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Syria

July 15, 2026

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A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump at White House in Washington, on Nov. 10, 2025.

Syria, US hold first business forum since sanctions relief: What to know

The one-day forum in Damascus was organized by Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and the US-Syria Business Council, which was established in Washington last June to advance trade and investment between the two nations.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) welcomes France's President Emmanuel Macron for a joint press conference in Damascus on July 7, 2026.

Explainer

How Macron seeks to carve out France's role in new Syria

French President Emmanuel Macron became the first Western leader to visit Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, showcasing Paris' support for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa while seeking to secure a share of the country's emerging reconstruction market.

Latest News

US to drop Syria from terror blacklist

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.

Explainer

French energy, shipping giants explore Syria deals during Macron visit

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.

Macron's Syria visit eyes to boost France's economic role: What to know

Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Images

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

Russia, Turkey plugging away at Syria's northeast, Idlib

Amid complications with Turkey, Russia claims it stays the course in Syria.

Russian and Syrian national flags are pictured near the northern Syrian village of Zor Magar, as seen from the Turkish border town of Karkamis in Gaziantep province, Turkey, October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC15D8F01E00

Russia faces dilemmas in northeastern Syria

While it has added some fortifications, Moscow is challenged with new political and military uncertainty over Syria's northeast.

Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers walk along Istiklal Street as they are surrounded by riot police during an event to announce their upcoming party congress, in Istanbul, Turkey November 2, 2019. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC1E16E1C7F0

Opposition party weighs resigning to protest Turkish crackdown

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party will meet constituents to decide on how to counter a clampdown that has seen it lose control of two dozen city halls. Quitting parliament is among the measures up for debate.

An Iraqi demonstrator gestures during the ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq November 18, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2ODD9WBX48

Djerejian: In addressing uprisings in Middle East, first 'do no harm'

Former US diplomat Edward Djerejian also sees opportunity for US diplomacy in Gulf crisis.

Turkey’s fight against IS riddled with black holes

Ankara may boast about how many Islamic State members it has captured, but its handling of IS suspects on the ground, especially in deportation centers, speaks of a slipshod attitude to the problem.

IS kills priests in Syria as Turkish-backed fighters express IS sympathies

Two Armenian Catholic priests are killed by the Islamic State near Hasakah and pro-Turkish Syrian fighters are reported to have hoisted the Islamic State flag in Ras al-Ain.

Did Turkey backstab Syrian opposition's National Army?

Turkey's catch-and-release handling of 18 regime fighters captured by the Syrian opposition shocked many opposition forces.

Russia seems set to establish new military base in northeast Syria

Russia has been fortifying its military presence in Qamishli and appears to be constructing a military base there, its third in Syria.

Displaced Syrians demand to return, seek regime-YPG exit

Hundreds of Syrians displaced from Tell Rifaat and its surroundings are demonstrating for the right to return home and for opposition forces — not the regime — to control the area.

Syrian refugees trained to restore cultural heritage

An Istanbul-based project that trained Syrians to work in the field of cultural restoration received an award from Europa Nostra.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Tom Brenner? - RC2HAD9VX4UB

Absent new agreements, Trump-Erdogan meeting ends with pledge to work together

US President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Washington to rebuild US-Turkish relations without setting a clear path for progress.

Eastern Syria fighters accused of brutality after videos emerge

The commander of Ahrar al-Sharqiya, an armed faction whose fighters have been accused of extrajudicial killings, spoke to Al-Monitor about his militants' relationship to the eastern Deir ez-Zor region.