Syria

Politics

Syria will hold its first post-Assad elections for the newly expanded 210-seat parliament on Sept. 15-20, with foreign observers invited to monitor the results, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported on July 27.

Syria: Parliamentary Elections To Be Held in September

United States

Israel

Military & Security

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer met in Paris, France, with U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack to de-escalate bilateral tensions after the latest round of Israeli strikes in Syria, Axios reported on July 24.

Syria, Israel: Officials Discuss De-Escalating Tensions Following Israeli Strikes in Syria

Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said any minority groups that tried to fragment Syria, such as the Druze and the Kurds, would face military intervention from Turkey, Hurriyet Daily News reported on July 22. 

Turkey, Syria: Turkish President, Foreign Minister Reject Syrian Fragmentation

Saudi Arabia

Economics

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih arrived in Damascus, Syria, for an investment forum aiming to generate trade deals up to $4 billion now that the United States has lifted sanctions on Syria, Semafor reported on July 23.

Saudi Arabia, Syria: Riyadh To Increase Investment in Syria's Provisional Government

Syrian government forces began withdrawing from their positions in Sweida following another ceasefire agreement with the Druze community, CNN reported on July 17.

Syria, Israel: Syrian Forces Withdraw From Sweida

The Israeli Air Force conducted strikes on the Syrian army's headquarters and presidential palace in Damascus and additional strikes against the Syrian army's forces in Suweida after clashes between the Druze community and the government's forces, Reuters reported July 16. 

Israel, Syria: Israel Strikes Damascus Following Sectarian Violence in South

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck Syrian government forces in the southern part of the country, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz released a statement saying Israel would not allow Syrian forces to deploy south of Damascus or threaten the Druze community, AP reported on July 14.

Israel, Syria: IDF Hits Government Forces as Clashes Erupt in Syria's Sweida Province

The United States will revoke its foreign terrorist organization designation on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, to further ease restrictions on the interim Syrian government, Reuters reported on July 7, citing a June 23 State Department memo. 

U.S., Syria: U.S. To Revoke HTS' Foreign Terrorist Organization Status

Columns

On Geopolitics

U.S. Army soldiers prepare to go out on patrol from a remote combat outpost in northeastern Syria on May 25, 2021. 

The U.S. is shifting its Syria strategy from isolation to limited engagement to stabilize the country and protect American interests there, but Turkey and Israel's competing influence campaigns could complicate Washington's approach.

In Post-Assad Syria, the U.S. Struggles to Find a New Strategy

Iraq

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) interacts with Oman Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad (second from right) as they prepare to pose for photos with leaders during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders' Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025.

Energy

Despite Trump's recent sharp words on his predecessor's "forever wars," U.S. trade and energy interests will keep him engaged in the region, though in ways that rely more on economic and diplomatic leverage, as opposed to military campaigns.

Is the Era of U.S. Interventionism in the Middle East Over?

Assessments

Iran

Jordan

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan hold the movement's flag during a demonstration in the capital, Amman, on Nov. 28, 2014.

Militant factions of the Muslim Brotherhood will likely go underground in Jordan following the government's ban on the organization, but Iranian influence and persistent socioeconomic grievances will sustain risks of violence.

In Jordan, a Ban Pushes the Muslim Brotherhood Underground

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters aboard Air Force One on May 14, 2025, as he flies to Doha, Qatar, for his first trip to the Middle East since returning to the White House. 

Trump's decision to lift sanctions will help kickstart Syria's war-torn economy and strengthen its new government, but sectarian infighting, Israeli aggression and a resurging Islamic State could still hamper progress.

In Syria, the Promise and Limits of U.S. Sanctions Relief

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B aircraft over the North Sea having taken off from RAF Fairford on July 1, 2016 in Gloucestershire, England. The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

The tactic designed to allow intervention without deepening withdrawalism will instead do the opposite, and Washington will face more and more calls to retrench from the Middle East.

Washington Bumps up Against the Limits of Airpower in the Middle East

Fighters gather outside a building that was seized by jihadists in Syria's northern Aleppo province on Nov. 29, 2024, amid the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) offensive against government forces.

