On Wednesday, President Trump met with Ahmed al-Sharaa, the founder of al-Qaeda in Syria, who became the country's de facto leader after his rebranded group of jihadists, known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), took power in Damascus in December 2024. Trump said he had a...
Trump Will Lift All Sanctions on Syria, Will Meet HTS Leader Wednesday
President Trump has announced that he will lift all sanctions the US has against the Syrian government, which he says will “give them a chance at greatness.” He will also meet Syria’s leader, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday. The US has...
Trump Says He’s Considering Lifting Sanctions on Syria
President Trump said on Monday that he's considering lifting sanctions on Syria as the country's de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammed al-Jolani), is looking to make a deal with the US. Trump said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had asked...
Kurdish PKK Will Disarm and Disband, Seeking End to Decades of Conflict in Turkey
In an announcement on Monday, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced that they have agreed to totally disarm and disband, aiming to end a multi-decade conflict with the Turkish government. Turkish President Erdogan praised the move, calling it a move toward...
At Least 11 Alawites Killed in Syria as Sectarian Violence Continues to Rage
Sectarian violence against Syria’s Alawite minority became a huge matter in early March, when massacres left well over 1,300 people dead and the ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) insisting the matter was over and an investigation would happen. The probe has been...
Israel and Syria Have Engaged in Secret Talks Since April
Israel has made much of the idea that Syria’s new Islamist government is a direct threat to them, as they continue to invade southern Syria and carry out regular airstrikes across the country. Quietly, they’ve been carrying out negotiations since at least April under...
Turkish Jets Interfere With Israeli Warplanes Attacking Syria
As Israel continues to escalate its attacks across Syria, they are running into some resistance from Turkey. Turkey is reportedly frustrated with the growing Israeli strikes on Syria, and there was an incident over the weekend where two Turkish F-16 fighter jets were...
Israel Kills More Civilians in Syria Strikes, Insists They’re ‘Protecting Druze’
Israel continued to carry out strikes against Syria throughout the weekend, launching a number of additional airstrikes centered on the idea they are “protecting” the Druze minority in Syria after last week’s sectarian violence left over 100 people dead. The violence...
Israel Launches Airstrikes Near Syria’s Presidential Palace
A week after the leader of Syria’s Islamist government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was talking about his openness to normalizing relations with Israel, the Israeli military has carried out yet more strikes against Syria, attacking the area around the presidential palace in the...
Over 100 Killed as Sectarian Fighting Surrounding Syrian Druze Community Rages
Clashes in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana earlier this week centered on Syria’s Druze minority, but like a lot of the sectarian tensions in the country seems to have grown substantially from there, with reports now putting the overall death toll in the anti-Druze...