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Syria

May 16, 2026

Damascus 10:32 pm

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives to attend the second day of the first Syrian-Emirati (United Arab Emirates) Investment Forum, at the People's Palace in Damascus on May 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Ports and infrastructure: UAE embraces new economic order in Syria

UAE-Syrian ties have moved faster than expected, with Abu Dhabi embracing President Ahmad al-Sharaa and relations shifting from normalization to investment opportunities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A Syrian citizen exchanges old banknotes for new notes released and distributed by the central bank, at a bank in the capital, Damascus, on Jan. 3, 2026.

Interview

UK fintech brings foreign currency accounts to Syrians at home

The launch comes as Syria’s new government attempts to stabilize the country’s shattered economy following the January 2025 rise to power of President Ahmed al-Sharaa after the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Khaled Hablas

Lebanon authorities release Salafist cleric Khaled Hablas: What to know

Hablas was imprisoned for his role in the deadly 2014 clashes with the military and Hezbollah and his release follows Syria lobbying for the return of militants detained in Lebanon.

Latest News

Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know

Pictured in this undated image is the Al-Thawra oil field in Raqqa governorate, as rehabilitation works continue to restore production capacity.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

Kaja Kallas

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 to be afiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakeh on Oct. 26, 2019.

US military completes evacuation of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq

The detainee transfer opens the door for US troops to further withdraw from Syria ahead of a potential military confrontation with Iran.

A campfire burns inside al-Hol camp on Jan. 26, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Exclusive

Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq

The detainees were handed over from SDF custody to the US-led coalition for transfer to Iraqi prisons.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

SDF commander in chief, Mazlum Kobane, meets with Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on Feb. 5, 2026.

Exclusive

100 non-Syrian Kurds return to PKK’s Qandil stronghold under SDF-Damascus deal

The transfer of non-Syrian PKK fighters to Iraq’s Qandil Mountains follows a US-brokered SDF-Damascus deal aimed at easing tensions and preserving Kurdish forces under national army oversight.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a meeting with Russian President at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 28, 2026. (Photo by MAXIM SHIPENKOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

In Syria, Sharaa's brothers take spotlight with Saudi, Russian dealings

Hazem al-Sharaa is playing a key role in Syria’s economic development and ties with the Gulf, while Maher al-Sharaa is involved in diplomacy with Russia, though another brother has reportedly fallen out of favor with the president.

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey's army chief says 'no plans to withdraw' from Syria

Turkey’s military chief said that Ankara has no plans to withdraw troops from northern Syria despite recent Damascus-SDF agreements.

This picture shows a Syrian Arab Airlines Airbus A320-200 aircraft and the control tower at Damascus international airport as the new Syrian authorities prepare to reopen it, on December 16, 2024. Damascus's airspace reopened on December 12, the airport director told AFP, after a closure since December 8, when president Bashar al-Assad's government fell. Syrian Airlines aircraft maintenance director said takeoffs and landing would be decided by the transport ministry, adding that the carrier hoped to "expan

Analysis

Saudi-backed airline to test Syria’s aviation recovery

The new airline is already set to face leasing, financing and market obstacles.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A picture shows a view of a street with access to a detention center under the Adliyeh (Palace of Justice) bridge (L) of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on Aug. 7, 2022.

Lebanon, Syria sign deal to transfer 300 Syrian prisoners: What we know

Lebanon and Syria signed a deal to transfer more than 300 convicted Syrians held in Lebanese prisons to their home country to complete their sentences.

Members of Syrian security forces at the entrance of the al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakah province which holds around 24,000 people, including some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities on Jan. 21, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Feature

Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol

Chaos at al-Hol during clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus underscored the widening security vacuum amid Kurdish claims of US abandonment.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

A Russian military Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlift aircraft takes off from Qamishli International Airport in northeastern Syria's Hasakah province on January 27, 2026. Russia withdrew troops and equipment on January 27 from the airport in Kurdish-held northeast Syria where its forces were based, as Kurdish forces who once controlled swathes of territory in the country's north and east have withdrawn in the face of military pressure of Syrian army advance while the country's new Islamist authorities seek to

Russian delegation in Syria to preserve military bases: What to know

Russian and Syrian military officials have held a series of reciprocal exchanges and visits in recent weeks, as the Kremlin continues to view Syria as a key military vantage point.

In this handout photo in an undisclosed location, US Airmen prepare to load GBU-31 munition systems onto F-15E Strike Eagles within the US Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 18, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike.

US launches 5 airstrikes in Syria on suspected ISIS sites: What to know

A series of five airstrikes over the past week in Syria comes as the US military increasingly relies on Damascus' forces to contain Islamic State remnants.

Platform Edith, the largest of Chevron's USA's offshore production platforms, is seen off the southern California coast, on Oct. 6, 2021.

Syria to develop first offshore oil, gas field with US’s Chevron, Qatar’s UCC

In 2013, Russian firm Soyuzneftegaz signed a deal to explore for oil and gas in Syrian waters, but the project was dropped two years later due to the civil war.