SDF Clashes With Troops: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed on August 4 to have repelled an “attack” by “factions affiliated with the Syrian Transitional...
Parliamentary elections in Syria will take place in September, Damascus announced on July 27 — but the people will not vote and presidential appointees will choose the winners. Interim President Ahmad...
Syria is a patchwork of identities, par for the course in a region where novel nationalities vie with tribe and religion for the citizenry’s loyalty. For most of the country’s history, the Assad family...
Syria after Bashar al-Assad is a country in chaos, but that does not mean it cannot get worse. One way that could happen would be a direct Turkish military intervention. Unfortunately, that is exactly...
The recent sectarian violence shows that the Syrian government and its Turkish backers share a dangerous vision of a Sunni-dominant state.
Brigadier General Kevin Lambert took over as the new commander of the anti-Islamic State coalition of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) in a ceremony in Iraq on...
Israel’s Druze Test in Syria On July 16, the Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes in the heart of Damascus. The IDF said it had targeted Syria’s military headquarters and...
“One Syria, One Army, One Government,” declared Damascus following a July 9 meeting between Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, and Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Kurdish-led...
The Israeli military carried out a raid in Syria during which it says it apprehended “a terrorist cell operated by Iran.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed the operation, part of Israel’s...
The Islamic State (IS) has returned to the spotlight in Damascus. According to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, the group conducted a suicide bombing on June 22 at a Greek Orthodox church in the Syrian...
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...
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...
With Washington’s blessing, Qatar and Turkey are cementing their role in post-Assad Syria. On May 29, Syria signed a $7 billion memorandum of understanding with the United States, Qatar, and Turkey to...
At a future point, many will ask an obvious question: why did the United States and Europe lift sanctions on Syria? The question will come after the likely fall of the Ahmed...
The US-backed Syrian Free Army says it has been working to secure and protect the Al Seen Military Airbase in Syria. “Our teams continue to work at Al-Seen Airport to secure it and protect it from...
Syrian president Ahmed al-Shara will need to show commitment to stabilizing the country and integrating its regions, while the United States may find it has more leverage now by embracing Damascus.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a secessionist campaign against Turkey since 1978, announced on May 12 its decision to end its armed struggle. Under the leadership of Abdullah...
Kurdish Armed Group to Disband: The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced its decision to disband on May 12, in a reported step toward peace following more than four decades of...
The agreement between the interim government in Syria and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), signed just two months ago, is already on the brink of collapse. If it breaks down completely,...
Cameron McMillan and Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies argue in this op ed that getting out of Syria too quickly could leave the US vulnerable.