Conflict in Syria
Since the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, Syria has entered a fragile transition under Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS). In the northeast, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue to clash with Turkish-backed factions and Arab tribes, while rising sectarian tensions have fueled targeted attacks on the Alawite and Druze communities in the southwest. Meanwhile, the Islamic State is exploiting the fragmented security landscape to reestablish its foothold. Israel, viewing the new regime as a threat, has launched air and ground assaults. Although the United States has eased sanctions and Arab states have pledged aid, instability, minority tensions, and weak recovery still block large-scale refugee returns, and humanitarian conditions remain dire.
Syria’s Civil War (2011-24)
What began as protests against President Assad’s regime in 2011 quickly escalated into a full-scale war between the Syrian government—backed by Russia and Iran—and anti-government rebel groups—backed by the United States and a rotating number of U.S. allies, including France, Italy, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom. Three campaigns drove the conflict: coalition efforts to defeat the self-proclaimed Islamic State, violence between the Syrian government and opposition forces, and military operations against Syrian Kurds by Turkish forces.
The Islamic State began seizing control of territory in Syria in 2013. After a series of terrorist attacks coordinated by the Islamic State across Europe in 2015, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France—with the support of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other Arab partners—expanded their air campaign in Iraq to include Syria. Together, those nations have conducted over eleven thousand air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, while the U.S.-led coalition has continued its support for ground operations by the SDF. Turkish troops have been involved in ground operations against the Islamic State since 2016 and have launched attacks against armed Kurdish groups in Syria.
Meanwhile, at the request of the Syrian government in September 2015, Russia began launching air strikes against what it claimed were Islamic State targets, while Syrian government forces achieved several notable victories over the Islamic State, including the reclamation of the city of Palmyra. According to the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, Iraqi security forces and the SDF reclaimed 98 percent of the territory formerly held by the group in Iraq and Syria, including the cities of Raqqa and Deir al-Zour.
With Russian and Iranian support, the Syrian government steadily regained control of territory from opposition forces, including the opposition’s stronghold in Aleppo in 2016. The regime was accused of using chemical weapons numerous times over the course of the conflict, resulting in international condemnation in 2013, 2017, and 2018. Opposition forces maintained limited control in Idlib, in northwestern Syria, and on the Iraq-Syria border. During this period, efforts to reach a diplomatic resolution were unsuccessful. Various rounds of UN-backed peace talks in Geneva failed to reach a political resolution, while a ceasefire reached in Astana, Kazakhstan, collapsed after Syrian government forces violated its terms.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, the United States largely withdrew from Syria, leaving only about four hundred U.S. troops as a contingency force. On January 16, 2019, an attack in Manbij claimed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State killed at least nineteen people, including four Americans. Before that attack, only two Americans had been killed in action in Syria since the U.S.-led campaign began. The U.S.-led international coalition continues to carry out military operations against the remnants of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates.
By 2023, the Assad regime appeared to be reemerging from years of diplomatic isolation. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with Assad in Damascus to strengthen economic cooperation and the Arab League agreed to re-admit Syria after a twelve-year suspension. Rebel groups remained confined to Idlib for several years, leading most regional analysts to believe the threat to Assad had largely ended, even as sporadic Islamic State attacks and Israeli strikes on Iran-backed militias continued.
According to UN estimates, around 580,000 people were killed during the civil war, with millions either internally displaced or living as refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and several European states. On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northwest Syria and southeastern Turkey in one of the worst natural disasters of this century. In Syria, the disaster killed an estimated 8,400 people and caused about $5.1 billion in damages, deepening the humanitarian crisis.
Overthrow of Bashar al-Assad (2024)
Battlefield dynamics in Syria shifted significantly following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israel accelerated its airstrikes in Syria, killing multiple senior officials within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and weakening Iran-backed local militias. After Israel launched a ground invasion and large-scale aerial campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September 2024, the group significantly scaled back its contingency presence in Syria. Likewise, the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced Russia to shift forces away from its bases in Syria.
