Post-Assad Syria violence and instability

93 percent of respondents said Iran threatens the security and stability of the Middle East, up from 74 percent.

41 percent of respondents said direct talks between Syrian and Israeli officials serve Syria's interests, while 49 percent said they do not.

58 percent of respondents named Israel as the main threat to the Arab world as a whole, unchanged from the previous year.

Relations between Hezbollah and Damascus deteriorated sharply after Assad's overthrow in 2024.

On September 30, the Syrian Electricity Company said the Deir Ali, Nasiriya and Tishreen power stations went out of service after an explosion on a gas line at the Tishreen station.

The GIS identified two arrested individuals by their initials M S and B Sh.

A man died when his car was caught in floodwaters near al-Salmani Bridge in the western Raqqa countryside.

Five people, including two children, remain missing in the storms.

UNICEF reported in June that 17,000 people had been adversely affected by flooding in Syria so far in 2026.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power after rebels led by him ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

The US has removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The Syrian government said the fuel increase that led to the protests was in part due to pressure on energy markets because of the US-Iran war.

Jordan's strikes on Syria killed at least seven people in Deraa and Suwayda, including five members of the same family, three of whom were children.

Jordanian security forces arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law on suspicion of carrying out the church shooting.

The Jordanian military said the strikes targeted ISIL hideouts in southern Syria on Monday in response to a Greek Orthodox church shooting in Karak on Friday.

Four members of a family, including three children, were killed in Jordanian airstrikes in southern Syria.

Jordan stated the strikes targeted ISIL militants after a deadly church attack.

A funeral was held for the family members killed in the Jordanian airstrikes in Syria.

Nanar Hawach, a Syrian analyst, said that Washington is building a partner in Damascus while Israel appears to prefer a Damascus too weak to assert itself in the south.

Forces reportedly connected to the Syrian government joined the July 2025 fighting on the side of the Bedouins.

Barrack spoke to Australian X personality Mario Nawfal on Friday about the situation in southern Syria.

The event was reported on October 26, 2026.

Videos circulating on Syrian social media accounts show a large fire and thick plumes of smoke rising from a weapons depot in Idlib.

A large explosion occurred at a weapons depot in Syria.

Israeli troops have set up checkpoints in southern Syria.

Israeli troops have detained residents in southern Syria.

Israeli troops have bulldozed olive groves in southern Syria.

Israeli forces reportedly shot dead a Syrian man with an intellectual disability and hearing problems during a night raid in Jamla, southern Syria.

Locals say the man's body was later found kilometres away near a UN peacekeeper base with his hands bound.

Five Syrian security personnel were wounded in the raid.

Residents told Al Jazeera the clashes began around 6am and lasted two to three hours.

The Interior Ministry said the suspects refused to surrender and opened fire.

The victim's body was brought to Deraa National Hospital.

Israeli forces destroyed trees in a large field by the village of Saida earlier in the week.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the report.

Syrians previously held in Sde Teiman military prison have been transferred to facilities run by the Israel Prison Service, including Ofer, al-Jalama (Kishon) and Megiddo.

Mohammed Seyyed was detained in 2025 along with his son, brother, and nephew after going to repair damage from an Israeli incursion on his home and farm.

The Red Cross has been denied access to detainees in Israeli detention since October 7, 2023.

The arrest was reported by the state news agency SANA.

Syrian authorities arrested Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, as a suspect in the 2013 Baniyas mass killings.

At the time of the 2013 mass killings, Ali Kayali led an armed group loyal to then-president Bashar al-Assad.

238 members of the army and security forces were killed by pro-Assad fighters in attacks in the provinces of Tartous, Latakia and Hama.

The violence occurred on March 7, 8 and 9, 2025.

IsMali and Ali were convicted of seeking to incite civil war and sectarian fighting and for leading armed gangs with the intent to attack public forces.

Two pipelines carrying gas and oil products were damaged in separate incidents in Syria.

Hisham al-Saleh is a gas sector official at the Syrian Petroleum Company.

Repairs on the Baniyas-Homs pipeline have begun.

The protesting families demanded the release of detainees and information about their condition.

Families of Syrians detained by Israel protested in Damascus on October 11, 2026.

The families say at least six minors are among those held by Israel.

Bassam al-Hassan oversaw Syria's chemical weapons programme.

Phil Elwood is the spokesperson for the Tice family.

Hassan told US investigators that Tice had been executed on former President Assad's orders.

Dozens of other Syrians remain detained in Israeli detention.

Al Jazeera's Heidi Pett met with some of the freed Syrians who recounted torture they suffered behind bars.

Syrians released from Israeli detention have described abuse including sleep deprivation, violent searches, and dog attacks.

Two large explosions occurred near Taftanaz military airport in Syria's Idlib province.

