Russian troops begin evacuating from northern Syria
Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa made his second visit to Moscow in four months on January 28, even as Russia is withdrawing its forces from the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria. Moscow...
Idlib Governorate
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Meets With Putin in Moscow
Sharaa in Russia: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on October 15, aiming to “restore and define the nature of this relationship”...
Flash Briefs
Can Syria’s New Leaders and U.S.-Backed Forces Unite to Defeat ISIS?
US Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led a delegation to Syria that met with Syria’s transitional President, Ahmed al-Shara’a, on...
Op-eds
US-led raid kills senior Islamic State ‘official’ in Syria
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that a raid by US forces killed a “senior ISIS [Islamic State] member” in Atmeh in northwest Syria’s Idlib province on August 19. “Combined Joint...
Op-eds
US strike in northwestern Syria kills Islamic State’s external attack planner
The US military killed an Islamic State (IS) commander in an airstrike in northwestern Syria on June 10. The commander, who was identified as Rakhim Boev, was involved in planning attacks against the US...
Op-eds
Delegation from eastern Syria meets with government in Damascus
A delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) met with the new Syrian government in Damascus on June 1. The talks are aimed at fully integrating the autonomous eastern...
Op-eds
Trump Tells Syria to Expel Foreign Fighters, But Sharaa Gives Them Army Divisions
“Tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria,” President Donald Trump told interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh on May 14 — just after lifting all U.S. sanctions on Syria. Yet on May 18, Syria’s...
Policy Briefs
10 Things to Know About Turkey’s Interventions and Influence in Syria
Turkey intends to position itself as the most influential foreign actor in Syria. Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey built close ties with jihadist militias fighting Bashar...
Insights
US military kills Al Qaeda facilitator in Syria
The US military killed a senior member of Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria in an airstrike in the northwestern part of the country on February 21.
Op-eds
US airstrike kills Al Qaeda operative in Syria
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it killed a senior leader of Hurras al Din, Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, in an airstrike in Syria on January 30. The strike, which took place less...
Op-eds
US removes $10 million reward for Hayat Tahrir al Sham leader
The US State Department removed the $10 million reward for Abu Mohammad al Jolani, the Specially Designated Global Terrorist who leads Haytat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), which State describes as an Al Qaeda...
Op-eds
Russia Negotiating With New Syrian Government to Keep Military Bases
Russia Negotiates To Keep Bases: Officials from Russia and representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — the Syrian rebel group that overthrew Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad...
Flash Briefs
Hayat Tahrir al Sham’s terror network in Syria
On December 8, 2024, rebel forces deposed the regime of Syria’s longtime dictator, Bashar al Assad, after the insurgents stormed through much of the country, retaking various regional capitals and culminating...
Op-eds
Erdogan Gets His ‘Leader of the Muslim World’ Moment
Syria's change of leadership has given Turkey’s president the regional influence he has always wanted.
Op-eds
Israel moves forces into buffer zone with Syria as Assad regime falls
On December 8, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) moved units into several locations in a buffer zone that separates the Israeli side of the Golan from the Syrian side of the border. The IDF said the move...
Op-eds
Tehran on the back foot: Proxy struggles and Assad’s dilemma
Just a year ago, the Islamic Republic was on the offensive as it used its proxies to launch coordinated attacks on Israel from six fronts to demonstrate the extent of its regional influence. Now, the momentum...
Op-eds
U.S. adds Al Qaeda leader in Syria to list of global terrorists
The U.S. State Department added Sami al-Uraydi, a senior leader of Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. State’s Rewards for Justice program previously offered...
Op-eds
U.S. kills Islamic State officials during raid in Syria
The U.S. military killed two Islamic State “officials” during a special operations raid in eastern Syria on Dec. 11. The U.S. military has targeted the Islamic State’s top tier leadership cadre with...
Op-eds
Islamic State’s emir dead after U.S. military raid in Syria
Islamic State emir Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi died during a daring overnight raid conducted by U.S. special operations forces in Idlib province in northeastern Syria on Thursday, according to the...