Don’t Invite Syria Back Into Lebanon
Washington is contemplating the one thing that could rally Lebanese around Hezbollah.
Damascus
Why Is Saudi Arabia Circumventing the Lebanese State?
Saudi Arabia's decision to actively undermine diplomacy between Lebanon and Israel, a pathway to peace and disarming Hezbollah, should not be tolerated by the Lebanese.
Op-eds
U.S. Must Apply Strict Conditions Before Lifting Syria’s Terrorism Designation
“The lifting of sanctions is the primary step toward revitalizing the Syrian economy,” Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa told President Donald Trump during a phone call on May 31. In...
Policy Briefs
US Syria Envoy Barrack tapped for Syria and Iraq role
On May 31, President Donald Trump said he was naming US Ambassador Tom Barrack as special presidential envoy to Syria and Iraq. The announcement came a day after it had appeared that Barrack’s role as...
Op-eds
Syria holds elections in Kurdish-majority areas, finds Assad-era chemical weapons
Syria held elections in Kurdish-majority areas of the country on May 24, with some politicians and commentators criticizing them for not being representative. Days after the local elections,...
Op-eds
Can Syria Be Friends with Both Europe and Russia?
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has sought to open up relations with Europe while retaining the country’s longstanding ties with Moscow.
Op-eds
Political Exclusion of Syrian Kurds Threatens SDF-Damascus Deal
A dispute over Kurdish political representation and cultural rights is emerging as the primary fault line in the Syrian government’s process of integration with the Kurdish-run semi-autonomous region...
Policy Briefs
Amid security threats, Syria attempts to cement stability, international ties
On May 19, a car bomb exploded near a Ministry of Defense building in central Damascus’s Bab Sharqi area. One Syrian soldier was killed, and 23 civilians were wounded, the official Syrian Arab...
Op-eds
Post-Assad Syria Is Mending Fences With Russia
The new Syrian leadership has signaled openness to the West and has even demonstrated cooperation with Ukraine — Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in April....
Policy Briefs
Protests in Syria’s Kurdish region highlight demand for rights
Protesters in Hasaka in eastern Syria tore down a government billboard at the Justice Palace on May 7. The protests by local Kurdish residents came after the Syrian government changed the...
Op-eds
Syria’s Accommodation of Foreign Jihadists Backfires
The Syrian government’s effort to integrate foreign fighters into its armed forces may be unraveling. On May 5, Syrian authorities arrested 16 Uzbek fighters following a standoff with armed members...
Policy Briefs
Syria reports neutralizing Hezbollah plot to assassinate senior officials
On May 5, the Syrian Ministry of Interior and the General Intelligence Directorate announced that security forces thwarted a major terrorist attack aiming to destabilize the country. In a series...
Op-eds
Jordanian Warplanes Strike Drug Traffickers in Southern Syria, Where Damascus Exerts Little Control
In an operation codenamed “Jordanian Deterrence,” Amman’s fighter jets carried out strikes on at least five separate locations in the Syrian governorate of Suwayda on May 2, targeting “sites belonging...
Policy Briefs
Syria’s First Trial of Assad-Era Figure Signals Progress, but Accountability Still Falls Short
The first public trial of officials associated with former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime opened in Damascus on April 26. The defendant is Atef Najib, Assad’s cousin and former head of the intelligence...
Policy Briefs
Israel and Syria’s Shared Fight Against Hezbollah
Washington should help the two estranged neighbors cooperate against a common enemy.
Op-eds
Think we’re losing the war in Iran? Consider where things really stand
From nuclear setbacks to proxy collapse, the Islamic Republic faces its most severe strategic crisis in 47 years
Op-eds
Sharaa’s Gulf Tour Is All About the Economy
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited three Gulf states — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — over two days beginning on April 21. The Syrian presidency described the trip in broad...
Policy Briefs
Syria thwarts Hezbollah plot, vows at UN to fight terrorist groups
The Syrian Interior Ministry and General Intelligence Service thwarted a plot by a Hezbollah cell, Syrian state media reported on April 19. Four days later, Syria’s permanent representative...
Op-eds
When Aoun Meets Netanyahu
Lebanese President Michel Aoun is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in the coming weeks, according to President Trump, who said he would invite both leaders....
Op-eds
Syria’s Crackdown on Hezbollah Opens a Door to Cooperation With Israel
Syria has long functioned as Hezbollah’s strategic depth — a corridor for the group’s weapons and a launchpad for attacks against Israel, with Hezbollah embedding networks there during the rule of...