Damascus

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.

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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) in Damascus, April 5, 2026.

Zelensky’s Syria visit symbolizes new future for Middle East diplomacy - analysis

Men walk past the UAE Embassy in Damascus on December 12, 2024; illustrative.

Syria condemns UAE embassy attack, Gulf nations voice outrage over protests

DEFENSE MINISTER Marhaf Abu Qasra inspects an armored brigade in the Syrian Army, March 31.

Cross-border tunnels spotlight Syria-Lebanon smuggling, security tensions


US warns Syria against using Chinese telecom technology over national security concerns

The message was conveyed during an unreported meeting between a US State Department team and the Syrian Communications Minister, Abdulsalam Haykal, in San Francisco.

A long exposure shows people visiting the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 28, 2025.

As Damascus prepares for Ramadan, its cannon call to prayer returns after 14 year haitus - feature

Ramadan in Damascus brings vibrant markets, traditional foods, Maghrib prayers, and the historic Ramadan cannon, creating a festive, nostalgic, and community-filled atmosphere.

A vendor prepares trays of hot food at a street stall as Muslims prepare for the holy month of Ramadan in Damascus, Syria, February 18, 2026.

Damascus, Druze forces exchange prisoners after Sweida violence

The swap involved Damascus releasing 61 prisoners from the Druze factions detained in Adra Central Prison near the capital.

Syrian security forces walk together along a street, after clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern Druze city of Sweida early on Wednesday, in Sweida, Syria July 16, 2025.

Syrian government, Druze renew participation in new US-backed talks - report

Reports say that a prisoner deal in Sweida could pave the way for a deal that resolves the crisis with Damascus and provides locals with administrative and security powers.

A Syrian man takes up arms at a gasoline station in a frontline village on January 23, 2026 in Sweida, Syria.

Syria announces major drug bust through coordination with Iraq against Captagon trafficking

A source in the Syrian Ministry of Interior told The Media Line that anti-narcotics units carried out what he described as a “high-quality” security operation in Homs province.

KURDISH INTERNAL security forces stand guard after seizing a quantity of captagon pills in Qamishli, Syria, March 25, 2025.

Syrian government focuses on attracting new economy investments, ties with Central Asia states

Syria has been receiving a number of investments in recent months, from oil and energy deals to talk of investment in train lines and airports.

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

Australia issues temporary ban on citizen from Syrian camp amid terror concerns

Thirty-four Australians in a northern Syrian facility holding families of suspected Islamic State militants are expected to return home after their release was conditionally approved by authorities.

Members of the Syrian Kurdish Asayish security forces gather at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the northeastern Hasakeh governorate, on April 18, 2025.

Australia’s ISIS camp dilemma exposes Syria’s growing post SDF chaos - analysis

The ISIS detainees were mostly captured in 2019 when ISIS was defeated in its last enclave near the Euphrates River by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

People walk at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the northeastern Hasakeh governorate, on April 18, 2025.

Why Syria's FM is changing his messaging to Israel - and why it matters - analysis

Syria’s foreign minister is hinting that Damascus and Jerusalem may be able to come to more arrangements in the future, in the wake of talks held in Paris in January.

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani speaks during a press conference in Damascus, May 20, 2025; illustrative.

Thirty-four Australians released from a camp holding families of suspected ISIS terrorists in Syria

Hukmiya Mohamed, a co-director of Roj camp, told Reuters that the 34 Australians had been released to their families, who had come to Syria for the release.

A woman and child walk in the the al-Hol camp in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah Governorate on July 28, 2024, as Syrian families of suspected Islamic State fighters prepare to return to their homes in the countryside of Deir Ezzor.