WorldSyrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told the United Nations General Assembly that Syria had moved from crisis toward reconstruction and was “rising” after the fall of the Assad regime. He described efforts to restore state institutions, control weapons, fight drug trafficking and organised crime, pursue transitional justice and rebuild the economy, while highlighting refugee and displaced-person returns.
WorldAt least four people were injured in a massive explosion at a Syrian army weapons depot near Aleppo, which shook the surrounding countryside. Hospitals and emergency teams are standing by for possible casualties.
WorldA massive blast struck a Syrian army weapons depot in Al-Eis, near Aleppo, shaking the surrounding countryside. Hospitals and emergency teams are standing by in case of casualties.
CulturePalmyra, once a major cultural centre of the ancient world, suffered extensive damage during Syria’s war. ISIL fighters destroyed several temples, while the city repeatedly changed hands. About 90 percent of the modern town was damaged or destroyed, but tourism is slowly returning and raising hopes for its shattered economy.
WorldA monthly UN Security Council meeting on Syria became a confrontation between Israel and Türkiye, with the two countries arguing over their military presence on Syrian soil.
WorldA Syrian military criminal court has convicted and sentenced three men over their roles in the mass killings along Syria’s coast in March 2025, presenting the new government’s first major test in holding perpetrators accountable. Two were affiliated with Bashar al-Assad’s former regime, while the third was linked to government forces. A fourth defendant was acquitted for lack of evidence; one former regime loyalist received life imprisonment for looting and involvement in the violence.
World2:01An unexpected rise in gas prices has triggered protests across Syria. The government blames global supply disruptions and maintenance at the country’s largest oil refinery, while demonstrators say they cannot absorb the added costs.
World1:35Syria condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for entering its territory on Wednesday to visit Israeli troops stationed in southern Syria, describing the move as “provocative and a blatant violation” of its sovereignty. Israeli forces have remained in a southern “security zone” since Bashar al-Assad’s rule fell in December 2024.
WorldThe Syrian government is tightening control over the northeast after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were disbanded at the end of August, ending more than a decade of de facto Kurdish autonomy. In Kurdish-majority cities including Qamishli and Hasakah, residents cautiously hope integration into a new Syria will bring greater political participation and recognition of Kurdish rights.
WorldKurdish women fighters became symbols of the fight against Islamic State. They say Syria’s new Islamist-led authorities have told them that women have no place in the country’s military, including their experienced battalions.
Reuters
WorldThe Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have announced the end of their existence as an independent military force after completing integration into Syria’s army. Governments across the region welcomed the move, which marks a major shift in Syria’s postwar political and military landscape.
WorldThe Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, founded in 2015 during the Syrian war, has officially dissolved and integrated with the Syrian army under an agreement with Damascus. After Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed in December 2024, the army launched an offensive in the region, costing the SDF much of the territory it once controlled in northern Syria.
WorldTurkey said Wednesday that dissolving the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces was a key step toward strengthening state authority and securing lasting stability in Syria. Ankara has long viewed the SDF as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for decades.
WorldDaily Sabah’s Mehmet Celik discusses the significance of the SDF, dominated by the YPG terror group in Syria, announcing its dissolution after reaching a deal with the Syrian government.
WorldEleven years after its formation, the YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces, described as a terror group, has announced its dissolution. The move follows a deal reached with the government last year to integrate its forces into the Syrian army and state institutions. St Andrews University’s Filiz Katman provides analysis.
WorldSyrian Democratic Forces leader Mazloum Abdi has announced the group’s dissolution, saying it will no longer operate as an independent force. The move follows an integration deal with the government after the SDF lost most of its territory in northeastern Syria during a January offensive. Abdi has pledged to protect Kurdish rights.
WorldSyrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that the Kurdish administration’s integration into Syria’s state institutions is complete, ending the Kurds’ long-standing aspiration for autonomy. The announcement followed months of talks stemming from a January agreement to fully incorporate Kurdish civilian and military institutions into the state, a move Washington called “historic.”
WorldThe Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have been dissolved, according to their leader, marking a major step in the group’s integration with Damascus’s Islamist-led government. The sides agreed in January to gradually incorporate Kurdish fighters into the state, a plan Washington called a “historic milestone”.
WorldThe Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces say they will dissolve and integrate into Syria’s army under an agreement with Damascus. Commander Mazloum Abdi said the move ends the SDF’s status as an independent armed force, while the deal guarantees Kurdish cultural, civil and educational rights.
WorldTurkey has welcomed the US decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The decades-old designation carried severe economic consequences for Damascus, and Washington has also announced corresponding sanctions relief for Syria.
PoliticsAfter nearly five decades, the United States has taken Syria off its state sponsors of terrorism list, reopening access to global finance. The move could reconnect Syrian banks to SWIFT and correspondent banks, reduce costs and attract investment. Business owners say earlier restrictions forced expensive workarounds; a returning entrepreneur has pledged $3m for a structural and ballistic glass plant.
PoliticsAfter the United States ended Syria’s listing as a state sponsor of terrorism, President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a video that his country was shedding a “dark burden” and turning toward development.
Reuters
EconomySyria’s removal from the US State Department’s state-sponsors-of-terrorism list brings nearly five decades of isolation to an end. Former US special envoy for Syria Michael Ratney endorsed the move as both right and necessary for giving the Syrian economy room to breathe, saying the designation fit the Bashar al-Assad era but is far less fitting under Ahmad al-Sharaa.
WorldA Damascus court has sentenced former Syrian Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun to life in prison after convicting him of inciting premeditated murder, civil war and other charges classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Appointed by Bashar al-Assad in 2005, Hassoun was a vocal supporter of the Assad regime and its methods.