Syria

Syria

Russia returns to Mediterranean with sanctioned 'Syrian Express' ships

Four Russian ships, including sanctioned cargo and tanker vessels escorted by a destroyer, entered the Mediterranean via Gibraltar on 27 August, ending the first interruption of Russia's naval presence there since 2013.

11/09/2026

Syria

Shadow broker- fixer network exploits Syrians at Lebanon border

A market of fixers, travel agencies and border brokers charges Syrians between $180 for a 48-hour stay and $4,700 for annual residency, far above Lebanon's official fees, as procedures have tightened sharply since al-Assad's fall.

10/09/2026

Syria

Wartime weapons depot explosion kills 14 outside Syria's Idlib

The blast at a temporary storage site for wartime munitions near the town of Sarmada left 11 others injured, with rescue teams still searching for survivors. A person is killed or wounded by unexploded ordnance every six hours in Syria today, according to humanitarian workers.

09/09/2026

Syria

SDF leader now al-Sharaa's adviser as Syria's Kurdish force disbands

The appointment came days after Abdi declared the Kurdish-led force dissolved and integrated into the Syrian army, ending a decade of independent existence in a move Washington called "genuine integration".

28/08/2026

Syria

Syria's top Druze leader calls community 'integral part of Israel'

Sheikh al-Aql Hikmat al-Hijri made the declaration at a gathering in Suwayda, praising Israel's model of state-building and saying the two communities shared doctrinal "common denominators," a statement that deepens the rift with Damascus.

28/08/2026

Economy

Syria's president pays for coffee with Visa card as sanctions era ends

Syria's president paid for a coffee in Damascus with a Visa card this week to mark the country's removal from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism and the reconnection of its banks to the global financial system.

27/08/2026

Syria

Syria's main Kurdish force SDF ceases to exist after army merger

Commander Mazloum Abdi announced the SDF's dissolution at the presidential palace in Damascus, ending the existence of the Kurdish-led force that served as Washington's main partner against the so-called Islamic State terrorist group.

26/08/2026

Syria

Al-Sharaa: US terror list removal 'shakes off dark stain' from Syria

Washington rescinded a designation in place since 1979, lifting severe economic restrictions and opening the door to private investment, as the US State Department also removed the terror designation from HTS, the group al-Sharaa led to topple Assad.

25/08/2026

Syria

Syrians who came home after al-Assad's fall find a complicated reality

Nearly 3.6 million Syrians have returned since al-Assad's fall to destroyed homes, dysfunctional bureaucracy, power cuts and wages a fraction of what they earned abroad. Euronews spoke with those who returned: some are rebuilding, while others are already planning to leave again.

21/08/2026

Syria

Lebanon extradites al-Assad's general to Syria for war crimes trial

The move comes as the new Syrian government, led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa looks to hold senior members of al-Assad’s regime accountable for crimes committed during the country’s civil war, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

20/08/2026

Syria

Syria sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes

A Syrian court handed death sentences to Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher — both in absentia — alongside their cousin Atef Najib, who attended the trial in a cage and was found guilty of leading the 2011 Daraa crackdown that sparked the civil war.

11/08/2026

Syria

Syria hunts down suspects in March coastal attacks, arrests IS members

Security forces lured a militia commander accused of leading one of the March 2025 assault units into an ambush near Jableh, killing him and a second suspect in an exchange of fire. IS cells were separately dismantled in Aleppo and al-Bab.

29/07/2026

Syria

UN chief calls for end of all sanctions on Syria during day 2 of visit

Western countries including the United States have announced the easing of sanctions on Syria, but investors have remained cautious.

26/07/2026

Syria

Guterres urges global support for Syria in Damascus visit

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is the first UN chief to visit Syria since his predecessor Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the start of Syria's civil war.

25/07/2026

Syria

Once a textile powerhouse, Syria is betting on an industrial comeback

Syria once produced garments that reached Arab and European markets, but the civil war dismantled the industry over the years. With sanctions lifted and investors beginning to return, Aleppo's first major trade fair in years is testing whether that world can be rebuilt.

24/07/2026

Culture news

How culture and infrastructure could save the Middle East

Europe can save ancient civilisations and stablise the Middle East. It's an ambitious but achievable target according to Nabil Al Lao, founder of Damascus Opera theatre and a refugee in Italy for more than a decade and Maria Francesca Corrao, a professor of Arabic at LUISS University.

10/07/2026

No Comment

Macron tours Damascus' Umayyad Mosque during Syria visit

French President Emmanuel Macron visits Damascus' Umayyad Mosque with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and signs the guestbook during his Syria trip.

07/07/2026

Syria

At least 18 wounded in Damascus blasts during Macron visit, Syria says

Macron had entered the presidential palace to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa when the explosions happened near the Four Seasons Hotel.

07/07/2026

Europe News

Macron arrives in Syria for first post-Assad visit by western leader

Macron will meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace and “engage directly with diverse Syrian people,” his office said.

07/07/2026

Syria

Nine killed in central Damascus cafe bombing, Syrian state TV says

The explosion comes a day after the first parliament since the fall of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad began to take shape.

02/07/2026

Syria

Jewish community in Damascus wants to keep kosher food on the menu

Syria's small Jewish community has struggled to maintain kosher traditions after it dwindled in size, relying on imported meat and individual effort to keep centuries-old practices alive in Damascus.

09/05/2026

Syria

Saydnaya residents demand links to notorious Syrian prison must end

Residents of Saidnaya reject linking the town to a nearby military prison, saying the label damages its identity as a city that is home to miracles and a sacred shrine and obscures its actual history of peaceful coexistence.

05/05/2026

Syria

Easter festivities muted for Syrian Christians after recent violence

Syrian Christians saw their Easter celebrations confined to church prayers after armed groups attacked the town of Al-Suqaylabiyah in Hama on 27 March. Euronews spoke to the faithful in the country on one of Christianity's most important holidays.

07/04/2026

Syria

Ukraine and Syria pledge security deal in unexpected military alliance

Ukraine's Zelenskyy arrived in Damascus in a surprise visit on Sunday, for his first official visit to Syria after the fall of the pro-Russian al-Assad regime.

06/04/2026

Food and Drink

Ramadan festive foods: Rituals and treats in Syria's month of fasting

Ramadan rituals and customs in Syria vary from region to region. Although some of them have been preserved, such as the "whitening of the safra" with milk and the "sukba" between neighbours, nowadays, many tables have been transformed into food baskets distributed by charitable organisations.

28/02/2026

Syria

Syrians work to erase al-Assad cult of personality after regime fall

Under the previous dynastic regime, Syria went from a homeland for all to a "real estate registry" for the al-Assad family. Now, the interim government is undoing the hold the al-Assads had on Syrians for decades.

18/02/2026