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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

Displaced Syrian boys carry water back to their tent at a camp for the internally displaced near the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on July 29, 2020, as Muslims across the world are getting ready to celebrate Eid al-Adha.

Camp residents in northwest Syria struggle to secure clean water

Some camp residents in northwestern Syria lack clean water, and despite all the efforts made by organizations in this field, some still find it difficult to obtain drinking water, especially with the approaching summer season.

Syrian refugees enter Turkey in 2013

Why are Syrian refugees returning from Turkey?

More Syrian refugees are expected to return home from Turkey this year if the Turkish authorities continue to impose lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19.

A photo taken on May 3, 2021 shows a giant portrait of President Bashar al-Assad at the Umawiyin square in Syria's capital Damascus, ahead of this month's presidential elections.

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief meets with Syrian counterpart in Damascus

The meeting takes place during the first official visit to Damascus by Saudi Arabia since 2012.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Syria’s presidential elections, explained

Described as a farce by opponents, Syria’s upcoming presidential elections are designed to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power until at least 2028.

Members of the Syrian Kurdish internal security services known as Asayish and Syrian government forces man a joint checkpoint in the Tayy neighborhood in Qamishli, Syria, April 27, 2021.

Despite truce, Kurdish authorities in Qamishli fear return of Syrian government-affiliated forces

Under a Russian-sponsored agreement, the Syrian government-affiliated National Defense Forces retreated from the Tayy neighborhood in Qamishli, which is now under the control of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration.

US forces patrol in Syria

US soldier faces criminal charges over firefight with Syrian regime

Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson is accused of recklessly endangering his own men by allegedly bringing them into close contact with Syrian pro-regime forces.

Books lie on the floor at a makeshift school in the town of Atme near the border with Turkey, in the rebel held Idlib province on September 5, 2018.

Turkish-backed FSA soft power initiative includes libraries

The increase in the number of public libraries in the relatively stable areas controlled by the Turkish-backed FSA in the countryside of Aleppo reflects the development of various cultural activities.

Members of the Syrian Kurdish internal security services known as Asayish and Syrian government forces man a checkpoint in Tayy neighbourhood in the northeastern city of Qamishli, after the implementation of a Russian-brokered cease-fire agreement, Syria, April 27, 2021.

Syrian government, Kurdish forces end dispute in Qamishli

The clashes between the Syrian government-affiliated forces and Kurdish security forces ended in Syria's northeast city of Qamishli after reaching an agreement between the two parties under Russian auspices.

Syrians sit inside a prayer hall of a cemetery where displaced families took refuge in the town of Sarmada in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, on Feb. 23, 2020.

Suicide on rise among young people in northwest Syria

The organization says children account for nearly one in five recorded suicide attempts and deaths in northwestern Syria.

A picture taken on April 20, 2020 shows a 120-bed ward at a specialised hospital for coronavirus cases inaugurated by the Kurdish Red Crescent around 10 kilometres outside the Syrian city of Hasakeh after the first COVID-19 death was reported in the northeastern region.

Northeast Syria's pandemic response in jeopardy as cases rise, charity warns

Amid a spike in coronavirus cases, the region's hospitals are grappling with a major shortage of oxygen and testing supplies.

A boy awaits departure during the release of another group of Syrian families from the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds suspected relatives of Islamic State (IS) group fighters, in Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria, on Feb. 20, 2021.

CENTCOM chief warns children risk radicalization at Syrian al-Hol camp

Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie said radicalization would remain a problem unless countries repatriate and reintegrate the children of suspected Islamic State fighters.

Asayish in Qamishli

Kurdish authorities refuse to take part in Syrian presidential elections

The Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeastern Syria said it will not allow the Syrian government to hold the presidential elections in its areas of control.