The explosions sent a plume of smoke into the sky.

The cause of the explosions remains unknown.

Turkiye denied that it brokered a meeting between Syria and Hezbollah.

Syria's Ministry of Information denied reports that government representatives held direct talks with Hezbollah in Turkiye.

Reuters reported that the meeting involved Hezbollah representatives, Syrian intelligence and Foreign Ministry officials.

Decree 13 is a transitional law recognising the cultural and political rights of Syria's Kurdish community.

Dilshad Hamdo fled Afrin in early 2018 during a Turkish-led military offensive called Operation Olive Branch.

Dilshad Hamdo's family paid 300 US dollars to the displaced family occupying their house so they would leave and return to Homs.

Fionnuala Ni Aolain visited Roj camp in 2023 and found that conditions met the threshold for torture under international law.

Eriksson said some boys have since been transferred to Iraq, while others have been transferred to a makeshift prison for adult alleged ISIL fighters in northeast Syria.

The camp administration did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.

Ahmed al-Sharaa is set to present a 'new Syria' at the UN General Assembly.

Syrians at home are demanding their government deliver safety, justice, and a stable economy.

Ahmed al-Sharaa is the President of Syria.

The cause of the explosions was not immediately clear.

At least four people were injured in explosions at a Syrian army site near Aleppo.

An explosion of unknown origin killed 11 people at a military site in Deir Az Zor province on Friday.

The Syrian Defence Ministry said it is investigating the causes behind the recurrent explosions.

Omer Ozkizilcik said there is no public information about possible sabotage and no evidence of direct Israeli links.

Ismat al-Absi said the wide geographic scope of the explosions meant that deliberate interference should be investigated.

Exploding missiles and ammunition hampered rescue efforts.

Explosions rocked a Syrian army ammunition depot south of Aleppo.

Authorities closed nearby roads.

Nine other soldiers were wounded in the blast.

On September 1, a vehicle carrying ammunition exploded in Binnish, Idlib province, killing five people and wounding others, according to Syrian state media.

This was the second blast at a Syrian military site in less than two weeks.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh was sentenced to 60 years in a US prison for torture committed during the rule of Bashar al-Assad.

Jurors convicted Alsheikh in March of lying to US immigration authorities and fraudulently obtaining a green card and attempting to naturalise as a US citizen.

Alsheikh's lawyers called for a five-year sentence, citing his age of 74 and significant medical and cognitive conditions.

The United Nations Security Council held a monthly meeting on Syria's post-Assad transition.

Danon said Turkiye has 20,000 troops and over 100 bases in Syria, controlling 5 percent of its territory.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said Turkiye planned to expand its military capabilities inside Syria and take over the country.

Assala Nasri publicly supported the 2011 uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad.

Assala Nasri spent more than 15 years in exile.

Thousands of people cheered at Assala Nasri's concert in Damascus.

Aircraft, airbases, and field command centres were used to conduct intensive strikes on populated areas, resulting in destruction of residential neighbourhoods and infrastructure, forced displacement, and extensive casualties.

Syrian security forces arrested five former air force officers accused of involvement in air strikes on civilians during Bashar al-Assad's rule.

Bashar al-Assad fled Syria and is believed to be living in Russia.

Abu Ali says Bassam al-Hassan telephoned Assad, and Assad replied 'Bring him to us.'

Austin Tice was a Georgetown University law student and had served as a US Marines captain.

Abu Ali says he was called into Hassan's office and told the president had approved the operation.

Syria's Ministry of Energy says Syria currently produces about 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day, while the domestic market needs roughly 300,000 to 325,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products.

The Syrian government says the fuel price hikes are temporary.

Demonstrations erupted across Syria following the fuel price hike, with protesters blocking roads including the main highway between Damascus and Aleppo.

Displaced Syrians search through garbage for recyclable materials to make a living.

Displaced Syrians are digging through burning garbage near al-Bab in northern Aleppo.

13 years of civil war left millions in Syria facing acute food insecurity.

Hundreds of oil tanker trucks were stranded in northeastern Syria on Wednesday after demonstrators blocked a major highway near the town of Tal Tamr.

The Syrian government hiked petrol prices by about 30 percent and diesel by 40 percent on Sunday.

Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir is scheduled to be questioned in parliament on Thursday over the increase in fuel prices.

Russia is continuing to resupply facilities in western Syria at Tartous port and the Hmeimim air base under the new deal.

Damascus continues to demand the extradition of Assad, who is currently sheltering in Moscow.

Moscow intervened militarily to prop up former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's 13-year civil war.

Protests were reported in Hama, Khan Sheikhoun and Maarat al-Numan.

Demonstrators blocked a main highway in Syria for several hours.

The Syrian government said the fuel price increases were temporary and caused by a sharp rise in the global cost of securing fuel.

