Syria

How Syria Can Begin Integrating the SDF

Clashes erupted December 22 in Aleppo between Syrian government troops and the local Kurdish security forces (Asayish), killing at least three people and underscoring the challenges facing efforts to unify armed factions under the Syrian transitional government. Even as Damascus seeks to consolidate nationwide security and integrate armed ...

Syrian Close to Assad-era Commander Killed in Lebanon

A former Syrian intelligence officer who was close to one of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad's top army commanders was killed in Lebanon, a judicial official said Tuesday, with the army announcing it had arrested a suspect. It was the first confirmation since Assad's ouster in December last year of a former Syrian government official being present ...

Why was Sharaa Invited to Washington, but not Aoun?

Until late 2024, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa was a U.S.-designated terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head for leading the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. By contrast, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) until his election in January 2025, was widely regarded as one of ...

Deadly Clashes in Aleppo as Turkey Urges Kurds Not to Be Obstacle to Syria's Stability

The Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces on Monday ordered their fighters to cease fire following deadly clashes that came as Turkey's top diplomat urged the Kurds to integrate into the Syrian army. At least three people were killed in the clashes, which came ahead of a deadline for implementing a March 10 agreement between Damascus and ...

Turkish Ministers to Meet Syria's Sharaa in Damascus

Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers held a joint press conference after talks in Damascus, focusing on relations between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey’s foreign minister said discussions covered ongoing talks with the SDF and reaffirmed Ankara’s support for integrating the group into Syrian forces in a ...

SDF Arrest Senior IS Cell Leader in Syria's Eastern Deir Ezzor

The Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement on Sunday that their elite units arrested a senior Islamic State cell leader during a security operation in eastern Deir Ezzor province. The SDF said the suspect supplied weapons, ammunition, and explosive devices to Islamic State cells operating in the area, describing him as one of the group’s ...

One Million Refugees Are Expected to Return to Syria in 2026

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) predicted that around one million Syrian refugees will return to their country during 2026, given the gradual recovery that Syria is witnessing after the fall of the Assad regime. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the UNHCR representative in Syria, stated, "Our estimates indicate that 2026 could see ...

Israeli Military Says Detained Suspected IS Jihadist in Syria

The Israeli military said on Saturday its forces had arrested a suspected Islamic State group jihadist in Syria earlier this week and taken him back to Israel. In a statement, the military said that on Wednesday "soldiers completed an operation in the area of Rafid in southern Syria to apprehend a suspected terrorist affiliated with ISIS." "The ...

Syria Monitor Says US Strikes Killed at Least Five Islamic State Members

A Syria monitor said Saturday that five Islamic State jihadist group members were killed in US strikes overnight as Jordan confirmed it participated in the raids after a deadly attack on American troops last weekend. US forces said they struck more than 70 IS targets in what President Donald Trump described as "very serious retaliation" ...

Clashes Between the Lebanese Army and Syrian General Security at Border

According to information reported by LBCI, clashes broke out between the Lebanese army and members of Syria’s General Security, lasting around 20 minutes in the Machrafa area between Hermel and Qaa on Sunday, as the army was attempting to cut off one of the smuggling routes in the region. Al-Jadeed also reported that the Lebanese army returned ...

Syrian Who Killed Americans Was Part of Security Forces

Syria's interior ministry said Sunday the gunman who killed three Americans in the central Palmyra region the previous day was a member of the security forces who was to have been fired for extremism. Two U.S. troops and a civilian interpreter died in what the Syrian government described as a "terrorist attack" on Saturday, while Washington said ...

U.S. and Syrian Soldiers Wounded as Shots Fired at Delegation

Two American troops and an interpreter were killed in central Syria on Saturday after an alleged member of the Islamic State group opened fire on a joint US-Syrian patrol, officials said. US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the deaths on X after Syria's state media earlier reported that an attack in the city of Palmyra had wounded American ...