Syria

Saudi Arabia’s changing strategy and the quiet strain with the UAE - analysis

Growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE reflect shifting Gulf alliances, with implications for Israel and the US role in the region.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 16, 2022.
IDF troops carry out the Magen Oz drill on November 26, 2025.

IDF tests readiness for Houthi infiltration via Jordan under manpower limits

The exercise examined the preparedness of the Central Command headquarters to contend with high-intensity situations across multiple fronts simultaneously, while coping with limited personnel.

|ByAMIR BOHBOT
A member of the Syrian army walks with a weapon in the street as civilians flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

‘There will be hell in Syria’: Kurdish campaigner urges international intervention

Rebwar Hazhar, the chairman of Conservative Friends of Kurdistan, told The Jerusalem Post that Washington’s relationship with Damascus would only be temporary.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
Members of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane on January 23, 2026

Israel’s safety tied to Kurdish security, Kurdish-Jewish Alliance board tells 'Post'

Four Swiss Kurdish groups wrote to Israeli amb. Tibor Schlosser and President Isaac Herzog, hoping Jerusalem will provide aid to minorities attacked by the Sharaa regime.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Donald Trump reimagines Israel's border with Syria, from buffer zones to bunny slopes

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Trump envisions turning Mount Hermon into a ski resort as part of his new peace plan, blending security with economic cooperation for Israel and Syria.

JANUARY 9, 2026ByHERB KEINON
‘AN INTERIM agreement that could one day make it possible to sip hot chocolate in a lodge at the base of a bunny hill on the Syrian half of Mount Hermon is something that may be within reach.’ Here, the first snow this winter hits Mount Hermon in Syria, as seen from the northern Golan Heights, near

'Mercenaries for foreigners': Khamenei accuses Iranian protesters of acting on behalf of Trump

The demonstrations, which began in Tehran last month, have spread to all of Iran's 31 provinces but have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-3 unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

JANUARY 9, 2026ByREUTERS, ALEX WINSTON
IRANIANS GATHER while blocking a street during a protest in Kermanshah, Iran on January 8, 2026.

As ceasefires unravel, Israel faces critical decisions on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria fronts - editorial

Israel faces mounting challenges: a stalled ceasefire in Gaza, rising Hezbollah threats in Lebanon, and a critical security opportunity with Syria.

JANUARY 9, 2026ByJPOST EDITORIAL
Direction and distance sign for the Syrian capital of Damascus at Mount Bental Israeli military outpost on the Syrian border

Huckabee: Israel will 'coordinate with US,' but make its own decision on renewed Iran airstrikes

Israel will make its own decision regarding airstrikes on Iran, with coordination between leaders but independent choices based on each nation's interests, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told KAN News.

JANUARY 9, 2026ByLARA SUKSTER MOSHEYOF
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during an interview with Reuters in Jerusalem, September 10, 2025.

Israel: Syrian attacks on Kurdish minority in Aleppo 'serious and dangerous'

“The attacks by Syrian regime forces on the Kurdish minority in the city of Aleppo are serious and dangerous," Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar tweeted.

JANUARY 8, 2026ByTPS, JAMES GENN
A Kurdish internal security forces member stands guard with a weapon as Syrian Kurds attend a protest in solidarity with the people in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, in Hasakah, Syria, January 7, 2026

Violent Aleppo clashes risk spilling over into rest of Syria if not contained - analysis

Dozens of civilians were forced to temporarily leave their homes amid shelling and gunfire, amid partial outages of electricity and water, and disruptions to some basic services.

JANUARY 8, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
A member of the Syrian army walks with a weapon in the street as civilians flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Aleppo, Syria, January 7, 2026

US advancing Israeli-Syrian ski resort project on Mount Hermon, sources tell 'Post'

The United States is promoting an Israeli-Syrian initiative for a joint ski resort on Mount Hermon, alongside talks on broader civilian cooperation between Jerusalem and Damascus.

JANUARY 7, 2026ByAMICHAI STEIN
Mount Hermon's ski slopes, pictured on December 30, 2025.

How to make sense of contradictory messaging on Iran regime change? - analysis

Nation-states, including the US and Israel in the past, often pursue multiple goals and prepare for scenarios that may be contradictory.

JANUARY 7, 2026ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with the families of Iranians who died during the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran, January 3, 2026.

Four killed in Aleppo clashes as Syria seeks deal with Kurdish SDF forces

At least four people were killed as clashes broke out in Aleppo, with Syrian forces and the Kurdish led SDF trading blame amid stalled integration talks.

JANUARY 6, 2026ByREUTERS
Soldiers from the Public Security walk in Aleppo, Syria, April 3, 2025.

Israel-Syria talks advance, but key security questions remain

Israel maintains that it has both a moral and strategic obligation to ensure the security of the Druze, especially following the massacre there last year.

JANUARY 6, 2026ByHERB KEINON
ONE YEAR after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Syria, under Ahmed al-Sharaa, is perhaps a nicer place to live, but the suspicion that Sharaa’s formula is but a variation of Assad’s has raised questions about Syria’s long-term direction. Here, the president speaks, marking one year since Assad’s fall, o