Syria

Syria, officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic, is an Arab nation in the Middle East, situated in the Levant region. The country boasts a rich history and some of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.

In 1963, Syria's government was taken over by the Ba'ath Party, led by Hafez al-Assad. For decades, he and his son and successor, Bashar al-Assad, would rule the country in a reign that has been highly criticized for being totalitarian and for carrying out widespread human rights abuses.

In 2011, a major civil war broke out in Syria, leaving governance of the country fractured between the Russia- and Iran-backed Assad regime based in Syria's largest city and capital of Damascus, US-backed rebel groups led by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkey-backed forces, and Islamists under the banner of Hay'at Tahir al-Shams (HTS).

However, in December 2024, HTS and its allies carried out a major offensive from their base of operations in the Idlib province, eventually fully ousting the Assad regime and seizing control of Damascus as well as other major cities such as Homs and Aleppo. Currently, HTS has been spearheading the establishment of a new Syrian interim government. However, the country still remains fractured between them, Assad loyalists, Turkey-backed forces, and the SDF and its allies.

Syria building US relations while serving pivotal regional role - analysis

Syria knows that working on ties with Israel will be helpful because the US is very close to Israel and focused on Israeli relations currently.

MAY 20, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

A SYRIAN flag is displayed outside the White House following the meeting of US President Donald Trump and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 10, 2025.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Ankara, last April. Ankara is quietly assembling the architecture of permanent regional power, the writer says.

Turkey’s strategy for long-term dominance in the Middle East - opinion

After Assad’s fall, Turkey is quietly building a new sphere of influence across Syria.

MAY 19, 2026|ByAMINE AYOUB

A member of the security personnel arrives at the scene near a burning vehicle following an explosion in Damascus on May 19, 2026.

WATCH: Car bomb explodes near Defense Ministry building in Damascus

Syria’s health ministry said emergency and ambulance teams had responded to the explosion, which killed one soldier and wounded around 12 people.

MAY 19, 2026|ByREUTERS

A woman with braided hair during a solidarity demonstration in Erbil, Iraq's Kurdish region, on January 23, 2026. The symbolic gesture supports Kurdish female fighters in Syria following a viral video of a Syrian soldier bragging about cutting a fighter's braid.

Kurdish families return to Afrin, Syria after years of displacement

After the invasion, around 150,000 Kurds were forced to flee. The Syrian rebel groups included extremists and they were involved in abuses, including the kidnapping of Kurdish civilians.

MAY 19, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Kurdish-US partnership under strain amid regional rivalries, accusations - opinion

Kurdish leaders warn of rising mistrust with Washington amid accusations, regional rivalries, and fears of shifting US alliances in the Middle East.

MAY 18, 2026ByVEYSI DAG

Iranian Kurdish fighters from the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) take part in a training session at a base on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq February 12, 2026.

Netanyahu’s leaks undermined Israel’s ties with Arab leaders - opinion

Secret diplomacy is becoming harder as Netanyahu repeatedly publicizes private meetings.

MAY 18, 2026ByELIE PODEH

Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Sultan Qaboos bin Said in Oman

Syria joins G7 finance sessions in Paris in sign of legitimization

The two-day G7 finance chiefs' meeting is dominated by global economic imbalances, trade tensions, and the fallout from conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

MAY 18, 2026ByREUTERS

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General Mathias Cormann and International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol talk on the day of a G7 finance ministers' and central bank governors' meeting in Paris, France, May 18, 2026.

After Assad’s fall, Syrians weigh homecoming against hard reality - analysis

Destroyed homes, weak services, uncertain jobs, and children settled abroad are complicating the return for millions of Syrians displaced by war

MAY 18, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI / THE MEDIA LINE

A Syrian family returns on May 11, 2026 from Turkey.

IDF catches ten Israeli civilians who crossed Israel-Syria border

IDF soldiers operating in the area returned the civilians from Syrian to Israeli territory, before transferring them to the Israel Police.

MAY 18, 2026ByTZVI JASPER

VIEW OF the Israeli border area with Syria, as seen from the northern Golan Heights, April 11, 2026.

World Food Programme slashes Syria aid, affecting 7.2 million as funding crisis deepens

The World Food Programme has halved emergency food aid in Syria due to funding shortages, leaving millions vulnerable despite signs of stabilization.

MAY 13, 2026ByREUTERS

Workers prepare AIS boxes at a World Food Programme (WFP) facility in Damascus countryside, Syria, July 29, 2025.

Who gets to belong? Palestinians in Syria confront old suspicions under new rule

Arrests, media attacks, and changes in official terminology have deepened anxiety among Palestinian refugees over their legal status and place in Syrian society.

MAY 13, 2026ByWASEEM ABU MAHADI/THE MEDIA LINE

PROTESTERS GATHER outside the entrance of Yarmouk refugee camp to condemn the Israeli death penalty law for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks, in Damascus, Syria, April 1, 2026.

UAE deepens economic ties with Damascus, eyes major investment in Syria's postwar reconstruction

The UAE is looking to increase its role in Syria via investment while taking a cautious approach. Key talks discussed expanding economic and investment cooperation during a two-day forum in Damascus.

MAY 13, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Direction and distance sign for the Syrian capital of Damascus at Mount Bental Israeli military outpost on the Syrian border

Syria appoints new cabinet as government settles into power

The reshuffle, announced by Syrian state media, included the appointment of new governors for several key provinces.

MAY 10, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa looks on as he arrives for a working session of the European Council and regional partners during an informal meeting in Nicosia on April 24, 2026.

Petty clashes over a sign in Syria risk snowballing into real conflict

Protesters in Hasakah and also in Qamishli object to the removal of Kurdish from official signs on government buildings.

MAY 10, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

The debris of a destroyed building and a motorbike litters the ground following a Jordanian strike on reported drugs and weapons storage facilities in the village of Arman, in the southern Druze-majority province of Sweida, of which many parts are outside the control of Damascus on May 3, 2026.