By November 2024, the retrenchment of Assad’s foreign allies provided a military opening for Syrian rebel groups to renew their campaign against the Assad regime. In contrast to the declining influence of the regime’s allies, the rebels had continued receiving military support from Turkey, which maintained troops in northern Syria and aided the Syrian National Army (SNA), a key rebel group. As the November offensive began, Assad’s forces fought back with minimal firepower. After capturing Aleppo, rebel forces seized Hama on December 5, Daraa on December 6, and Homs on December 7, before overpowering Assad’s fleeing forces in Damascus on December 8. Throughout their offensive, the rebels freed thousands of political prisoners held by the Assad regime. The offensive’s speed surprised many observers, including analysts, Syrians, and even the rebels themselves.
Transition Under Ahmed al-Sharaa (2024-Present)
As Assad fled to Moscow and many Syrians celebrated the rebels’ announcement of victory on state television, a new interim administration emerged under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, then known by his nom de guerre, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. Al-Sharaa founded HTS as a successor group to Jabhat al-Nusra, which was al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate before breaking off in mid-2016. Those ties to al-Qaeda prompted the United States to designate Al-Sharaa as a terrorist. Still, the United States and many European governments cautiously welcomed the change in government, calling for the new regime to implement an inclusive political solution aligned with UN resolutions.
Since then, the Sharaa regime’s record has been mixed. His government has suggested it is committed to a secular state with equality among Syria’s diverse population, but many minority communities feel sidelined and fearful of the new regime. Women and minorities won only a few seats in recent parliamentary elections held in October, while its new interim constitution risks centralizing power without credible institutional guarantees for civil and political rights.
In March, the Sharaa regime signed an agreement with the SDF to integrate the Kurdish population into government structures. However, clashes restarted after the deal failed to materialize. Turkey’s interest in preventing Kurdish autonomy has further complicated the process, as Ankara continues to threaten military escalation.
Although the regime promised to avoid retribution against the Alawite minority, which Assad’s rule had favored, it struggled to contain a vigilante assault that killed an estimated 1,400 members of the community, predominantly civilians, in March 2025. A Reuters investigation traced much of the violence to units integrated into the new government’s security apparatus. In southern Syria, meanwhile, the Druze population accused Damascus of backing Bedouin tribes in deadly clashes over the summer of 2025, which killed at least 1,000 people.
In May 2025, President Trump announced that the United States would suspend all sanctions targeting the Syrian regime, following a more limited U.S. waiver in January 2025. Nonetheless, ongoing security threats, weak government institutions, and lingering international sanctions have limited economic recovery, keeping humanitarian conditions bleak. This has prevented most refugees from returning home, although the UN reported in September 2025 that around 1 million had returned, along with 1.8 million internally displaced individuals.
Throughout this period, Israel has continued striking regime targets. After the Israeli government declared the UN-sponsored 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement void, it initiated a ground invasion on December 8, 2024. Israel coupled the invasion with an aerial campaign targeting weapons caches throughout the country, aiming to prevent the new Islamist regime from amassing significant military power. Israel intensified this campaign during the July 2025 Druze-Bedouin clashes, striking several key government targets, including the Defense Ministry and an area adjacent to the Presidential Palace, as it echoed Druze accusations of regime support for the Bedouin tribes. Despite these clashes, Israel and Syria have maintained talks aimed at restoring the UN-backed 1974 agreement and achieving a broader regional security arrangement.
Syria Accuses Hezbollah of Cross-Border Shelling
Syria’s army accused Hezbollah of shelling targets inside Syria, west of Damascus, from across the Lebanese border (Times of Israel). Meanwhile, Damascus appointed Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) commander Sipan Hamo as deputy defense minister for the country’s eastern territories; the move is seen as part of the implementation of a U.S.-brokered integration agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government (Reuters).
Turkey Allegedly Asks MI6 to Help Protect Syrian President
Turkey’s intelligence agency, MIT, reportedly asked Britain’s MI6 to take a larger role in protecting Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa following recent assassination plots; however, after Reuters published the story, Turkey denied making any such request (Reuters).
Border Crossing With Lebanon Temporarily Closed
The Syrian land and sea ports authority briefly closed its border crossing with Lebanon for all departures; the closure came as Israel warned that it may target the crossing in its operations (Reuters).
