Ahmed al-Sharaa

Macron’s visit to Syria showcases Damascus's rising regional status - analysis

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa is also expected to travel to Turkey to hold meetings on the sidelines of the NATO summit in the following days.

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) is welcomed by Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (R) as he arrives for a state visit at the Damascus International Airport in Damascus on July 6, 2026.
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa after a joint press conference after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025.

French President Emmanuel Macron lands in Syria in first visit to post-Assad Damascus by EU head

Women activists protest in Aleppo against what they say is inadequate female representation in Syria's newly formed People's Assembly, July 2.

Syrian women push for real political power: 'Representation is not just numbers'

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa in the White House, Washington, DC, November 10, 2025

Trump to meet leaders of Ukraine, Syria alongside NATO summit


Assad brothers summoned in absentia as Syria opens landmark trial of former security chief

The court’s summonses for Bashar and Maher Assad added symbolic weight to a proceeding targeting figures once considered untouchable

Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa during Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, who is accused of committing war crimes, attends a trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026.

Israel’s opening in Lebanon, Syria may not last long - opinion

Hezbollah’s weakening and shifts in Syria and Lebanon open a rare diplomatic window for Israel, if it moves quickly and carefully.

 Illustrative of an Israel flag and Syria flag, with soldiers and weapons.

Syria opens first public trial of former Assad regime official Atef Najib

Syria has opened its first public trial for a former Assad regime official, Atef Najib, marking a shift toward accountability. The trial focuses on crimes committed in Dara’a and Damascus.

Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa during Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, who is accused of committing war crimes, attends a trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026.

Syrian President al-Sharaa positions country for regional role in Gulf, EU meetings

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the Gulf last week as part of his efforts to shore up support for Damascus across the Middle East and Europe amid rising regional tensions.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 17, 2026.

Syrian President al-Sharaa says he loves basketball but was distracted by war

It was a revival of international basketball competitions that had declined in recent years, both in their organization and their reach across Syrian provinces

 From the opening of the Al-Fayhaa Basketball Hall in Damascus.

'Kinetic elimination does not work': US envoy breaks with Netanyahu doctrine in Antalya

Thomas Barrack cast military force as a dead end and argued that the region’s conflicts will not be solved by trying to destroy enemies one by one.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Jerusalem on April 14, 2026.

EU to restore Syria relations, strengthen trade and security ties, document shows

Syria, which had most Western sanctions lifted at the end of last year, is seeking broader integration into the international community under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hold a press conference at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany March 30, 2026.

Lebanon and Syria – are deals possible? - opinion

Even a modest security arrangement could create a platform for more substantive diplomacy over time.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pictured at the Presidential PAlace, Baabda, Lebanon, February 16, 2026.

Syrian President Sharaa hosts Kurdish SDF leaders to talk integration

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Kurdish leaders to advance talks on the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the national military.

SDF leader Mazloum Abdi (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) signing a deal to end the war between their two groups, March 2025.

Syrian authorities discover Hezbollah arms smuggling tunnel, warehouses near Lebanon border

Syrian authorities discover a Hezbollah tunnel linking Syria and Lebanon used for smuggling weapons, along with a large shipment of IED components destined for Lebanon.

 Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in front of the Syrian and Hezbollah flags (illustrative).