Syria

Syria, Iraq hope for meetings in Washington, seek coordinated visit with US envoy

While al-Sharaa's meeting is unconfirmed, it could still happen. The Trump administration will want to end the Iran conflict and get a deal while trying to show it can stabilize Iraq and Syria.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
New Iraqi Prime Minister designate Ali al-Zaidi, uses a phone at his office in Baghdad, Iraq, April 28, 2026.
A Syrian army soldier stands guard next to an armoured vehicle positioned along the SyrianLebanese border in the rural area of Al Qusayr on April 1, 2026; Illustrative.

Syria arrests 235 ISIS operatives in three months, foils seven terror plots

ISIS remains a threat to Syria, increasingly relying on small-scale attacks, covert operations, and decentralized cells to target security forces, public facilities, and local communities.

|ByRIZIK ALABI / THE MEDIA LINE
Israeli Air Force F-35s seen arriving to an Israeli base, on March 15, 2025

A year ago, Israel shifted from intentions to capabilities in Operation Rising Lion - opinion

On June 13, 2025, Israel returned to one of the most important principles of its security doctrine: never to entrust its existence to an enemy’s intentions.

|BySHIMON REFAELI
Part of an Iranian ballistic missile is seen in the desert near Vered Yeriho in the West Bank after being fired toward Israel from Iran, June 8, 2026.

Talking about Israel-Arab peace while the missiles are falling - opinion

If we cannot speak about peace while the missiles are falling, then our enemies will determine not only our security agenda but also the boundaries of our imagination.

|ByGERSHON BASKIN

Syria establishes task force to find and destroy last 'Assad-era chemical weapons'

In a separate report by the AFP in Arab News, it was reported on Wednesday that “dozens of undeclared chemical weapons have been found in Syria."

MAY 27, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Ghouta residents commemorate the 12th anniversary of the chemical attack on August 21, 2025 in Zamalka, Syria. On 21 August 2013 President Bashar al-Assad ordered strikes on two opposition-controlled areas of Ghouta, in the suburbs around Damascus.

Syrian officials find remnants of chemical weapons program from Assad regime era - report

The country’s government had “located remnants of former Syrian ‌president Bashar al-Assad's clandestine chemical weapons program, including raw materials and munitions."

MAY 26, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Chemical weapons disposal [file]

Second group of Australian women linked to Islamic State to return home

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government was not assisting their travel and that any who have committed crimes "can expect to face the full force of the law."

MAY 26, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A group of supporters surround an Islamic State-linked family, as they arrive at Melbourne international airport, in Melbourne, Australia, May 7, 2026.

Syria’s limited Kurdish election exposes limits of Damascus’s democratic transition - analysis

Syria had already held types of limited elections in other areas of Syria last year. However, areas outside government control did not hold a vote.

MAY 25, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Children hold signs on the day Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026.

Last of Australian ISIS linked families leave Syrian camps

Seven Australian women and 14 children recently arrived in Damascus from the Roj camp in northeast Syria, marking the departure of the last known Australian group from camps for ISIS-linked families.

MAY 24, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Members of Australian families believed to be linked to the Islamic State militants wait to leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria April 24, 2026.

Turkey captures ten wanted ISIS terrorists in cross-border operation with Syria

Investigators say one of the key figures is Omer Deniz Dundar, who is linked to the planning of the deadly 2015 bombing at Ankara’s main train station.

MAY 24, 2026ByELI LEON
ISIS fighters.

Iraq’s 1,200-km. trade route could redraw the Middle East - analysis

Iraq has some reticence, in part because Iranian-backed militias in Iraq oppose the new government in Damascus. However, trade may prove more important than sectarian ideology.

MAY 23, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters gather during an intensive security deployment after Islamic State militants took it over the previous day in Luhaiban village in Kirkuk, Iraq December 6, 2021.

Syria pushes to gain closer ties with Western powers as it reaches meetings with G7, NATO, and WHO

The concept is to bring Syria into many key international organizations and to increase the country’s stability and investment opportunities.

MAY 23, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Syrians gather to mark the anniversary of the 2011 uprising against the ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria March 15, 2026.

Shavuot in the southern Golan: Springs, wineries, and ancient Jewish heritage

The southern Golan Heights emerges as a living landscape where archaeology, hospitality, and community life meet against dramatic volcanic terrain.

MAY 22, 2026ByNOAM BEDEIN
Mitzpe Hashalom: Twilight settles over the entire expanse of the Kinneret as seen from the wooden cabins of Mitzpe Hashalom, where the cliffside horizon softens into a panoramic evening glow.

Australian women linked to ISIS leave Syrian camp - report

The Australian government has previously ruled out providing direct assistance for the return of Australian families linked to ISIS.

MAY 22, 2026ByREUTERS
Members of Australian families believed to be linked to the Islamic State militants wait to leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria April 24, 2026.