Ahmed al-Sharaa

Islamic State begins new phase of operations against Syrian regime with two terror attacks

The terrorist group said on its Dabiq news agency that it had targeted “an individual of the apostate Syrian regime” in the city of Mayadin in Deir al-Zor province using a pistol.

|ByREUTERS
A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa June 29, 2014.
CHILDREN, PART of a group of detainees, look through a fence at al-Hol camp after the Syrian government took control of it following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, January 21, 2026.

Syrian detention camp for suspected ISIS relatives nearly empty, former director says

Al-Hol, near the Iraqi border, was one of the main detention camps for relatives of suspected Islamic State fighters who were detained during the US-backed campaign against the jihadist group.

|ByREUTERS
Security for the protest is provided by the local Asayish (Kurdish Police) during a demonstration for Kurdish rights on February 10, 2026 in Qamishli, Syria. The protests called for the protection of Kurdish rights and the achievements of the Rojava revolution as the region

Israel's national security dependent on supporting Kurdish cause, Kurdish leader says

“National security is achieved only through support for the cause. We are talking about a new Middle East with four key countries: Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. The Kurds are in all of them."

|ByDR. EDY COHEN
Direction and distance sign for the Syrian capital of Damascus at Mount Bental Israeli military outpost on the Syrian border

Poll: 65% of Syrians favor US engagement, 59% say peace with Israel is likely

Opinions were more divided on full diplomatic normalization with Israel, while public assessments of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa were largely favorable.

|ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF

IDF kills PIJ terrorists on Lebanon-Syria border as groups continue trying to smuggle weapons

Israel, with the help of Syria's new government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, has succeeded at blocking much of the cross-border Lebanon-Syria weapons smuggling activities.

FEBRUARY 17, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
IDF soldiers operate on Mount Hermon, on the border between Israel and Syria, December 12, 2024

Moving suspected ISIS prisoners to Iraq shows Washington doesn’t fully trust Damascus, expert says

Professor Eytan Gilboa warned that Tehran may pressure Iraq to allow the country to become a ground to challenge the Sharaa regime.

FEBRUARY 15, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Women and children seen inside al-Hol camp, amongst them some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities, and including relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists in the desert region of Hasakah province on January 25, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Why the fall of Kurdish autonomy is Israel’s strategic nightmare - opinion

Israel must now prepare for a reality where its northern border is contested by a regime that seeks to prove its Islamist credentials by succeeding where Assad failed.

FEBRUARY 10, 2026ByAMINE AYOUB
Syria's newly appointed president for a transitional phase Ahmed al-Shaara meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, February 4, 2025.

Syria's future: Can Ahmed al-Sharaa reconcile democracy, Islam, and minority rights? - opinion

Ahmed al-Sharaa clearly does not believe his twin aspirations are mutually incompatible, though they may be. Where is an Islamic state that is truly democratic?

FEBRUARY 9, 2026ByNEVILLE TELLER
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 officials attend anti-ISIS coalition talks in Saudi Arabia

Syrian officials attended meetings of the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Riyadh on February 8 to 9, marking Syria’s growing role in the US led alliance.

FEBRUARY 9, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani looks on during a meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan August 12, 2025.

Syria continues to deploy forces, integrate SDF into defense establishment following agreement

After clashes in January, the SDF and Syrian government agreed to cooperate and find a way to enable Syrian forces to deploy to SDF-held areas in eastern Syria.

FEBRUARY 7, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces wait for the arrival of the security forces of the Syrian government during the curfew, following an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, February 3, 2026.

Syria, Saudi Arabia ink mega investment deals in push for reconstruction after years of war

The deals follow Syria's hosting of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Chevron and a Qatar-based company to pursue offshore oil and gas exploration.

FEBRUARY 7, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Internal security forces vehicles affiliated with the Syrian government prepare to enter the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria, following an agreement between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Tel Brak, near al-Hasakah, Syria, February 3, 2026.

Syria’s only female minister warns: 'We can’t survive without unity'

“I don't feel that I am a Christian or a woman when I do my job. I feel like I am a Syrian citizen. The minute I start feeling like I’m a minority or I’m a woman, I will lose my legitimacy," she said

FEBRUARY 7, 2026ByESTHER DAVIS
Newly appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Hind Kabawat speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025.

Syria's old dangers remain: Don’t be fooled by the Syrian strongman’s suit - opinion

Israel saw elected Hamas turn Gaza into a terror enclave, Hezbollah enter Lebanese politics while building a missile empire, and now al-Shaara massacre minorities while wearing a suit.

FEBRUARY 7, 2026ByMICHAEL FREUND
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) is welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, on January 28.

Syria’s Sunni Islamist regime consolidates power, ending Kurdish autonomy

BEHIND THE LINES: The arrival of Syrian forces to Qamishli sets the seal on the effective demise of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

FEBRUARY 7, 2026ByJONATHAN SPYER
A MEMBER of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces rides on a car, while vehicles of the internal security forces of the Syrian government arrive in the city of Qamishli during the curfew, following an agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government on Tuesday.