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Syria

July 5, 2026

Damascus 10:13 pm

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Farmers roast harvested wheat using fire in a field on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, on May 18, 2026.

Analysis

How Syria’s wheat fields turned into first battleground over reconstruction

A battle over wheat prices could be the first political contest over who reconstruction will benefit.

Haddon Barth

By Haddon Barth

An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

On June 26, Emirati and Syrian officials discussed plans for a logistics corridor connecting Syrian ports to Gulf markets via Iraq.

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

Volunteers of the Druze-led National Guard manage traffic at a checkpoint, Suwayda, Syria, Jan. 22, 2026.

Clashes between Druze fighters, Syrian forces raise fears of renewed violence

The episodes in Druze-majority Suwayda escalated amid kidnappings, various disputes, and absent movement on integrating Druze into state institutions.

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Latest News

Syria, Lebanon stress noninterference as Damascus mulls Hezbollah talks

Nawaf Salam and Asaad al-Shibani shake hands in Beirut on July 2, 2026.

At least 6 killed, 22 wounded in Damascus cafe explosion: What to know

Syrian security forces and people gather at the site of an explosion at a cafe in the capital, Damascus, on July 2, 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

Thomas Barrack, nominee to serve as the US ambassador to Turkey, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Trump appoints Turkey ambassador Tom Barrack as envoy to Syria: What to know

Tom Barrack's dual role is likely to give Trump more direct finger on the pulse of his Syria policy as the president has vowed to lift decades of US economic sanctions to give the country's people "a chance at greatness."

A boy walks under Palestinian and Syrian flags hanging outside buildings damaged during Syria's 14-year civil war in the Yarmuk refugee camp in southern Damascus

Palestinian faction chiefs quit Damascus amid pressure: faction sources

Agence France-Presse

Barzani

Iraqi Kurdistan PM Barzani backs cautious engagement with Syria’s new rulers

Speaking at an Al-Monitor Global Institute Event in Washington, Masrour Barzani urged Kurdish unity and said Damascus must prove it can lead a divided Syria.

OMAR ALBAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

As Israel deconfliction talks proceed, Turkey and Syria discuss military ties during visits

A senior Turkish military delegation traveled to Damascus as Ankara and Washington hold talks on Syrian Kurdish groups and Syrian stability.

A portrait of Russia's President Vladimir Putin hangs above next to a torn out one of the ousted Syrian president, as Russian soldiers stand guard at the entrance of the Russian-leased Syrian military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in western Syria on December 29, 2024.

3 killed in attack on Russia’s Hmeimim base in Syria: Monitor

Russia is aiming to maintain its military bases in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, while a number of Syrians are currently sheltering at the Hmeimim air base.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Rubio warns Syria’s government could collapse in weeks, triggering civil war

The top US diplomat made the case for sanctions relief and renewed engagement with the transitional government in Damascus to prevent "full-scale civil war."

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin gives a press conference following talks with Sweden and Finland over their bids to join NATO at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on May 25, 2022.

Turkey’s intel chief Kalin makes surprise visit to Syria, meets Sharaa

Kalin's visit comes as a Turkish delegation arrives in Washington to discuss sanctions relief on Syria with the Trump administration.

Kaja Kallas

EU greenlights lifting of all economic sanctions on Syria

The European Union and the United Kingdom had already lifted some sanctions on Syria in certain sectors including aviation, energy and media.

This picture taken on Jan. 25, 2000, shows a close-up of a postage stamp commemorating Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who was executed by Syria in Damascus in 1965.

Israeli Mossad retrieves entire archive of Eli Cohen from Syria: What we know

The announcement of the secret operation that recovered 2,500 documents from Syria coincided with the 60th anniversary of Cohen’s execution.

A couple walk through the remains of the Yarmouk refugee camp, Syria’s largest Palestinian refugee camp, Damascus, Jan. 27, 2025.

Analysis

With Trump’s Syria sanctions relief, Turkey eyes refugee returns, regional gains

Sanctions relief opens the door to Syria's postwar reconstruction and other investment, with Turkish firms and Gulf money poised to lead the charge.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Syria-Israel talks reportedly intensify as Trump asks Sharaa to normalize: What to know

Following President Donald Trump’s call for Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to join the Abraham Accords, multiple contacts have reportedly taken place between Israeli and Syrian officials.

The port of the southern coastal city of Tartus, Syria, Dec. 12, 2024.

Syria inks $800M deal with UAE’s DP World to develop Tartous port: What we know

The agreement came days after Donald Trump announced the lifting of all US sanctions against Syria stemming from the Assad government's conduct in the 14-year civil war.