Damascus

After Syria trip, Dartmouth prof. hopes for academic relationship with Damascus University

Syria, especially Damascus and Aleppo, was home to Jewish communities for centuries, communities woven into the country’s social and cultural fabric.

|ByFELICE FRIEDSON/THE MEDIA LINE, RIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
The view of Damascus from Damascus University.
Security forces guard a damaged bridge as people cross over the Euphrates River as Syrian army forces deploy in parts of the eastern province formerly controlled by Kurdish forces following their withdrawal from the area on January 22, 2026 in Deir ez-Zor, Syria.

Damascus claims to arrest more Hezbollah-linked cell members behind plot to kill rabbi

Rabbi Michael Khoury was the reported target of an attack, state media said that the cell intended to target “a religious figure in the vicinity of the Maronite Church in Bab Touma on April 11."

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

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.

|ByJAMES GENN
Kurdish women dance hand in hand as the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) members celebrate Nowruz at the Jezhnikan Village around Baharka, Iraq, on March 18, 2025.

Kurds allegedly forced to register as Syrian Arabs to receive citizenship, NGO claims 

NSVH reported that the failure to provide an option to register as Kurdish, which was flagged during field monitoring, has raised serious concerns about Damascus’s compliance with the legislation.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

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.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
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.

ISIS numbers grow as Syrian instability continues, Iraq warns

In the rare interview, al-Shatri said Iraqi intelligence estimates suggest that ISIS’s presence in Syria has grown from roughly 2,000 fighters a year ago to as many as 10,000 terrorists today.

JANUARY 27, 2026ByASHER SMITH
A soldier in an ISIS uniform prepares ammunition.

Kobane under siege: Humanitarian corridors open amid Syria's Kurdish crackdown

A resident of Kobane said, “We are in a dire condition. We are melting snow through fire, but we do not have [enough] fire to melt the snow with."

JANUARY 25, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A group of civilians carry bags and belongings as they flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

As end of ceasefire between Syrian gov’t and Kurds approaches, region asks if it will continue

An extension of the ceasefire would be in the interest of most groups involved.

JANUARY 24, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syrian citizens celebrate and raise Syrian flags on January 20, 2026 in Raqqa, Syria.

Turkey deploys advanced radar at Damascus airport, raising Israeli concerns

Turkey deployed an advanced radar system at Damascus International Airport, a move Western sources warn could restrict Israel’s freedom of action in Syrian airspace and heighten regional tensions.

JANUARY 21, 2026ByAMICHAI STEIN
HTRS-100 air traffic control radar system, produced by the Turkish defense company ASELSAN.

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.

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

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.

Syrian government, SDF agree on immediate ceasefire on all fronts, state media says

Syrian state media reported that Damascus and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces reached an immediate ceasefire after days of clashes in Kurdish-held areas of the northeast.

JANUARY 18, 2026ByREUTERS, JAMES GENN
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signs a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces, Damascus, January 18, 2026.

Syria's government faces pivotal moment against SDF, as it retakes largest oil field - analysis

Overnight on January 17 and 18, there were major changes on the ground as Arab tribal fighters claimed to seize control of a number of villages and two oil fields on the East side of the Euphrates.

JANUARY 18, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Soldiers from the Syrian Democratic Forces stand in front of the detainees before the first exchange operation between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government in Aleppo, Syria, April 3, 2025.