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Palmyra

Syria

October 21, 2026

Damascus 4:35 pm

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Trucks loaded with goods wait to cross over to Syria

Analysis

How Hormuz crisis is reshaping economic ties between Iraq and Syria

Iraq and Syria are expanding trade and energy cooperation, but security risks, economic challenges and longstanding mistrust raise questions about whether their growing partnership can endure.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Israeli troops stand guard on the dividing line between the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and Syrian, near Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025.

Analysis

'The problem and the solution': Netanyahu-Sharaa call exposes Israel's Syria dilemma

The Israeli leader revealed that he spoke with the Syrian president last year, but stalled talks and Israel's fortification of a security zone on Syrian land underscore his mistrust of Sharaa.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

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.

Latest News

Explainer

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

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

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

Analysis

Why Syria and Iraq are taking different approaches to armed groups

Demonstrators ride through a street while waving Syrian flags

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

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.

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

Turkish, Iranian media trade barbs

Analysts say angry reports and comments in the pro-government media of both sides reflect official thinking, but expect the legacy of maintaining relatively good ties between the two countries to prevail.

Moscow's revolving door of Arab monarchs, Syrian opposition

Russia continues to navigate the complex process of tackling the Syria crisis, slating Damascus as a hopeful ally against the Islamic State.

Oman’s diplomatic bridge to Syria

By inviting Syria’s foreign minister to Muscat, Oman has signaled its interest in contributing to the resolution of Syria’s civil war.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) talks with Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam upon his arrival at the Government Palace in Beirut, Lebanon August 11, 2015. Zarif visits Lebanon for the first time since Iran reached an agreement with world powers on the country's nuclear program. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - RTX1NXWG

What’s behind Zarif’s visit to Beirut?

An Iranian diplomat shared with Al-Monitor some behind-the-scenes information regarding the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Beirut and its implications for Lebanon and the region.

An Israeli soldier throws a gas grenade towards a Hizbollah bunker that was uncovered in southern Lebanon August 27, 2006, in this picture released by the Israeli Defense Forces August 28, 2006. Israeli special forces have been exploiting the end of fighting with Hizbollah to uncover and destroy the guerrilla group's tunnel and bunker networks in southern Lebanon, military officials said on Monday. Picture taken August 27, 2006. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY REUTERS/IDF/Handout (LEBANON) - RTR1GRL7

New IDF strategy dismisses Iran nuclear threat

The IDF's new strategy document declares Iran's nuclear program non-threatening and instead prepares to deal with attacks by Iranian proxies and other armed organizations in the region.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (L) welcomes Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before a meeting in Damascus January 15, 2014, in this handout released by Syria's national news agency SANA. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION W

Zarif presses diplomacy on Syria

Iran brokers humanitarian cease-fires in Syria; Yair Lapid discusses “dreadful gamble” in US-Israel relations; Turkey’s Stone Age temple may predate Stonehenge and Egyptian pyramids by thousands of years.

Zarif pushes Syria plan ahead of Iran-GCC talks

With a nuclear deal in hand, Iran is focusing on jump-starting regional diplomacy and dealing with Syria.

PKK vs. Turkey: Violence plagues people of Basak

Turkish security forces expand their operations to urban areas in the southeast of the country.

A family walks at a site hit by what activists said was an airstrike by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, at the eastern Ghouta of Damascus June 5, 2015. REUTERS/Amer Almohibany - RTX1F8QO

Civilians 'biggest losers' of opposition infighting in eastern Ghouta

The residents of eastern Ghouta are falling victim to disputes between the warring factions in the area, as each accuses the other of monopolizing control of tunnels and food commodities.

A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet lands at Incirlik air base in Adana, Turkey, August 11, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1NXHJ

Speculation about Turkish civil war is just that

Clashes between Turkish security forces and the PKK are intensifying and becoming more violent.

Syrian refugees in Gaza face limited job opportunities

Syrian women who have fled the war in Syria to Gaza with their Palestinian husbands are denied institutional financial aid, under the pretext of being part of a Palestinian family not eligible to receive assistance dedicated to Syrian refugees.

Stephen Rapp, U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, addresses a news conference in Kenya's capital Nairobi, November 16, 2009. The United States will attend an International Criminal Court (ICC) meeting this week as an observer for the first time since the Hague court was set up in 2002, President Barack Obama's war crimes envoy said on Monday. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya (KENYA POLITICS CRIME LAW CONFLICT) - RTXQSWO

Former US ambassador: There won't be peace in Syria without prosecution of Assad

In Stephen Rapp's first interview since leaving office, the recently resigned US ambassador-at-large and chief of the State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice says progress is being made on amassing documentation of the "hell" in Syria.