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Syria

July 17, 2026

Damascus 9:14 am

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Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images

Syria seizes arms shipment on Iraq border destined for Hezbollah

The operation comes as part of the Syrian authorities' efforts to curb illicit arms smuggling through its territory, namely intended for Hezbollah.

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.

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

Jordan, Syria make headway in resuming normal ties

The Syrian and Jordanian governments appear to be moving forward with normalizing relations, with the resumption of official visits and talk of cooperation.

A woman walks past destroyed buildings in the government-controlled part of Homs, Syria, September 18, 2018. REUTERS/Marko Djurica SEARCH "SYRIA LIFE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1EE143EBF0

US Syria envoy: Let's pull the plug on Russia-led talks

US Syria envoy James Jeffrey would like incoming UN Syria envoy Geir Pederson to have a clear path for negotiating a solution for Syria.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attends the plenary session of Syria peace talks brokered by Iran, Russia and Turkey in Astana on November 29, 2018. (Photo by Stanislav FILIPPOV / AFP) (Photo credit should read STANISLAV FILIPPOV/AFP/Getty Images)

UN Syria envoy's last Astana meeting ends with mixed results

While the UN envoy to Syria lamented the 11th meeting of the Astana talks as a "failed possibility" to make progress, other participants felt differently about the results.

US sanctions unlikely to crack Iran’s support for Syria

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have perfected low-budget warfare; Putin draws his own red line with Israel and Iran; Erdogan’s zero-sum approach to Syrian Kurds.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks at a press conference about the latest Republican Effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC1EF698A6F0

Congress gives Rand Paul the run-around to pass Syria sanctions bill

Congress may resort to parliamentary parlor tricks to pass overwhelmingly bipartisan Syria sanctions legislation because of opposition from one senator.

Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during last day of Ashura, in Beirut, Lebanon September 20, 2018. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RC1B0033DBD0

Iran’s shift of tactics endangers Israel

Israel Defense Forces are confronted with a new reality in which Hezbollah receives weapons from Iran by air cargo landing in Beirut and not by truck convoys from Syria.

A Syria Civil Defence member carries a wounded child in the besieged town of Hamoria, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2018. REUTERS/ Bassam Khabieh SEARCH "POY GLOBAL" FOR FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "REUTERS POY" FOR ALL BEST OF 2018 PACKAGES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. - RC12D7212D70

Intel: Why the US is backing off ousting Assad

Syrian soldiers and pro-regime militiamen man a heavy machine-gun mounted on the back of a pickup truck as they ride in the recently retaken desert town of Al-Qaryatain on October 26, 2017.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported on October 23, 2017 that Islamic State (IS) group militants massacred more than 100 people in the desert town of Al-Qaryatain during the month before they lost it to regime forces.
Before the civil war broke out in 2011, al-Qaryatain was a symbol

Syria seeks to integrate myriad paramilitaries

The Syrian government faces a "what now?" dilemma as it struggles to deal with all the militant groups it recruited to fight for the regime, along with rebels who have surrendered.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018.Tatyana Zenkovich/Pool via REUTERS?? - RC13B175F540

Turkey irate over US obstructions in Syria

Ankara's frustration with the United States continues to grow as Washington takes yet another step that Turkish officials believe was designed to hamper them from unleashing the Turkish military against the Kurdish People's Protection Units in Syria along Turkey's border.

Syrian rebel-fighters from the National Liberation Front (NLF) inspect the rubble of a building destroyed by a reported air strike from the day before in the rebel-held al-Rashidin district of western Aleppo's countryside near Idlib province, on November 26, 2018. - Air strikes hit the edges of Syria's last major rebel stronghold west of Aleppo on November 25, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said a day after an alleged toxic attack on the regime-held city. The SOHR said regime

Turkey, Russia, Iran convene in Astana for Syria talks

The 11th Astana meeting between Moscow, Tehran and Ankara reportedly focused on maintaining the cease-fire in Idlib as flare-ups threaten to ignite the area.

Why Ghouta refugees in Afrin refused to send their children to school

The displaced from eastern Ghouta protested a decision by Afrin’s local council to ban schools set up by them, by refusing to send their children to mixed schools.

Iran moves forward with railway link to Syria via Iraq

Iran is building a 20-mile stretch of railway that will connect railways throughout Iraq to neighboring Syria.