Syrian Civil War

French cement maker Lafarge found guilty of financing jihadists in Syria

Judges determined that Lafarge, in total, paid $6.53 million to jihadist groups, including Islamic State (IS) and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front between 2013 and September 2014.

|ByREUTERS
The logo of the French building materials maker Lafarge at Lafarge concrete production plant in Pantin near Paris, France, November 3, 2025.
Members of the Syrian Civil Defence work to extinguish a fire after shelling amid renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo, Syria, January 8, 2026.

Syria says it has taken control of Aleppo's Sheikh Maksoud neighborhood, Kurdish forces deny claims

The Syrian forces combed through 90% the neighbourhood according to the SANA News Agency, while Kurdish representatives assured Reuters that their forces were still present in Aleppo.

|ByTOBIAS HOLCMAN, REUTERS
Security forces affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior stand guard in the Ashrafieh neighbourhood, which they have taken control of, according to the Interior Ministry, following battles with the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Aleppo, Syria, January 9, 2026.

Syrian Army to strike Aleppo as Kurdish forces reject evacuation after ceasefire announcement

A ceasefire was declared in Aleppo by Syria's Defense Ministry after clashes with Kurdish forces, with Damascus claiming it will "escort departing militants" to northeastern Syria.

|ByJAMES GENN, REUTERS
A member of the security forces stands guard as residents flee Aleppo's Ashrafieh Kurdish neighbourhood on January 7, 2026. Civilians were fleeing Kurdish neighbourhoods of Aleppo on January 7 after the Syrian army declared them "closed military zones", amid ongoing fighting with Kurdish-led forces.

Damascus declares curfew in Aleppo following clashes with SDF

Syria’s government declared Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh a closed military zone as fighting with SDF escalated, with civilian deaths reported and mass evacuations underway.

|ByJAMES GENN

Syrian leader to visit Jordan on Wednesday, say Jordanian sources

The visit is the new interim leader's third foreign trip along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey since he came to power after leading a decisive rebel offensive which ousted Iran-backed Bashar al Assad.

FEBRUARY 24, 2025ByREUTERS
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa attends a meeting with former rebel faction chiefs, in Damascus, Syria, December 24, 2024

Nearly 30% of Syrians want to go home, up from almost zero, UN refugee chief says

Syrian refugees express rising intent to return as new leadership emerges after Assad's fall.

JANUARY 25, 2025ByREUTERS
Children attend a class in a primary school at refugee camp in Idlib, a northwestern Syrian city where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had maintained an administration at the time when Syria's civil war front lines were frozen, Syria, December 17, 2024.

How Barack Obama's peaceful ideology led to failed foreign policy - opinion

The Obama administration’s decisions left a significantly more fragmented and futile world than the one he inherited.

JANUARY 8, 2025ByGREGORY LYAKHOV
THEN-US president Barack Obama delivers a statement as then-secretary of state John Kerry looks on, in 2016.

In Syria’s Sednaya prison, waiting for loved ones: Many missing, many dead

Syrian detainees return home, but many remain missing or presumed dead amid grim discoveries in Sednaya Prison.

DECEMBER 18, 2024ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
PEOPLE CELEBRATE the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, in Sednaya, Syria, this week. The spectacular collapse of the Assad regime has introduced both uncertainty and opportunity, the writer notes.

At least 100,000 bodies in Syrian mass grave, US advocacy group head says

Corpses were also transported to sites by the Damascus municipal funeral office whose personnel helped unload them from refrigerated tractor-trailers.

DECEMBER 17, 2024ByREUTERS
A drone view shows the site of a mass grave from the rule of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, according to residents, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Al Qutayfah, Syria, December 17, 2024.

HTS commander reveals how the group brought down Assad's regime in 11 days - report

Rebels launched their offensive on November 27, the same day the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect.

DECEMBER 14, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A rebel fighter stands atop of a military vehicle as he carries a Hayat Tahrir al-Sham flag in Saraqeb town in northwestern Idlib province, Syria December 1, 2024.

Russia urged Assad to leave after determining he'd lost the war

Assad fled Damascus without telling any advisors out of fear that they would betray him.

DECEMBER 12, 2024ByCORINNE BAUM
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria December 11, 2017.

Syrian turmoil resurfaces: Turkey rises, Iran threatens, and regional alliances shift - opinion

The Syrian civil war highlights shifting alliances, Turkey's ascendance, and enduring threats from Iran and jihadists.

DECEMBER 8, 2024ByDR. ERIC R. MANDEL
Smoke rises, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 8, 2024.

UN chief says future of Syria up to Syrians, UN will help

Guterres calls for calm during political transition as UN envoy Pedersen describes potential "turning point" after 14 years of conflict.

DECEMBER 8, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, REUTERS
UN Sec.-Gen. Antonio Guterres speaks at a Security Council meeting earlier this year. The UN, which was created in part as a response to the horrors of World War II, has singled out Israel in a way that resembles the legal discrimination that led to the persecution of Jews in the 1930s and 1940s.

Syrians to 'Post': 'Syrian people are experiencing profound joy'

Syrian voices discuss Assad’s fall, impacts on Iran, minorities, opposition unity, and future alliances.

DECEMBER 8, 2024ByOHAD MERLIN
Hayvi Bouzo and Anas Al-Marfou'. (illustration).