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Syria

This Month

Israel steps up Syria strikes, hitting military headquarters in Damascus

Israel strikes Syrian military HQ as crisis grows

The Israeli government has stepped up attacks on Syria’s military in what it says is an attempt to protect the Druze minority group.

June

Iranians participate in an Eid al-Ghadir ceremony and a protest march on Saturday against the Israeli attacks.

Why Putin and Xi will be panicking over Iran

As Iran is weakened, both China and Russia lose a key partner that shares an interest to rage against what they see as US hegemony in the region.

Israeli rescue team evacuate a wounded woman from a site struck by a missile fired from Iran, in Haifa, northern Israel.

Why Israel attacked Iran, and what to watch for next

After decades of tension, a shift in the conflict between the Jewish state and Islamic Republic to open warfare is now be a real possibility.

A Syrian soldier stands guard in the coastal province of Latakia. Thousands of foreigners flocked to Syria to fight in the civil war that lasted almost 14 years, and many now want to stay.

They went to Syria to fight with rebels. Now they don’t want to leave

Thousands of foreign fighters answered the call to help topple the dictatorship of President Bashar Assad. Many plan to stay, despite the qualms of the US and some Syrians.

Members of the National Guard protect a metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles.

New rules for US Marines to use force against LA civilians

The Pentagon is drawing up rules of engagement for 700 armed marines deployed to the city following violent protests against Trump’s immigration raids.

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May

Why is Trump so obsessed with other men’s looks?

The US president has never made a secret of his preoccupation with looks. But what has increased is the amount of time he devotes to the appearance of men.

A cooking class in Thailand.

Your next Airbnb could include a cooking class and personal trainer

The company is introducing hotel-like services, along with a new selection of local tours and classes, in a bid to take more business away from hotels.

Donald Trump is bestowed the presented the Order of Zayed from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.

Megadeals and hyperbole: Is Trump’s Gulf tour more fiction than fact?

The US president’s visit has been a four-day jamboree of opulent ceremonies and petrodollar-fuelled investment pledges.

President Donald Trump, left, Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, centre, and Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, pose for a picture, in Riyadh.

Trump meets ‘young, attractive’ Syrian leader, urges ties with Israel

Ahmed al-Sharaa swept to power at the head of a group that Washington has called a terrorist organisation and once pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.

March

Pressure on Hegseth grows as strike texts revealed

The revelation that sensitive attack plans were shared on a commercial messaging app, possibly on personal mobile phones, has triggered outrage in Washington.

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, looks on during a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

The secret history of Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa

Is the man once known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani intent on moderating or a brutal strongman?

Smoke rises from a location reportedly struck by US airstrikes in Sanaa.

‘Hell will rain down’: Trump orders strikes on Iran-backed Houthis

US president warned Tehran against supporting the militant group which has disrupted global shipping in the Red Sea.

January

The day after. Law enforcement officers patrol the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans ahead of an American football match on Thursday (Friday AEDT).

The shadow of Islamic State will loom over the Trump presidency

Whatever ISIS’s operational capacity, it has influenced a wave of radicalised ‘lone wolf’ attackers on both sides of the Atlantic.

A British judge in October ordered Tommy Robinson to serve 18 months for repeating a libellous claim that a Syrian refugee schoolboy had attacked English girls.

Who is Tommy Robinson, and why does Elon Musk want him freed?

The X CEO has called for the release of the jailed British far-right extremist, while asserting that UK PM Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute child rapists.

December 2024

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ASX slips; Gold miners’ silver lining; China’s new stealth aircraft

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

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A man cycles past a building that was damaged by airstrikes during the Assad rule in Douma, on the outskirts of Damascus.

Syria’s Islamist rulers appoint first woman to head central bank

The appointment fills a key economic role and comes as the United States and Europe look for a commitment to women’s rights in Syria.

Asma al-Assad

Assad’s wife given ‘50/50 chance’ of survival as leukaemia returns

Asma al-Assad is thought to have flown to Moscow for treatment some time before the Kremlin persuaded her husband to flee in the face of lightning rebel advances.

Syrian journalist Bassel Shehadeh was one of more than 500,000 people estimated to have been killed in Syria since 2011.

Bassel was right about the Assads. It couldn’t save him

The 27-year-old had a Fulbright Scholarship and the future was bright. This is the story of one man’s pursuit of freedom for Syria.

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Softbank woos Trump; Mother of all bubbles; 3 infuriating charts

Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.

People shop in the old town bazaar market in Aleppo at the weekend.

The complex task for the rebels looking to rebuild Syria

The new rulers are taking control of institutions hollowed out by corruption and a devastated economy – amid a desire for revenge from some victims of Bashar al-Assad.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/syrian-arab-republic-fpe