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Syria

October 16, 2026

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An attendee walks past signage displayed inside the venue for the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 14, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images)

Syria to rejoin Arab group at IMF, leaving Russian-led constituency

Syria will rejoin the Arab constituency at the International Monetary Fund beginning Nov. 1 and has applied for membership in the EBRD.

Mihrac Ural, who was also known as Ali Kayali, was arrested

Explainer

Syria arrests Mihrac Ural, ex-Assad militia head also wanted by Turkey

The Turkey-born militia chief and a longtime ally of the Assad-regime, was sought by Ankara over the deadly Reyhanli bombings and by Damascus over his alleged role in massacres on the Mediterranean coast.

In first, Israel’s Netanyahu says he held call with Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa

It is the first publicly disclosed contact between the leaders of Israel and Syria, which lack formal relations and have fought several wars. Sharaa’s government began US-mediated talks with Israel in 2025.

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

In a break from past policies, the new governments in Damascus and Baghdad are clamping down on militant groups with the capacity or desire to harm regional partners.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Latest News

Culture

Syria reopens Aleppo's 1,300-year-old Great Umayyad Mosque after 13 years

A view of the Great Umayyad Mosque during the reopening ceremony, Oct. 8, 2026.

Analysis

Why Syria sending troops to Yemen would be a risky bet for Sharaa

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Oct. 6, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Culture

Syria's Kurds, Arabs find common cause in battle for language rights

Youths play the daf, an Iranian frame drum, during a protest demanding the right to education in the Kurdish language in Al-Qamishli, Syria, on September 22, 2026. The demonstrations follow a decision by the Syrian Interim Government to allocate only Kurdish language classes in schools. (Photo by Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / 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

Pro-Ankara Syrian rebel fighters are seen riding on pickup trucks near the village of Hawar Killis along the Syrian-Turkish border in the northern province of Aleppo on October 6, 2017, as they advance towards jihadist-controlled Idlib province.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech on October 7 that the pro-Ankara Syrian rebels were "taking new steps to ensure security in Idlib".
Erdogan later told reporters the operation was led by "Free Syrian Army" (FSA) rebels and that the T

Rival governments in northern Syria are at it again

Two rival local governments affiliated with the opposition in Idlib province are vying for influence and power, which could further escalate tensions between them.

Syrian opposition skeptical of Russian troop pullout

While some opposition factions hope Russia's reported military withdrawal from Syria will encourage a political solution, others fear Iran and regime forces will exploit the vacuum.

A member of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) mans a weapon mounted on a pick-up truck as others talk to each others along a street in the west of the city of Ras al-Ain, after capturing it from Islamist rebels November 5, 2013. Redur Xelil, spokesman for the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Kurdish militias had seized the city of Ras al-Ain and all its surrounding villages. Syrian Kurdish fighters have captured more territory from Islamist rebels in northeastern

Turkey’s problem with Syrian Kurds far from over

Ankara has accepted the Russian proposal to have Kurdish participation in Syrian national reconciliation while excluding the PYD, but the latter will remain the elephant in the room.

Head of Hamas delegation Saleh Arouri attends a reconciliation deal signing ceremony in Cairo, Egypt, October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC1E7AE97DA0

Hezbollah, Iran, Hamas seek new strategy for resistance

Hamas is moving closer to Iran and Hezbollah, as the "axis of resistance" shifts priorities now that the Syrian war is winding down.

Turkey plans short turnaround on long-range missiles in 2018

Regional conflicts have shown the importance of deep-strike capability with cruise missiles, and Turkey is now working hard to acquire it.

A perilous journey home for Raqqa residents

In the former self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State, two months after the end of the battle, Raqqa residents are already attempting to rebuild their war-battered city — a colossal challenge that has also proven to be lethal.

Syria’s internally displaced in dire need of aid

Amid the lack of basic services in the camps for displaced people in Aleppo’s northern countryside, officials are calling on local and humanitarian organizations to step up and provide aid.

People sit in the back of a truck as they celebrate what they said was the liberation of villages from Islamist rebels near the city of Ras al-Ain in the province of Hasakah, after capturing it from Islamist rebels November 6, 2013. Redur Xelil, spokesman for the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Kurdish militias had seized the city of Ras al-Ain and all its surrounding villages. Syrian Kurdish fighters have captured more territory from Islamist rebels in northeastern Syria

Turkey backtracking on 'red lines' for Syria's Kurds

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly agreed to accept Kurdish participation at the Syria congress in Sochi, as long as those Kurds do not belong to the Democratic Union Party.

Baghdad could take oil in new direction — away from Turkey

Now that Iraq's central government in Baghdad has reclaimed oil-rich Kirkuk from the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq is considering changes that could hurt Turkey's standing in the oil market there.

FSA opens new business crossing in northern Syria

A Syrian rebel faction opened a business road crossing in the Aleppo countryside to collect funds for the local civilians and military.

Members of Roj Mine Control Organization search for mines and explosive devices planted by Islamic State militants to disarm them near Ain Issa village north of Raqqa, Syria, June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic - RC1FCEC4E0B0

US trains Syrian civilians to destroy explosives

The United States is getting scores of Syrian locals ready to deal with explosives left behind by the Islamic State.

Jerusalem, missile defense dominate Putin's quick Turkey visit

During his speed visit to the region, Putin stopped over in Ankara to discuss Trump's Jerusalem move with Erdogan as well as moving forward with the sale of the S-400 missile defense system to Turkey.