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Conflict in Syria

British, French Strikes on ISIS

  • The two countries bombed an Islamic State weapons facility in Syria, the British foreign ministry announced (UKG)
  • The strikes follow dozens of U.S. attacks against ISIS targets in Syria in December, retaliation for the ISIS killing of U.S. service members (CENTCOM; X)

U.S. Defense Bill Removes Congressional Sanctions on Syria

  • The U.S. Senate passed an annual defense bill that removes congressional sanctions on the Syrian government applied in 2019 to support the country’s reconstruction following the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad (AP)

U.S. Troops Killed in Syria

  • Trump pledged “very serious retaliation” on social media after two U.S. service members and one American civilian interpreter were killed in Syria; he wrote that the self-declared Islamic State was responsible and that the attack occurred in a part of the country not fully controlled by the Syrian government (Truth Social)
  • Three other U.S. service members and two members of Syrian security forces were also wounded; a spokesperson for Syria’s Interior Ministry said the gunman, who was killed during the attack, had been part of the government’s security forces (NYT)

Israeli Druze Leader Urges U.S. Protection of Syrian Druze

  • Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif argued that such intervention was necessary to reduce the need for Israeli intervention to safeguard minority communities, following deadly clashes in Sweida this summer; he called for a model of internal autonomy for the Druze community (Reuters)

Shelling in Damascus

  • Shells landed near the Mezzah military airport, per Syria’s state news agency, following reports of explosions; no culprit has been identified, though Damascus has recently faced similar artillery attacks (Anadolu Agency)

Syria Marks One Year Since Assad’s Fall

  • Crowds rallied across Damascus, Aleppo, and other cities to commemorate the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa touted a “promising future,” although Syria continues to grapple with political and economic hurdles (BBC)
  • In Washington, the U.S. Congress passed a defense spending bill that included a repeal of the Caesar sanctions, which were widely viewed as an obstacle to Syrian reconstruction (Reuters)

U.S. Military Praises Syria’s Anti-Hezbollah Measures

  • The U.S. Central Command issued a statement congratulating Syrian security forces for intercepting several weapons shipments being smuggled to Hezbollah through Syrian territory, as the United States increases coordination with Damascus in countering Iranian proxies (X)
  • In Ottawa, meanwhile, officials removed Syria from Canada’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, as Damascus continues pushing for international relief (Al Jazeera)
  • Finally, a Reuters investigation revealed that former Assad intelligence chief Kamal Hassan and billionaire cousin Rami Makhlouf are each financing tens of thousands of prospective Alawite fighters from exile in Moscow, competing to control a network of underground command rooms and weapons stockpiles left from Assad’s final days; both men aim to incite uprisings along Syria’s coast to restore their influence, although their efforts remain disorganized and underfunded, diminishing the plotters’ prospects (Reuters)

Landmark UN Security Council Visit to Syria

  • All fifteen members of the Security Council traveled to Damascus for the council’s first-ever visit to Syria, signaling international re-engagement following Assad’s ouster last year; the delegation met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and civil society figures to discuss accountability, reconstruction, and national reconciliation (AP)
  • Additionally, Visa will begin operating in Syria as the country’s economic reconstruction progresses, the company and Syrian central bank governor Abdulkader Husrieh announced; Husrieh said Damascus aimed to make Syria a financial hub for the region (Reuters)
  • The International Monetary Fund pledged to assist with building out its financial system following a staff visit to the country last month (Reuters)

EU Revises Asylum Policy for Syrians

  • The new guidance reflects changes inside Syria, concluding that some former risk groups may no longer face persecution while warning that minorities and former regime affiliates remain vulnerable; the revision could affect asylum outcomes for more than 100,000 pending cases (AP)
  • Syria’s Central Bank head said that the return of refugees has helped economic activity rebound at a faster pace than international forecasts; he also discussed plans to introduce a redesigned Syrian currency and overhaul deficit financing as part of reintegration into the global financial system (Reuters)