Syria Reinforces Border With Lebanon
Syria sent rocket units and thousands of troops to its border with Lebanon; the move reportedly was aimed at preventing the infiltration of Hezbollah or other militant groups into Syria, as well as to stop cross-border arms and drug smuggling (Reuters).
Four Killed by Iranian Missile in Sweida
An Iranian missile hit a building in Sweida, killing four people and wounding several others; other missile debris fell in parts of southern Syria as residents reported hearing interceptor missiles in the skies of Damascus (Reuters).
Syria, Druze Factions Hold First Prisoner Exchange Since July Clashes
The Syrian government and Druze factions controlling the southern city of Sweida conducted their first prisoner exchange on Thursday since deadly sectarian clashes last July (Reuters).
U.S. Military Withdrawing From Largest Base in Northeastern Syria
The Syrian military and security sources stated that U.S. forces began withdrawing from their largest base in Qasrak; the base was the main hub for the U.S.-led global coalition to defeat the self-proclaimed Islamic State (Reuters). While U.S. Central Command did not immediately comment, it confirmed earlier this month that U.S. troops had withdrawn from different base in southeastern Syria (CENTCOM).
Self-Proclaimed Islamic State Militants Kill Four
Self-proclaimed Islamic State militants killed four security personnel in northern Syria, marking the deadliest attack on government forces since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad (Reuters).
Self-Proclaimed Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Two Attacks
The self-proclaimed Islamic State claimed responsibility for two attacks on Syrian army personnel in eastern and northern Syria; this came as the group announced it had entered a “new phase” in operations (Reuters).
Militant Attack Kills One Security Officer
The self-proclaimed Islamic State took responsibility for an attack that killed one security officer and injured another in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province (Reuters).
United States to Withdraw All Forces
American officials stated that the United States is in the process of withdrawing all its troops from Syria; the removal will be “conditions-based” and will occur over the next two months (WSJ).
Australians Released From Roj Camp Returned
Thirty-four Australians released from Roj camp were later returned due to “technical problems” between families and the Damascus government (Reuters). This comes as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the Australian government will provide “absolutely no support” towards repatriation efforts (AP).
Syrian Army Takes Control of Shaddadi Base
The Syrian Army announced that it had taken control of the Shaddadi base in northwestern Syria in coordination with the United States (Reuters).
U.S. Conducts Strikes on ISIS Targets
The United States Central Command announced that it conducted ten airstrikes against at least thirty self-proclaimed Islamic State infrastructure and weapons storage targets between February 3 and February 12 (Reuters).
U.S. Military Completes Prison Transfers
The United States Central Command announced that U.S. forces successfully completed their mission of transferring self-proclaimed Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq; the transfers included moving over 5,700 self-proclaimed IS militants (Reuters).
Saudi Arabian and U.S. Firms to Partner on Energy Project
Three U.S.-based and two Saudi-based firms are to form a consortium for an energy production and oil and gas exploration project in northeast Syria; the move reflects Damascus’s need for energy investments after fourteen years of war (Reuters).
Saudi Investments in Syria
A new Saudi fund will invest around $2 billion to develop two airports in the Syrian city of Aleppo, Saudi Arabia’s investment minister Khalid al-Falih said (Reuters). The Saudi Telecom Company also said it will invest $800 million in a telecommunications infrastructure project in the country (Communications Today). These and other new investments represent a “qualitative leap” in their bilateral relations, Al-Falih said, following more than $6 billion in Saudi investment pledges in Syria last year (NYT).
Syrian Government Blocks Al-Qaeda Affiliated Book
The Syrian government blocked a book containing multiple audio addresses by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq before his death in 2006, from being displayed at a book fair in Damascus; officials stated the book would dampen relation-building efforts between Baghdad and Damascus (Reuters).
Syrian Government Security Forces Enter Qamishli
Syrian security forces continued deployments to Kurdish-led regions and entered Qamishli to engage in talks with senior Kurdish officials (Reuters).
