Syria

Trump’s Maliki message underscores Iraq’s growing strategic risk, won't back him as PM - analysis

Maliki was last in charge in 2014, when ISIS took over part of Iraq. He spent years in the wilderness before returning to the spotlight.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US President Donald Trump walks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026
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.

New security accord between Syria, SDF points to structural realignment, implementation uncertain

The new agreement, described as a “qualitative shift,” differs in both form and substance from previous understandings reached in recent years.

|ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
A police officer and a person stand amid damages at a police station, following militant attacks, in Quetta, Pakistan, February 1, 2026.

BLA attacks expose growing instability in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan region - analysis

The BLA attacks may prove to be yet another incident in the long conflict in Balochistan. However, it could also play into larger questions about how restive the Baloch region has become.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
An Iranian flag is seen on a computer's CPU (illustrative)

Islamic regime targeting dissidents, Israelis in new wave of advanced phishing attacks

A new phishing scheme allows alleged IRGC-affiliated hackers to snap photos from the victim’s device every 5 seconds, record audio in three-second segments, and geolocate the device every two seconds.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

'We'll fight side by side in Rojava,' Kurdistan Freedom Party leader tells 'Post' - interview

The Office of General Yazdanpanah criticised Western inaction regarding the situation for the Kurds in Syria, continuing: “Rojava will fall if we Kurds don’t consider their struggle as ours.”

JANUARY 20, 2026BySUSAN QUITAZ
GENERAL HUSSEIN Yazdanpanah of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) in front of PAK troops.

Is Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa a master geopolitical chess player? - analysis

Ahmed al-Sharaa has proven to be an adept player of geopolitical chess. Now he will be tested on his ability to win the peace in Syria.

JANUARY 20, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa delivers a speech on the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's fall, in Damascus, Syria December 8, 2025.

Iran, Turkey must forget 'dreams of empires,' Israel Katz warns at summit with Greek counterpart

Jerusalem is on high alert for a variety of imminent threat scenarios, the defense minister stressed, in a clear reference to the stand-off with Iran.

JANUARY 20, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Defense Minister Israel Katz and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias inspect the honour guard, prior to their meeting in Athens Greece, January 20, 2026

US estimates 200 ISIS terrorists escaped Syrian prison, US official says

The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout.

JANUARY 20, 2026ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Syrian government forces are deployed near Al-Aqtan prison on January 19, 2026 in Raqqa, Syria.

Syrian Kurds are fighting for survival – and Israel’s future is tied to theirs - opinion

Northern Syria is collapsing into chaos, and unless the West acts, the Kurds will pay the price.

JANUARY 20, 2026ByPAUSHALI LASS
Conoco gas plant after it came under the control of the Syrian government following the withdrawal of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in the countryside of Deir al-Zor, Syria, January 19, 2026.

Kurdish unity: Protests erupt across Iraq in support of Syria's Rojava

The crisis in Syria is affecting Kurds all over the world, primarily due to the fear that members of the Syrian government’s security forces may commit abuses amid the new offensive.

JANUARY 20, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Kurdish community and other protesters attend a demonstration against Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa and recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Berlin, Germany, January 19, 2026.

Syrian deal with SDF could lead to Turkey-PKK peace, Turkish officials say

After days of fighting, the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed on Sunday to bring Kurdish authorities under the control of Damascus.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByREUTERS
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media at the end of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, November 23, 2025

Trump, al-Sharaa discuss preserving Kurdish rights, ongoing ISIS fight

In a phone call, Trump and Syrian President al-Sharaa discussed preserving Kurdish rights in Syria and ongoing cooperation to combat the Islamic State, following a recent integration deal.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByREUTERS
Syiran President Ahmed al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump.

SDF reports clashes near ISIS detention sites in Hasaka and Raqqa

The SDF reported armed group attacks on ISIS prisons in Syria's northeast as clashes with Syrian government forces raise fears of renewed instability and terrorism.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByREUTERS, JAMES GENN
Men, suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group, gather in a prison cell in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on October 26, 2019.

What happens to ISIS detainees as Syria moves to take over SDF prisons - analysis

Amid fighting there are concerns ISIS detainees held in Syria could escape, while a deal foresees them being handed over to Damascus

JANUARY 19, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Women and children queue during a joint security operation by Syria's Kurdish Internal Security Police Force, also known as Asayesh, and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at Camp Roj where foreign relatives of people suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group are held.