Syria

Syria, officially known as the Syrian Arab Republic, is an Arab nation in the Middle East, situated in the Levant region. The country boasts a rich history and some of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. 

In 1963, Syria's government was taken over by the Ba'ath Party, led by Hafez al-Assad. For decades, he and his son and successor, Bashar al-Assad, would rule the country in a reign that has been highly criticized for being totalitarian and for carrying out widespread human rights abuses. 

In 2011, a major civil war broke out in Syria, leaving governance of the country fractured between the Russia- and Iran-backed Assad regime based in Syria's largest city and capital of Damascus, US-backed rebel groups led by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkey-backed forces, and Islamists under the banner of Hay'at Tahir al-Shams (HTS). 

However, in December 2024, HTS and its allies carried out a major offensive from their base of operations in the Idlib province, eventually fully ousting the Assad regime and seizing control of Damascus as well as other major cities such as Homs and Aleppo. Currently, HTS has been spearheading the establishment of a new Syrian interim government. However, the country still remains fractured between them, Assad loyalists, Turkey-backed forces, and the SDF and its allies. 

UN confirms aid delivered to Sweida after nearly 150,000 displaced by violence

More than 145,000 people have been displaced by the recent fighting, the WHO said, with many sheltering in makeshift reception centers in Daraa and Damascus.

 People carry a person, injured in recent clashes in Syria's Sweida province, as casualties receive treatment at a field medical point, following renewed fighting between Bedouin fighters and Druze gunmen, despite an announced truce, in Deraa, Syria July 18, 2025
 A wall painted with a damaged drawing of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured in the al-Qadam neighbourhood in Damascus, Syria, March 26, 2025.

France's top court says arrest warrant for Assad is invalid, new one can be issued

L to R: US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and Syria Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.

Syria, US and France hold 'frank' talks, urge success of Syria's transition

Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen July 25, 2025.

Israel at War day 658: What's going on in Gaza, Yemen?


Netanyahu, Druze spiritual leader meet in Jerusalem amid Syria ceasefire

This meeting comes ahead of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer's meeting with US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Paris.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Druze leader Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif at the Prime Minster’s Office in Jerusalem on July 24, 2025.

At least two killed, 70 injured as blast rocks Syria's Idlib

Raed Al-Sale, Syria’s minister of emergency and disaster management, said rescue teams were carrying out an evacuation.

Mahmoud al-Hamoud's son sits near tents installed next to his damaged house, as returning Syrians prepare to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, in Idlib, Syria March 28, 2025.

Israel's Dermer to meet Syrian FM, US envoy Barrack in Paris to discuss southern Syria

Dermer will also discuss the upcoming Iranian nuclear negotiations with European officials, ahead of the talks between European nations and Iran that will take place in Istanbul.

Head of the negotiations for hostages release Ron Dermer speaks at the Jewish News Syndicate conference in Jerusalem, on April 28, 2025.

Iraq’s prime minister meets new anti-ISIS mission commander

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Brig.-Gen. Kevin J. Lambert, the new commander of the anti-ISIS mission in Iraq.

 US soldiers are seen during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from US-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad, Iraq August 23, 2020.

IAF intercepts Yemeni drone, Macron recognized Palestinian state

Israeli, US delegations depart Doha • IDF soldiers wounded in Gaza accident US says it is working to get more aid into Gaza without it being looted by Hamas • GHF offers to deliver UN aid

Palestinians gather as they carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, July 20, 2025

In Druze town where hundreds breached border with Syria, residents mourn one tragedy, fear another

Hundreds of Druze residents pushed through the security fence separating the Israeli Golan Heights from Syria, rushing toward family members they had not seen in decades.

The damaged border fence in Majdal Shams several days after Israeli Druze breached it to reunite with family members in Syria, July 2025.

Escalating patterns: Surge in anti-Druze hate speech linked to Syria unrest, CyberWell reports

According to the watchdog, the incitement includes explicit antisemitic language and conspiracy theories portraying Syrian Druze as collaborators with Israel.

 Israeli Druze cross the border to check on their family members in Syria, amid the ongoing conflict in the Druze areas in Syria, in Majdal Shams, near the ceasefire line between the Golan Heights and Syria, July 16, 2025.

On the brink of chaos: Clashes in Syria threaten to spill over - opinion

The current situation, and especially the violence by the new Syrian regime or other ethnic groups, will require Israel to intervene militarily and diplomatically.

SYRIA’S PRESIDENT Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrive for a news conference in Ankara earlier this year. Israel, the US, and Turkey are key players in setting the fate of Syria and regional stability, the writer maintains.

Saudi Arabia delegation lands in Syria to advance $4 b. investment deal

According to Turkish media, Damascus and Riyadh are expected to sign agreements worth $4 billion.

 Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa looks on as he attends the “Aleppo, Key to Victory” celebration marking Syria’s liberation, in Aleppo, Syria May 27, 2025.

Syria seeks Turkey's help to train armed forces amid rising tensions - analysis

Syrian defense ministry personnel and other officials frequently visit Turkey. Some of the members of Syria’s new security forces were previously commanders in Turkish-backed Syrian proxy groups.

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.

Why Israel must support Syria’s minorities - opinion

Israel may be the only hope for vulnerable minorities in Syria in need of protection from the new Syrian regime.

THE US has lifted economic sanctions on Syria and President Donald Trump even met with Ahmed al-Sharaa in May, in Riyadh, praising him highly, the writer notes.