Analysis As Assad softens tone, can Turkey and Syria normalize relations? As news of normalization between Turkey and Syria and a meeting between the Turkish president and his Syrian counterpart abound, many strategic and technical questions need to be addressed. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Italy appoints ambassador to Syria in latest sign of European thaw Syria’s relations with the international community are gradually improving amid the ongoing civil war. By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Russia, Turkey FMs meet in Laos, discuss Syria reconciliation efforts The two top diplomats’ talks come after the Russian and Syrian presidents discussed the Turkish president’s invitation to hold a three-country leaders' summit with his Syrian counterpart after more than a decade of hostilities. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Syria’s Assad meets Putin in Russia amid Turkey dialogue push Russia has been the main backer of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against rebels throughout the Syrian civil war. By Beatrice Farhat In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict
Iraq aims to host first meeting between Turkey's Erdogan, Syria's Assad By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Analysis As Erdogan woos Assad, is Turkey-Syria reconciliation rhetoric or reality? By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Saudi Arabia and Syria resume regular flights as thaw with Assad advances By Beatrice Farhat In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict
Turkish-backed faction blocks fuel en route to Idlib The Free Syrian Army’s Third Legion is reportedly preventing fuel from reaching Idlib, which is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, after the recent fighting between the two parties. By Sultan al-Kanj
Syrian Kurds ban niqab in schools in northeast Syria The decision to ban the niqab at schools by the US-aligned Syrian group has angered some Arab constituents. By Sultan al-Kanj
Syrian man sentenced in Turkey for burning two alive under Islamic State A Turkish court has sentenced a Syrian man for ordering the burning executions of two Turkish nationals in 2016, but many aspects of the grisly murder remain in the dark. By Gokcer Tahincioglu
US blacklists Syrian military officials over 2013 chemical attack Three Syrian military officers were designated for their alleged participation in the August 2013 sarin gas attack on Ghouta. By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Islamic State regains momentum in Syria's Kurdish areas The Islamic State has launched several attacks against the Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria amid lax security by the Syrian Democratic Forces. By Sultan al-Kanj
Russia oversees Syrian forces’ military exercises in northwest Syria Russia is testing the readiness of the Syrian government forces in their area of deployment on the outskirts of Idlib, in what some fear is a prelude to a wide-scale military operation to uproot the opposition in northwest Syria. By Khaled al-Khateb
Syrian jihadist group HTS, armed groups agree to uneasy truce Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has seized several cities and towns in areas under the control of the Turkish-backed factions after days of clashes between rival factions. By Ahmed Read Jamus
Chechen fighters leave Syria to battle Russians in Ukraine Abdul Hakim al-Shishani, a veteran of the Chechen-Russian war in the 1990s and commander of the Ajnad al-Kavkaz group fighting Syrian government forces in Latakia, arrived in Ukraine with a group of Chechen fighters to battle Russian forces. By Sultan al-Kanj
Syrian government retaliates for killing of soldiers by Islamic State The Syrian government and Russia accused the Islamic State of blowing up a troop bus of the Syrian army’s Fourth Division in its main headquarters near Damascus. By Khaled al-Khateb
Ukrainian breakaway region sends delegation to Syria Syria, which has a history of supporting pro-Russia breakaway regions, recognized Donetsk and Luhansk earlier this year. By Al-Monitor Staff
Is Turkey using HTS to strengthen its hand in Syria? Amid Ankara’s overtures to Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — the radical group controlling Idlib — has seized Afrin and is seeking a deal to expand its control further into territories held by factions allied with Turkey. By Fehim Tastekin In Paris, reporting on Turkish politics
Are Syria’s HTS jihadis Turkey’s new friends? After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi faction that runs the northwestern province of Idlib, moved into Afrin, the question of where Turkey stands in this power grab is of critical importance. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture