Post-Assad Syria violence and instability
One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.
Syria begins destroying al-Assad-era chemical weapons materials
Olabi said Syria was preparing to hold the first court hearing of people suspected of involvement in the chemical weapons programme.
Syria has begun destroying remnants of a chemical weapons programme created under former President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria's UN envoy Ibrahim Olabi said this is the first destruction process since Syria was liberated from the previous regime and the first to destroy chemical materials on Syrian territory in over a decade.
Kurdish women who fought ISIL seek place in Syria's new security forces
Damascus is moving to bring armed groups under state control.
YPJ commanders want more than 1,500 fighters to join Interior Ministry special forces.
The YPJ fought ISIL.
Severe Sandstorm Hits Homs Province in Syria
A dust storm swept across Homs in central Syria, turning the sky and surrounding landscape reddish-orange.
A thick sandy haze sharply reduced visibility across Homs.
Fireworks over Damascus in 'Syria Shines Again' event
The Damascus International Fair is in its 63rd edition.
The theme of the 63rd Damascus International Fair is 'Syria Shines Again'.
Damascus hosted its first Damascus International Fair since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Syria's president makes first Visa payment after sanctions removal
A video shows Syria's president using a Visa card.
The US removed Syria from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list.
US sanctions had banned Syrians from accessing the global banking system for more than 15 years.
Syria's president appoints ex-SDF commander as advisor
Al-Sharaa proposed making Abdi deputy defence minister and nominating him as governor of Hasakah province in January.
Al-Sharaa and Abdi first agreed to fold the SDF into the central government in March 2025.
Al-Sharaa issued Decree No 164 appointing Abdi as an advisor to the Presidency of the Republic on Thursday.
Putin and al-Sharaa discuss Russia-Syria relations and military bases deal
Putin affirmed Moscow's support for Syria's territorial integrity during the call.
The discussions included the fate of Russia's military bases in Syria.
Al-Sharaa led the ouster of the al-Assad regime.
“both sides underscored the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding On the Reorganisation of the Khmeimim Air Base and the Tartus Material-Technical Support Point, signed on August 9”
Kurdish-led SDF dissolved and Syria military unification questions
Omar said the YPJ proposed joining the Interior Ministry as a specialised counterterrorism unit.
The SDF emerged in 2015 and was based in northeastern Syria.
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said an "important page" had been turned in Syria's history.
Syria removed from US terror list; which countries remain
The US Senate passed a package that imposes up to 100 percent tariffs on major nations importing Russian oil and gas.
Al-Sharaa previously led the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, before breaking ties in 2016.
President Barack Obama removed Cuba from the list in 2015.
“constitutes a regressive step not only for bilateral relations between these two countries, but most importantly for the human rights and well-being of the people in Cuba, with the most devastating impact on vulnerable groups, including women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities”
Syria removed from US terror list, sanctions lifted
US President Donald Trump announced on July 8 his intention to rescind Syria's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism.
A 45-day congressional review period passed before the US completed the formal delisting.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were previously under US sanctions, which have been removed.
“For nearly five decades, Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism resulted in severe restrictions on financing and exports and contributed to significant hesitation and overcompliance among banks and investors who were reluctant to engage with Syria, fearing secondary sanctions,”
Kurdish-led forces in Syria dissolve after merging with army
Mazloum Abdi is the head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The US removed Syria from its 'state sponsors of terrorism' list a day before Abdi's announcement.
Ahmed al-Sharaa is the interim Syrian President and the leader of the opposition forces that overthrew al-Assad.
US removes Syria from state sponsors of terrorism list
The Government of Syria formally joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said lifting the designation would help restore Syria's links to the global financial system and encourage investment following nearly 14 years of war.
The United States removed Syria from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
Syria and Israel hold US-mediated talks in Jordan
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met with Israeli intelligence officials in Jordan.
During previous rounds of US-mediated talks, Syria and Israel had agreed on a joint mechanism to share intelligence and defuse tensions.
Israel claimed the attack on the Abu Duhur airbase was to prevent Turkish troops from deploying at the base.
Ahmad Hassoun sentenced to life in Syria trial
Hassoun is the first Sunni to have been tried in Syria's transitional justice cases since al-Assad's ouster.
Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Hassoun and the religious institution he headed were used to provide religious cover for military and security operations under al-Assad's rule.
Hassoun's supporters say his statements were taken out of context.
Syrian foreign minister indicates willingness for diplomatic engagement with Israel
Negotiations over a security agreement between Syria and Israel were frozen at the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stated that the door for diplomacy with Israel is open.
Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
“We believe there should be contact, especially with a party that constantly threatens the security of Syria. But if this contact doesn’t bring results, then we don’t need it,”
US envoy Tom Barrack retracts comment that Syria's Golan is occupied
Barrack suggested that Israeli strikes in Syria were aimed at antagonising Turkiye.
Barrack said in an interview with podcaster Mario Nawfal that Israel still occupies the Golan against UN resolutions.
Republican Senator Rick Scott criticised Barrack, saying he was confirmed by the Senate to enact Trump's agenda.
Syria condemns reported Israeli airstrike near Damascus
Syria condemned an Israeli attack on the village of Beit Jinn southwest of Damascus, which officials said hit a civilian vehicle and injured several people.
Washington described an earlier Israeli attack as an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.
Al-Sharaa visited the White House in November 2025, becoming the first Syrian leader to do so.
“Israel and Syria agreed to a status quo in security matters, which Syria was on the verge of breaching by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.”
Israeli Drone Strike on Vehicle Injures Several in Syria
The drone strike hit a small delivery truck on the road between Beit Jinn farmland and the town.
The Israeli military stated that the strike targeted an individual preparing imminent terror attacks in southern Syria.
Qatar condemned the attack, calling it an aggression and a violation of Syria's sovereignty.
“This attack constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic and the integrity of its territory, and a blatant breach of international law, and comes in the context of repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory,”
U.S. Envoy States Israel Provided No Advance Notice on Syrian Airbase Strike
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel shared intelligence with authorized U.S. parties prior to the Tuesday strike.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack accused Israel of offering no warning prior to launching military strikes in Syria.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his government feared Turkiye was preparing to deploy troops to the Abu Duhur military base.
“full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict the stance of US President [Donald] Trump himself”
Syrian Siege Tunnel Converted into Museum Commemorating Ghouta Chemical Attack
A hospital tunnel used to evacuate wounded civilians during the government's siege of Ghouta has been converted into a museum 13 years after a sarin attack on the area.
Syria's civil society navigates post-Assad era
“In countries that pass through transitions, civil society does expand and multiply. The more important question is what role it will actually play.”
Netanyahu warns Israel will not tolerate Turkish military presence in Syria; Syria says no plans for Turkish bases
“It is preferable for Erdogan to continue delivering empty, delusional speeches against Israel in the Turkish parliament rather than testing Israel’s resolve to defend itself,”
Ahmad Hassoun, Assad's barrel bomb mufti, faces Damascus court verdict
Hassoun was Syria's grand mufti between 2005 and 2021.
Hassoun was arrested at Damascus International Airport in March 2025 as he tried to board a flight to Amman, Jordan.
Prosecutors have called for the death penalty for Hassoun.
“only fights in a place where the enemies of God and humans are: He never lifted his hand against any Muslim; he never lifted a weapon in the face of any Muslim.”
Cost of rebuilding family homes in war-ravaged Syria
Al Jazeera's Hannah Raslan reported from Syria.
The article was published on August 20, 2026.
Assad officer extradited to Syria on war crimes charges for first time
Adel Issa is 67 years old.
Judicial officials told the BBC that Issa denied the charges during his arrest.
The Syrian interior ministry said Issa led ground forces in Deir Ezzor until 2016.
“torture leading to death and crimes of aggression with the aim of inciting civil war and sectarian fighting”
Opinion: US pressure on Israel needed for peace in Syria
Israeli troops reportedly conducted a raid on Quneitra in southwestern Syria and abducted two people on Wednesday morning.
Galip Dalay is a senior research fellow at Chatham House.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated that Syria was on the verge of breaching a status quo in security matters by permitting Turkish troops to deploy at an airbase near Aleppo.
“The question is not only about if there is a need for a deconfliction mechanism in Syria; it is to what extent the US is willing to make it credible and functional, and if the US is willing to put pressure on Israel.”
Analysis: violence in the New Syria
Lebanon hands former Syrian army general to Damascus after arrest warrant
A Syrian arrest warrant accused Adel Issa of intentional homicide, facilitating a felony, killing more than two people, torture leading to death, and crimes aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian strife.
Adel Issa was a former commander of the Syrian army's 17th Division.
In January, Syrian authorities gave Lebanese security officials a list of more than 200 former senior officers wanted by Damascus.
“Today, Syrian authorities received from the Lebanese authorities the former officer in the defunct regime army, Major-General Adel Issa,”
Analysis of violence in post-Assad Syria
Reaction to Israeli airstrikes on Syrian airbase
Turkey said Israel's allegations were intended to legitimize unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity
Barrack said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly indicated a preference for de-escalation with Israel
Barrack is the US special envoy for Syria and said he is working to establish a deconfliction mechanism to ease tensions between Israel, Turkey and Syria
“We are deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase constitute an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability,”
Israel's latest attack on Syria
Former Syrian President Assad sentenced to death in absentia
Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in this case.
Atef Najib was a former army brigadier general in charge of political security in Daraa province.
Bashar and Maher Assad fled to Russia and received asylum after the Syrian government collapsed in December 2024.
Explosions rock Damascus during French President Macron's visit to Syria
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosions.
Explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday, injuring at least 18 people, during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Syria.
On Thursday, an explosive device detonated in a cafe near the Justice Palace, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20.