the Syrian government, with some accepting the invitation based on conditions, while others were skeptical about such a move.

Syrian Kurdish women attend a protest against honor killings, Hasakah, Syria, July 6, 2021.

Relatives murder Syrian girl in honor killing

The killing of an 18-year-old girl who refused to marry her cousin at the hands of her relatives in the countryside of Hasakah sparked anger and ignited controversy on social media.