The two countries will seek to avoid direct conflict amid U.S. pressure to de-escalate tensions, but their competing military presence in Syria and elevated risk tolerances leave the door open to miscalculations and limited clashes.

Can Israel and Turkey Avoid a Conflict in Syria?

Lebanon

A Lebanese flag painted on a damaged building in the village of Meiss El-Jabal in southern Lebanon is seen from a position on the Israeli side of the border on Jan. 23, 2025, in northern Israel. 

Hezbollah's military losses and the formation of Lebanon's new government have opened the door to a new chapter in Lebanese history, although external pressure will complicate the country's next steps.

Hezbollah's Future in Lebanon

An Israeli army vehicle patrols near the fence leading into the U.N.-patrolled buffer zone, which separates Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights, on Jan. 5, 2025. 

An open-ended Israeli military campaign in southern Syria risks destabilizing the country's fragile political transition and pushing Damascus back toward anti-Israeli forces like Hezbollah and Iran.

Israel's Effort To Secure Post-Assad Syria Risks Doing the Opposite

Syrian Kurds wave independence-era flags in support of the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Dec. 19, 2024, in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli.

A rapprochement would boost the odds of Turkish constitutional reform needed to give Erdogan another term, while its failure could presage regionwide violence.

Hints Emerge of a Turkish-Kurdish Thaw

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan welcomes his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani before attending an Arab officials' meeting in Riyadh on Jan. 12, 2025.

Saudi Arabia's re-engagement with Lebanon, Syria and Iraq aims to counterbalance Turkey, Qatar and Iran but faces limits due to sectarian politics and foreign interference, which may make Riyadh more assertive over time.

Saudi Arabia Moves To Counterbalance Turkey and Qatar, Replace Iran in the Levant

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stand atop a humvee in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province during a joint military exercise with the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State on Sept. 7, 2022.

The threat of a Turkish offensive and decreasing U.S. aid will increasingly pressure the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces to reach a deal with Syria's new government. 

The Uncertain Future of U.S.-Backed Kurds in Syria

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The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Social Issues

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

<p>Modern Syria is located along the eastern Mediterranean Sea, bordering Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. Syria&rsquo;s main geographic challenge is uniting its diverse ethnic groups under one domestic power. This is the result of mountainous terrain and ethnic cores that contradict the state&rsquo;s current borders. Syria&rsquo;s population is composed of Sunni Arabs, Alawites, Kurds, Druze, and Christians, among others. The traditional core of Syria&#39;s ruling Alawite minority sits on the northern coastal plain to the west of the Jabal an Nusayriya mountains and to the north of the Anti-Lebanon mountains. Between these two ranges, the Homs Gap has often been the point of invasions from the Mediterranean Sea. The interior region is dominated by the majority Sunni Arab peoples. The Syrian Desert divides this area into two competing regions with strong local identities. The first, Damascus, is the historical capital and the modern seat of power for the Alawites. The other, Aleppo, is situated in the agricultural heartlands of the Aleppo plateau. The Euphrates river divides this plateau from the much more arid Jazirah plateau and allows for irrigation in an otherwise desert region. Syria&rsquo;s modern boundaries fall short of the historical concept of Greater Syria&mdash;spanning from Lebanon to the west and Jordan and Israel to the south. Its current borders were set by the League of Nations&#39; French Mandate, following the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire after World War I. Lebanon, especially Beirut, has always been important to Syria because of its trade ports and access to Mediterranean markets. Syria&rsquo;s recent civil unrest is the latest example of its geographic challenge. Maintaining unity remains difficult so long as its current boundaries continue to overlap regional and ethnic fault lines.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Syria: Parliamentary Elections To Be Held in September

Syria, Israel: Officials Discuss De-Escalating Tensions Following Israeli Strikes in Syria

Turkey, Syria: Turkish President, Foreign Minister Reject Syrian Fragmentation

Saudi Arabia, Syria: Riyadh To Increase Investment in Syria's Provisional Government

Syria, Israel: Syrian Forces Withdraw From Sweida

Israel, Syria: Israel Strikes Damascus Following Sectarian Violence in South

Israel, Syria: IDF Hits Government Forces as Clashes Erupt in Syria's Sweida Province

U.S., Syria: U.S. To Revoke HTS' Foreign Terrorist Organization Status

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