Syria

Reporter’s Notebook: The threat along Syrian buffer zone is far from over for Israel

For now, there appears to be little appetite to withdraw from the buffer zone, largely because of lingering questions over whether Syria’s new president is truly capable of controlling the country.

|ByAMICHAI STEIN
The Israel Ministry of Defense’s National Mine Action Authority (INMAA) clears minefields with the assistance of sappers from 4M Defense Mine Solutions in the northern Golan Heights near the Syrian border, April 28, 2026.
A boy holds a yellow Hezbollah flag while walking among a crowd during a mourning ceremony in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, June 26, 2026

Why Israeli officials fear Iran-backed Hezbollah could still rearm despite Lebanon deal - exclusive

The Post assesses Hezbollah's remaining capabilities, Iran's role in rebuilding the group, and whether Israel could have reached the Lebanon deal three months earlier.

|ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Members of the media and other people gather near the site of what Syrian state media reported was a blast at a cafe in central Damascus, Syria, July 2, 2026

Explosion in crowded Damascus cafe leaves nine people dead, 22 injured

"The Syrian Arab Republic condemns in the strongest terms the heinous terrorist bombing that targeted a café in the capital, Damascus," said the Syrian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani in Beirut, Lebanon, July 2, 2026.

Syrian FM visits Beirut after Trump suggests Damascus should fight Hezbollah

The Syrian minister, Asaad al-Shibani, met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on his first stop, and then headed for a meeting with the parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah.

|ByREUTERS

‘Rebuilding a country the size of Syria means contracts worth billions of dollars,’ expert says

Renewed attention to reconstruction opportunities is colliding with unresolved sanctions exposure, weak institutions, damaged infrastructure, and uncertainty over Syria’s political future

MAY 29, 2026ByRIZIK ALABI / THE MEDIA LINE
Syrians gather to mark the anniversary of the 2011 uprising against the ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria March 15, 2026.

Could Trump’s push for Abraham Accords undermine long-term peace? - analysis

Trump is increasing pressure on Gulf countries to join the Abraham Accords, but experts warn that forcing states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar could backfire.

MAY 28, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US President Donald Trump raises a fist as he departs after delivering a speech about the economy at Rockland Community College Fieldhouse in Suffern, New York, on May 22, 2026.

Australian woman charged with joining Islamic State after returning from Syrian refugee camp

The 34-year-old traveled to Syria between 2013 and 2014 with others, including a man, to allegedly join the Islamic State, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement.

MAY 28, 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.

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.