Syrian State Forces Enter Al-Hasakah
Syrian government forces entered Al-Hasakah as part of the U.S.-backed ceasefire deal between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces that plans to merge Kurdish-led regions with Damascus (Reuters).
Syrian Government and Kurds Agree on Integration Deal
The Syrian government and Kurdish forces agreed to a ceasefire that outlines a phased plan to absorb Kurdish fighters into state institutions, garnering praise from the United States; the deal follows recent advances by Damascus this month, which pushed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces back into a reduced northeastern enclave (Reuters).
Syria to Close Al-Hol and Roj Camps
Syria announced plans to close Al-Hol and Roj displacement camps that held civilians and foreigners linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (Reuters).
Putin Hosts Al-Sharaa
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Kremlin to discuss Moscow’s future military presence in Syria (Reuters).
Syria Seeks U.S.-Backed Talks With SDF as Tensions Persist
The Syrian government said it plans to hold a new round of U.S-backed talks with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to define how the group will merge into the central state following a January 18 integration deal (Reuters). In Qamishli, Kurdish residents have organized nighttime volunteer patrols as government forces press closer, underscoring fears despite a ceasefire and continued negotiations (Reuters).
Russia Begins Withdrawing From Qamishli Airport
Russian forces have begun evacuating equipment and personnel from bases around Qamishli airport in northeast Syria as Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces territory shrinks (AP). Russian troops started a gradual withdrawal last week, transferring forces and heavy equipment from the airport to the Hmeimim air base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, Syrian sources said (Reuters).
Damascus Extends Truce With SDF
Syria’s military and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces extended a truce that was set to expire on Saturday, both parties said; the Syrian defense ministry said the extension will last fifteen days and facilitate a U.S. operation to transfer prisoners linked to the self-declared Islamic State from Syria to Iraq (AP).
UN Role in Syria
The United Nations is assuming responsibility for large refugee and detention camps in northeast Syria that were previously guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a senior UN official said; the SDF retreated from the area this week amid an armed offensive by Syria’s government, which aims to integrate SDF forces into its own (Reuters).
Detainee Transfer From Syria
The U.S. military began transferring detainees linked to the self-declared Islamic State from Syria to Iraq, U.S. Central Command said in a statement; the announcement said 150 detainees had already been transported to Iraqi-controlled facilities, with up to 7,000 in total eligible for transfers (CENTCOM). The move comes after dozens of detainees escaped from a Syrian prison in recent days during clashes between government forces and Kurdish rebels (WaPo).
ISIS Detainees Escape Prison
Syria’s interior ministry said today that around 120 detainees had escaped and at least 81 had been recaptured, while a Kurdish website reported that roughly 1,500 had escaped; each side blamed the other for the incident (Al Jazeera). The renewed clashes are testing a freshly-minted truce between Syria’s military and Kurdish forces; they had announced a truce and plans to merge on Sunday, following a Syrian military offensive against the Kurdish group (NYT). The Syrian government gave Kurdish forces a four-day deadline to accept the integration offer (Reuters). The U.S. special envoy for Syria urged Kurdish forces to accept the integration deal in a social media post; he wrote that the U.S. military partnership with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces was less necessary now that the new Syrian government has committed to fighting the self-declared Islamic State (X).
U.S. Carries Out Large Scale Strikes Against ISIS
U.S. Central Command said they were part of continued retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. and Syrian forces last month (CENTCOM). Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, the U.S. and Jordanian militaries have worked with the new Syrian government to target the remnants of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (NYT).
Clashes in Aleppo
Syria’s military declared a ceasefire today in three neighborhoods of Aleppo, after fighting with Kurdish forces displaced an estimated 140,000 people in recent days, per Syrian authorities (Reuters). The clashes broke out despite efforts over the past year to integrate the Kurdish-led, U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces into the country’s military (CFR). The Trump administration is “working extensively” to extend the truce, its special envoy for Syria wrote on social media (X).
Israel-Syria Security Channel
The two countries agreed to establish an intelligence sharing and military de-escalation channel during U.S.-mediated talks in Paris (State Department). Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the arrival of the current Ahmed al-Sharaa government, citing security concerns, even as Washington has urged the countries to reconcile (NYT).