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Syria

Syria
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Syria. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Damascus
Head of State
President Bashar al-Assad
Head of Government
Prime Minister Hussein Arnous
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and then US president Barack Obama chat as they take a walk at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California, on June 8, 2013. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

Summits for all diplomatic seasons: how the US has set the stage for Xi Jinping

From informal walk-and-talks to a state dinner, Chinese leader’s past meetings reveal the roles of personal rapport and official diplomacy.

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Middle East

Alarm as Syria plans private jet hub on former torture site

Turkey

Surrounded by war, Turkey more than triples defence spending

Middle East

14 killed as explosion rocks Syria arms depot: authorities

The marks the second deadly blast in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province this month, after a car carrying ammunition exploded, killing five.

Firefighters douse fire at the site of an explosion that took place at a temporary arms and war ordinance depot in the town of Samarda in Idlib province on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Syrian White Helmets rescuers inspect the damage as firefighters douse flames at the site of an explosion at a temporary arms depot in the town of Samarda in Idlib province on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Middle East

UN report confirms Syria was building nuclear reactor during Assad rule

Syria’s Deir el-Zour site bombed by Israel in 2007 was an undeclared nuclear reactor under construction.

Middle East

Opinion | Could Mecca defence pact be first step to new Middle East order?

As security deal shakes up calculations for the US, China and Russia, a regional order shaped by regional states is no longer unthinkable.

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Middle East

Israel’s strikes push Syria towards joining Mecca defence pact

Air strikes intended to curb Turkish expansion risk triggering the very encirclement Israel fears, analysts say.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (left) shakes hands with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Thursday. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan / AFP
Middle East

US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list in major diplomatic shift

Washington lifts decades-old designation, removing final barriers to foreign investment following Assad’s fall.

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Israel-Gaza war

Syria holds talks with Israel addressing de-escalation, Israel-Turkey tensions

A Syrian government source said Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani met the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Roman Gofman.

Middle East

US envoy walks back comments on Golan Heights that contradicted Trump’s position

Tom Barrack had said Israel ‘still’ occupies the territory but on Sunday said that was a description of the Golan Heights’ historical status.

Tom Barrack, US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria. Photo: AP
Israel

Israel targets ‘terrorist’ in southern Syria; Damascus condemns attack

Tensions between Israel and Syria flared this week after Israel bombed an airbase, a move ‌US special envoy Tom Barrack called ‘unnecessary’.

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US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack in Antalya, Turkey in April. Photo: Reuters
United States

Israel and Turkey edge towards a dangerous miscalculation over Syria

Unannounced Israeli jets near the Turkish border could easily have triggered a clash, in a high-stakes ‘warning’ to Ankara.

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Crime

US charges woman with Isis-inspired plot to blow up New York State Capitol

Jessica Bowie allegedly mused about posing as a food delivery driver to plant a bomb and kill senators before fleeing to Syria.

Israel

Netanyahu casts Turkey as Israel’s new villain amid tough re-election fight

The Israeli PM has escalated tensions with Turkish President Erdogan over Syria in a bid to ‘unify’ his voter base around him.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election campaign team has put up billboards with images of several leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Tel Aviv. Photo: Reuters
Cambodia

Declining aid threatens landmine clearing efforts in Southeast Asia

Aid cuts and shifting geopolitical priorities leave Cambodian and regional demining groups struggling to remove deadly wartime relics.

A deminer uses a metal detector to clear a landmine field in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in July. Photo: AP
Middle East

Syria sentences Assad cousin to death for crimes against humanity

Wassim al-Assad is convicted of multiple murders and ‘murder accompanied by torture and brutality’, says Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan.

Saudi Arabia

Russia’s role in Middle East politics endures, shifts to being ‘secondary power’

Two Russian military bases will remain in Syria as the region continues to recalibrate its relations with major powers amid the Iran war.

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Middle East

Syria sentences ex-leader Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia

Former Syrian president convicted of murder, torture and crimes against humanity after trial in Damascus following 2024 ousting.

Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad speaks in Damascus in 2023. Assad fled the capital Damascus as rebel fighters ⁠approached nearly two years ago, and is currently in Moscow. Photo: AFP
Iran

Comeback corridor: Syria’s US$216 billion rebuild offers a Hormuz alternative

With US sanctions lifted, Syria is capitalising on the Strait of Hormuz crisis to position itself as a trade and oil bypass.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine blames Russia for deadly strike on Turkish cargo ship

Ukraine’s navy said 6 died when Russia launched cruise missiles at the Golden Leo as it was ‘leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain’.

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US, Israel war on Iran

US and Iran attack infrastructure, raising fears of escalation

Two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after passing through a mined route south of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.

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Footage shows what Iranian state TV says is the aftermath of overnight US strikes on two bridges in Bandar Khamir County, near the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: IRINN via AFP
Middle East

First session of Syria’s parliament convenes after Assad’s ousting

The transitional body is tasked with laying the groundwork for democracy after decades of authoritarian rule and 13 years of civil war.

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses the first meeting of Syria’s new transitional parliament in Damascus on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Explosions rock Damascus as France’s Macron visits Syria

Explosions reported near the Four Seasons Hotel, where the French president was meant to ⁠be staying.

Middle East

France’s Macron becomes first Western head of state to visit post-Assad Syria

French president pledges support for a sovereign, peaceful Syria as new authorities seek international legitimacy and reconstruction funds.

Ukraine war

Trump to meet leaders of Ukraine and Syria at Turkey Nato summit

US president seeks to make headway in addressing two key conflicts as Ankara hosts two-day Nato gathering.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit in France. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AFP
Middle East

Bomb blast at Damascus cafe kills 9 near key government building

Deadliest attack in the Syrian capital since last year’s church bombing targets busy area near the Palace of Justice.

A member of the Syrian security forces keeps watch inside a Damascus cafe following a deadly bomb blast. Photo: dpa
United States

US Supreme Court paves way for Trump’s mass deportation of Haitians, Syrians

Top court rules that the administration can strip protections from some 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians in the US.

Israel

After US-Iran deal, Netanyahu says he will run in coming Israeli elections

‘I am going to run … and intend to win,’ said the Israeli PM, who has come under fire from the opposition over his wartime leadership.

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