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July 16, 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

Political earthquake in Turkey: A regime running amok?

Three elected Kurdish mayors were removed from their posts in a move further endangering what remains of Turkey's democracy.

IDLIB, SYRIA - AUGUST 19: Turkish military convoy is seen on August 19, 2019 in Syria's northern province of Idlib. Syrian regime launches airstrikes on Maarat Al-Numan town as a convoy of Turkish military vehicles passes through the town. An airstrike killed three civilians and injured 12 others during a transfer to Turkeys observation point in Syrias Idlib.
(Photo by Izzettin Idilbi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Intel: Deadly airstrike on Turkish convoy tests Ankara-Moscow ties

Syrian jets hit a Turkish military convoy today in Syria’s Idlib, killing three civilians and injuring 12 others in an attack that likely could not have occurred without Moscow's knowledge.

A Syrian refugee man walks between tents in Nizip refugee camp, near the Turkish-Syrian border in Gaziantep province, Turkey, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1D41DB2700

Turkish activists stand up against refugee deportations

Human rights defenders in Turkey have raised their voices against the forced deportations of thousands of Syrians back to their war-torn country, urging Ankara to grant asylum rights to people fleeing oppression.

Rights group says Turkey sowing dissent in Syria

Turkey and its ally Qatar are being accused of spreading false news and fabricated videos to stir up tension between Kurds and Arabs in Syrian areas east of the Euphrates.

Mazloum Kobani, SDF's commander in chief, shakes hands with the advisor for the US Department of State in northern Syria William Robak, at al-Omar oil field in Deir Al Zor, Syria March 23, 2019. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC142AE67C90

Syrian Kurdish commander sets conditions for safe zone talks with Turkey

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces stated in an interview that a proposed safe zone between Turkey and Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria must cover the full length of the border between them.

Kurdish women hold flags of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and banners during a demonstration against the exclusion of Syrian-Kurds from the Geneva talks in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on February 4, 2016.
The talks in Geneva are the latest bid to end Syria's conflict, nearly five years after it began in March 2011 with anti-government protests. But they have stalled over the make-up of the opposition as well as its insistence tha

Did France end efforts for intra-Kurdish rapprochement in Syria?

The Kurdistan Democratic Party announced the end of French efforts to achieve rapprochement on the Syrian Kurdish scene, blaming the Democratic Union Party for failing to meet their demands.

U.S. and Turkish soldiers discuss details during the first-ever combined joint patrol in Manbij, Syria, November 1, 2018. Picture taken November 1, 2018. Courtesy Arnada Jones/U.S. Army/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1659329F10

Turks skeptical over accord with US for Syrian 'safe zone'

Many Turks fear that Turkey will be left in the lurch again with the new safe-zone agreement, as it was with the Manbij road map.

A Syrian Kurd walks during a protest and sit-in against Turkey, in the town of Ras al-Ain in Syria's Hasakeh province near the Turkish border on August 9, 2019, with the flags of Turkey seen across the border in the background. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

US-Turkey joint operations center buys time for Syria safe zone talks

Following an agreement to establish a "peace corridor" in northeast Syria, American and Turkish officials are creating a joint command center to work out details and oversight protocols.

U.S. troops patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1F4F72F170

Pentagon sends team to scout Syria safe zone

A US delegation is in Turkey to coordinate on a safe zone in Syria, but despite the seeming progress, there is no indication of agreement on its size and other details.

U.S. troops patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1F4F72F170

What does US-Turkey military deal really entail?

Turkish incursion into Syria thwarted: Washington said “no” and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bowed.

Kurdish members of the Self-Defense Forces stand near the Syrian-Turkish border in the Syrian city of al-Derbasiyah during a protest against the operations launched in Turkey by government security forces against the Kurds, February 9, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - GF10000302386

Intel: Why military confrontation between Turkey, Kurds in Syria might be good news for Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s repeated threats to attack Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria depend on Ankara’s ability to meet certain conditions if they’re to become reality.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands during a bilateral meeting with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1DDD25D480

Deciphering cryptic safe-zone deal between Turkey, US

Details are emerging of a safe-zone road map between the United States and Turkey in Syria.