Syria

Large crowds of Syrian Kurds took to the streets in the northeastern city of Qamishli on Sunday to express concern over a newly announced agreement with Damascus that would gradually integrate Kurdish forces and administrations into the Syrian state. Large crowds of Syrian Kurds gathered in the northeastern city of…

A protester holds a placard depicting Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa during a demonstration against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Berlin, Germany, January 24, 2026. (Photo: Christian Mang/Reuters) Standing in solidarity with minorities in the Middle East, Druze Israeli Mansour Ashkar is in agreement with…

Last Updated: January 31, 2026, 22:05 IST Jaishankar said the direction of events in Syria was critical for regional stability as India and Arab states face shared security challenges. Jaishankar stressed zero tolerance for terrorism while flagging the importance of stability in Syria and political dialogue in Libya. (IMAGE: PTI)…

Syria is at a “major turning point”, said Noura Doukhi in L’Orient-Le Jour (Beirut). When the current president Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former leader of the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ousted the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 after 13 years of civil war, he inherited a country splintered…

Syria’s government has reached a deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance that would see the gradual intergration of Kurdish forces and institutions into the state. This comes after weeks of clashes which saw Syrian troops reclaim large swathes of territory in the north-east that had been…

Families of Islamist prisoners at Roumieh prison carry pictures of their beloved ones during a protest outside the government palace in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday after a group of prisoners at the prison announced an open-ended hunger strike. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Lebanon…

Jan 30 (Reuters) - Syria plans to permanently close two displacement camps in the northeast that hold civilians, including foreigners, linked to Islamic State militants, a government official said on Friday. The al-Hol and Roj camps hold more than 28,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, according to the U.N. About…

A camp near Syria’s border with Iraq houses more than two thousand people who have been held here for almost a decade. Many of the women are either the wives or widows of Islamic State fighters who were defeated in 2019, ending a self-declared caliphate in large parts of Iraq…

Reuters Syrian security forces stand guard outside al-Aqtan prison, where some Islamic State detainees are held, in Raqqa, Syria January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri By Ahmed Rasheed, Maya Gebeily and John Irish BAGHDAD Jan 30 (Reuters) - Transfers of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq by ‌the ​U.S. military…

Saudi Arabia formally welcomed a comprehensive ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued its statement via X, emphasizing regional peace priorities. Furthermore, the Kingdom expressed hope that this comprehensive accord will contribute to lasting peace, security, and stability…