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...
Quneitra
Israeli operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah: December 22–28, 2025
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted numerous operations throughout Lebanon against Hezbollah between December 22 and December 28, 2025. Israeli activities last week were concentrated in south Lebanon,...
Op-eds
Israel-Syria tensions continue after Israeli raid as White House urges ‘dialogue’
Tensions between Israel and Syria have continued in the wake of a November 27 raid in southern Syria by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On December 4, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a state...
Op-eds
Histories of Hezbollah’s assassinated top military commander, likely candidates to replace him
On Sunday, September 23, 2025, an Israeli airstrike targeted the third and fourth floors of a residential building on Al Arid Street in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh suburbs...
Op-eds
The Quiet Return of Hezbollah’s Smuggling Network in Syria
Hezbollah may not be fully up and running in Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, but it is still seeking to take advantage of the instability in the country, along with other militant...
Policy Briefs
Israel and Syria close to a security agreement
On September 23, US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack claimed that Syria and Israel “are close to striking a ‘de-escalation’ agreement in which Israel will stop its attacks while Syria...
Op-eds
For the First Time in 25 Years, Syria Acknowledges Direct Talks With Israel
Israel and Syria are talking — and for once, no one is denying it. Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani met with an Israeli delegation in Paris on August 19, the Syria’s official news agency announced....
Policy Briefs
Rocket fire marks first attack from Syria on Israel since Assad’s fall
On June 3, at approximately 10 pm Israeli time, two rockets were launched from Syrian territory and landed in the Golan Heights—the first such attack from Syria toward Israel since the fall...
Op-eds
The Druze chessboard between Syria and Israel
On May 29, an Israeli security official told the Saudi-owned Arabic news channel Al Arabiya that Israel “will not fight in support of any group in Syria.” The official added that while Israel...
Op-eds
Clashes erupt between Druze militias and pro-government forces in Syria
Sectarian tensions are flaring again in Syria after a series of clashes erupted in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, a diverse area home to Druze, Christian, and Muslim communities. Reports indicate...
Op-eds
Pro-Iranian Iraqi network releases documents on Ahmad al Sharaa’s identity
On April 16, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani invited Syrian interim President Ahmad al Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al Jolani, to attend the Arab League summit scheduled for...
Op-eds
Israel strikes Palestinian Islamic Jihad command center in Damascus
The state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Israel targeted a building in the Mashoura Dummar neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, with an airstrike on March 13. The attack wounded...
Op-eds
What Does Israel Want With Syria?
As Syria faces continued conflict, Israel may be planning a wider confrontation with the new government.
Op-eds
Fierce clashes erupt between Assad loyalists and government forces in western Syria
On March 6, Syria witnessed the most intense and bloodiest clashes between the new Syrian government and loyalists to dictator Bashar al Assad since the Assad regime’s downfall on December 8. These battles...
Op-eds
Nascent Syrian armed group emerges to confront Israeli forces
An armed organization calling itself The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria—Great Might (formerly known as The Front for the Liberation of the South) has issued statements warning the Israel Defense Forces...
Op-eds
‘We Will Not Allow Southern Syria to Become Southern Lebanon’: Israeli Warplanes Strike Military Targets in Syria
Israel Strikes Military Sites: The Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes on Syrian territory on February 25, including the town of Kisweh, approximately 12 miles south of Damascus,...
Flash Briefs
Netanyahu calls for the demilitarization of southern Syria
On February 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for southern Syria to remain demilitarized in the wake of the collapse of the Bashar al Assad regime. “We will not allow forces from the...
Op-eds
‘Demilitarization of Southern Syria’: Israel Expands on post-Assad Plans
Israel Sets Demands for Syrian Transitional Government: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed Israel’s strategic objectives after 16 months of regional warfare to...
Flash Briefs
Syria’s New Rulers Call for UN Peacekeepers Along Syria-Israel Border
Al-Sharaa Says IDF Presence on Border No Longer Needed: Syria’s de-facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, said on January 16 that the new government would welcome UN peacekeepers in the...
Flash Briefs
Israel’s Bashan Arrow operation in Syria continues
As the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad was collapsing on December 8, Israel set in motion a contingency plan that anticipated the situation. In recent weeks, the military intelligence...