Summer in 1919: The pre-state Israeli watermelons that rode camels and were sold in Syria

Talks of hearts growing fonder between Jerusalem and Damascus brought to mind a 1919 ad from Hadshot Haaretz, one of this newspaper's early names. That summer, the "Avatiach" ("Watermelon") company was proudly offering "selected big, ripe...

If the world has whitewashed Syria's Al-Sharaa, why not Hamas?

Every time discussions of the future of the Gaza Strip and a possible diplomatic solution are back on the table, Israel raises the same argument: "Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization. It's impossible to launder it, impossible to integrate it...

Syria Wildfires

World Bank Predicts Modest Growth for Syria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The World Bank stated that Syria’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by a modest 1% in 2025, following a contraction of 1.5% in 2024. In a statement released Monday, July 7, the World Bank noted that the easing of sanctions offers...

Minister Al-Shaibani discusses with European Delegation latest developments and repercussions of fires in Syria

Damascus, SANA-Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani, received on Tuesday a delegation of the European Union ambassadors, headed by the EU Chargé d’Affaires in Damascus, Michael Ohnmacht. The two sides discussed several issues, most...

As wildfires ravage Latakia, Syria seeks EU support: What to know

BEIRUT — Syria’s authorities appealed Tuesday to the European Union for support in battling massive wildfires that have been engulfing the country’s northwestern coastal region for the sixth consecutive day. Minister of Emergency and Disaster...

Syria Battles Massive Fires amid Conflict, Climate Strain

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian authorities, supported by Jordanian and Turkish teams, continue to combat massive wildfires that have destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of forests in Latakia province, describing the crisis as an unprecedented...

Trump administration revokes foreign terrorist designation for Syria's HTS

Published on 08/07/2025 - 12:19 GMT+2 The Trump administration has revoked the foreign terrorist organisation designation of Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as part of a broader US engagement with the transitional government since the ouster...

AnalysisUS accommodates Syria's former 'terrorist' HTS but maintains pressure

The US has stepped closer towards an alliance that could change the Middle East by no longer regarding Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, Syria's post-Assad rulers, as terrorists. The administration of President Donald Trump made public an official revocation...

Syria: Wildfires ravage Latakia province for fourth consecutive day

Wildfires continued to leave a trail of destruction in Syria's Latakia province on Sunday, as firefighters from neighbouring Jordan arrived to help battle a fourth day of devastating fires in the war-ravaged country. Aerial footage of seen by...

Evacuations in Syria's Latakia countryside as wildfires advance on homes

Syrian firefighters were evacuating people from their homes in the Latakia countryside on Tuesday as wildfires advanced "dangerously close" to populated areas. The forest fires have been burning since last Wednesday across coastal regions that are...

“Syria Indicator” Launches Its Second Investigative Journalism Training

On Sunday, July 5, the independent media platform Syria Indicator launched its second training session in investigative journalism, as part of the “Ethical Journalism for Peacebuilding in Syria” project, supported by Free Press Unlimited (FPU) and...

No war, no peace: The limits of Israel-Syria normalisation

For the first time in over a decade, Syria and Israel are engaging in direct talks - an extraordinary development that unfolds amid deepening Israeli entrenchment in southern Syria and faltering sovereignty of a nascent Syrian government. The...

Trump and Netanyahu talk Syria as Israel claims direct contact

Trump and Netanyahu discussed Syria at the White House during the latter's visit [Getty] US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Syria during a high-level meeting at the White House, with normalisation,...

U.S. Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria’s HTS Amid Diplomatic Shift

In a major foreign policy development, the United States is formally revoking the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also known as the al-Nusrah Front, a group that was previously affiliated with...

US Revokes Terrorist Organization Designation Of Syria's Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham

The U.S. Government has revoked the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a Syria-based jihadist paramilitary organization that fought the Syrian civil war. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the FTO...

The Deadly Remnants of Syria’s War

Yousef Mohammed al-Ibrahim didn’t sense danger when, one day in April, he found a 23 mm shell on the outskirts of Raqqa, in northeastern Syria. Until then, it had been a quiet day for the 11-year-old boy as he peacefully grazed his grandfather’s...

Dujarric: UN teams in Syria ready to support humanitarian response efforts following wildfires in Lattakia

New York, SANA -United Nations announced Tuesday that its teams are participating in the humanitarian response efforts, in cooperation with Syrian authorities, to assess damages resulted from fires that had erupted in the Lattakia countryside. “UN...

US revokes terrorist designation for Syria's HTS

WASHINGTON The United States has announced its decision to revoke its "foreign terrorist organization" designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group once linked to Al-Qaeda that toppled Syria's government in December 2024. "In line with...

Israel, Syria deny reports Netanyahu's national security advisor met Al-Sharaa in UAE

Syrian media reported on Tuesday that President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Israel's National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi in Abu Dhabi. The report was dismissed by both Israeli and Syrian officials. A source in the Syrian Ministry of Information...