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Syria

October 24, 2026

Damascus 6:53 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

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), European Council President Herman Van Rompuy (L) and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso attend a news conference after the European Union-Russian Federation (EU-Russia) Summit in Yekaterinburg June 4, 2013. President Vladimir Putin defended on Tuesday Russia's right to sell arms to the Syrian government but said Moscow had not yet delivered advanced S-300 air defence systems to Damascus. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLIT

Europe Stays on Sidelines As Syria Conflict Unfolds

Europe keeps to the sidelines while Russia and the United States work on the Syrian conflict, while Syria’s neighbors wait quietly, holding the real leverage over the opposing sides.

The Mideast in Venice

Nine Middle Eastern countries are represented at the Venice Biennale, including a piece aptly called "Resistance" from a Turkish artist.

United Arab Emirates

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at Rabat airport on June 3, 2013, at the start of a tour of the Maghreb region. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal (MOROCCO - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10AEL

Assad Toys With Erdogan Over Riots

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is losing the high ground in his response to protests.

Syrian trucks are parked near the gate at the Rabia border crossing, the main border post between Iraq and Syria, July 24, 2012. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW POLITICS) - RTR359VB

Gunmen Attack Convoy Of Syrian Cargo Trucks in Iraq

Al-Qaeda in Iraq may be behind an attack on four cargo trucks carrying highly flammable material from Iraq to Syria on June 2.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media about Syria at the State Department in Washington May 31, 2013. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX107CG

John Kerry Derails Focus On Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis

US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent statement aligning Syrian rebel interests with Israel’s strategic concerns is a serious flaw.

People watch Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as he appears on a screen during a live broadcast to speak to his supporters at an event marking Resistance and Liberation Day, in Bekaa valley May 25, 2013. The leader of Lebanese guerilla movement Hezbollah said his group would stay in the Syrian war "to the end of the road" and bring victory to its ally President Bashar al-Assad. Hassan Nasrallah, head of the militant Shi'ite Muslim group, said in a televised speech on Saturday Syria and Leb

US, Iran and Rumors of Conspiracy

The US and Iran may be facing a common enemy.

President of the Syrian National Council George Sabra speaks during a conference for the reconstruction of Syria, at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai November 21, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3AOOH

Syrian External Opposition Says No Deal With Assad

Syria's external opposition rules out talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while internal opposition forces consider negotiations.

Forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are seen in Arjoun village near Qusair town May 30, 2013. Syrian rebels under siege near the Lebanese border pleaded for help on Thursday against government troops and their Hezbollah allies as a confident Assad spoke of having new Russian missiles. REUTERS/ Rami Bleible (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT MILITARY) - RTX106EZ

Foreign Fighters Key To Decisive Battle of Qusair

If there were ever a doubt, the war in Syria is now a war on Syria.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (2nd R) and leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu (R) attend an official ceremony to mark the 89th anniversary of Republic Day at Anitkabir in Ankara October 29, 2012. Anitkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of secular Turkey. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR39QHB

Erdogan’s Accusation of CHP Goes Too Far

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan might have crossed a red line by accusing the CHP of being directly responsible in the May 11 Reyhanli blasts that left 52 dead.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu draws a red line on a graphic of a bomb as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR38I5Z

The Failure of Israel's Red Line Policy

By drawing red lines it cannot keep, Israel is harming its credibility and its deterrence capability.

Syrian opposition activists argue outside the venue of the main opposition National Coalition meeting in Istanbul on May 26, 2013. Angry at the Coalition's failure to reach any agreement, a group of some 15 protesters gathered outside the hotel where the group was meeting, with some demanding speedier action and others rejecting negotiations outright."We want them to decide. They've been in there four days, discussing expansion while they should be taking a stand against Iran and Hezbollah's attack on Qusay

Geneva II Talks on Syria Still Matter

Although the Syrian opposition has refused to deal with Assad, Geneva II still represents the best chance for a diplomatic start to end to the war.

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH

Relatives of Lulu Abdallah Awad carry her coffin during her funeral in Shi'ite town of Hermel, about 30 km (20 miles) north of Arsal May 28, 2013. Several rockets have been fired into Hermel in the past 24 hours. One of them killed Lulu and wounded two people, the Lebanese army said. REUTERS/Rami Bleibel (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) TEMPLATE OUT - RTX1048Y

Syrian Fault LinesIn Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

The Syrian war has already come to Arsal and Hermel.