The Syrian government cited higher import costs and the Baniyas refinery overhaul for the fuel price hikes.

Protests have erupted in Syria.

The Syrian government raised diesel prices by up to 40%.

The government announced diesel prices would rise by 40 percent, petrol by at least 25 percent, and cooking gas around nine percent.

Syria's poverty rate is around 90 percent, according to the UN's World Food Programme.

The Syrian government said the fuel price increases were temporary and caused by a spike in refined petroleum products following the US-Israeli war on Iran and renewed hostilities in Yemen.

Relatives identified the killed child as Khaled al-Ajeelah.

Explosive remnants of war continue to endanger civilians across Syria.

A child was killed after an explosive object detonated when he touched it near Damascus.

Presidential adviser Mazloum Abdi arrived in Kobane on Saturday and has been meeting with senior officials there.

Protests broke out in Kobane on Friday over the killing of a former Kurdish fighter named Sami Sheikhmous Hiso.

The prison in Kobane is administered by Kurdish authorities and has not been handed over to the central government.

Around 1,500 Kurdish YPJ women fighters are seeking integration into Syria's new army.

Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reported on Kurdish women fighters training in northeast Syria as they push to join the country's new army.

Commanders of the Kurdish women fighters say they are being told Syrian society 'isn't ready' for women in the military.

The warehouse held weapons and munitions left behind from years of war.

The weapons were collected and held at the depot temporarily before being transferred elsewhere.

An explosion occurred at a temporary weapons depot near Sarmada, in northwestern Syria.

There are currently no formal plans for what will happen to those being held at Roj camp.

About 2,300 women and children from dozens of countries are being held at Roj camp in Syria.

Many of those held at Roj camp are linked to ISIL.

Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024.

The Fourth Division was commanded by Bashar al-Assad's brother Maher al-Assad.

Syria's Internal Security Forces announced the arrest of former Major-General Mohammed Ali Durgham.

Besides the nuclear reactor at Deir Az Zor, the IAEA listed a fuel fabrication plant and a store for nuclear fuel, uranium scrap and waste.

The IAEA visited several sites in Syria in August to carry out verification work.

Grossi said IAEA inspectors had to tear down walls and go through difficult and narrow passages to reach nuclear material that had been hidden at the site.

An OPCW team deployed to Syria last month verified the irreversible destruction of 42 aerial bombs.

Syrian authorities took 18 suspects into custody earlier this year for alleged involvement in al-Assad's chemical weapons programme.

Syria has begun destroying remnants of a chemical weapons programme created under former President Bashar al-Assad.

The YPJ fought ISIL.

Damascus is moving to bring armed groups under state control.

The Syrian Democratic Forces have been dissolved.

A thick sandy haze sharply reduced visibility across Homs.

A dust storm swept across Homs in central Syria, turning the sky and surrounding landscape reddish-orange.

The Damascus International Fair is in its 63rd edition.

Damascus hosted its first Damascus International Fair since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The theme of the 63rd Damascus International Fair is 'Syria Shines Again'.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed Mazloum Abdi as a presidential advisor.

Al-Sharaa issued Decree No 164 appointing Abdi as an advisor to the Presidency of the Republic on Thursday.

Al-Sharaa proposed making Abdi deputy defence minister and nominating him as governor of Hasakah province in January.

US sanctions had banned Syrians from accessing the global banking system for more than 15 years.

A video shows Syria's president using a Visa card.

The US removed Syria from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list.

Cuba was first placed on the US sponsor of terrorism list in 1982.

US President Donald Trump announced the planned removal of Syria from the SSOT list in July.

Al-Sharaa previously led the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate, before breaking ties in 2016.

Russia backed former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout Syria's 13-year civil war.

Under the deal, Syria will take control of civilian facilities at both bases.

Putin affirmed Moscow's support for Syria's territorial integrity during the call.

A government-led offensive into northeastern Syria in January, along with good relations between the Syrian government and the United States, shifted the balance of power regarding SDF integration.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced their dissolution on Tuesday, with forces merging with the Syrian military.

SDF senior official Abdulkarim Omar told Al Jazeera that the YPJ wanted to join the Defence Ministry but was told by the Syrian government that the army's existing structure did not include units for women.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were previously under US sanctions, which have been removed.

Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power in Syria in December 2024.

A 45-day congressional review period passed before the US completed the formal delisting.

The SDF once controlled a de facto autonomous zone in Syria's northeast.

The SDF has completed a merger with the Syrian army.

Al-Sharaa said Syria shakes off a dark stain and tears away a painful chapter of its past.

Hassoun was arrested at Damascus airport in March 2025.

Hassoun is the first Sunni to have been tried in Syria's transitional justice cases since al-Assad's ouster.

Hassoun's money and properties will be confiscated by the state for the public treasury.