Netanyahu Signals Openness to Arrangement With Syria

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that an understanding would require the creation of a broad demilitarized belt extending toward Mount Hermon; his remarks follow public concerns from the Trump administration that Israel’s continued military activity inside Syria is undermining the country’s economic and political rehabilitation (Reuters)

Joint U.S.-Syrian Operations Against the Islamic State

  • The U.S. military said the operations eliminated multiple arms depots linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State around Damascus, as Washington signals continued security cooperation with the Sharaa administration and weighs further sanctions repeals (Reuters)

Amnesty International Calls for Further Reforms in Syria

  • The group’s secretary-general said that the Sharaa regime has taken initial steps toward accountability and legal reform but has not yet established meaningful democratic structures; she also urged foreign governments to investigate recent abuses, warning that Syria’s transition risks stalling without outside backing (AP)

Clashes in Alawite Latakia

  • Hundreds from the Alawite community gathered in a rare protest to demand a more decentralized political system and the release of detainees, prompting government supporters to hold a counter-protest that escalated into gunfire in one of the city’s main squares; Syrian security forces fired warning shots in response (Jerusalem Post)

Sectarian Clashes in Homs

  • Members of the Bani Khaled tribe attacked an Alawite-majority neighborhood following the killing of a Bedouin husband and wife in the village of Zaidal, injuring multiple people and killing at least two; security forces later imposed a curfew and initiated investigations (AP)

Netanyahu Visits Israeli-Occupied Syrian Territory

  • Damascus blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to troops stationed in southern Syria, calling it a breach of sovereignty after Israel expanded its positions there following Assad’s fall; Syrian officials said the move signaled Israel’s refusal to reverse recent territorial gains, as sources report that U.S.-mediated talks on a limited security arrangement have stalled (Reuters)
  • An Israeli news report had suggested that Jerusalem was conditioning a withdrawal of its troops in Syria on complete normalization of bilateral ties, which Damascus has rebuffed (Times of Israel)
  • In Raqqa, meanwhile, two Syrian army soldiers were killed in clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces, as talks to implement the March deal between the two sides continue to falter (Al Arabiya)

Syrian Trial Over March Coastal Killings

  • Syria opened its first court proceedings related to the March massacres of Alawite civilians, trying a dozen defendants from both government-affiliated forces and pro-Assad insurgents in a public session in Aleppo; officials framed the case as an effort to demonstrate accountability in the post-Assad era, though activists and Alawite groups questioned the judiciary’s independence (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, senior Syrian and Russian defense officials conducted a joint visit to southern Syria following the arrival of a Russian delegation to the country; Damascus is seeking renewed Russian military support to deter expanding Israeli operations, despite continued Syrian aversion to Moscow for its support of the former Bashar al-Assad regime (The National)

Syria Detains Security Forces Over July Sweida Clashes

  • Damascus announced that an unspecified number of Syrian security forces and soldiers were arrested as part of the investigation into the clashes, which occurred between the Druze minority and Bedouin militias aided by government-affiliated forces (Jerusalem Post)
  • The situation in Sweida remains tense following an exchange of fire between Druze and Syrian government units late last week (AP)

EU-Syria Meeting in Damascus

  • Syrian civil society groups, transitional authorities, and European Union (EU) officials held their first joint discussions inside Syria since the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime, addressing communal strains and unresolved cases of missing individuals; EU officials said the event marked a step toward more inclusive political engagement (AP)

Fighting Resurfaces in Sweida

  • Druze armed groups and Syrian government units blamed each other for breaching a months-old ceasefire after renewed clashes around al-Majdal, which involved drone strikes and heavy weapons but caused no reported deaths; local officials warned the flare-up risks reigniting the large-scale violence that devastated Sweida earlier this year (AP)
  • In Damascus, unknown assailants fired rockets in the Mezzeh district, injuring a civilian; explosions in Damascus have been relatively rare since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime (Al Jazeera)

Syria Reopens London Embassy

  • Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani visited the United Kingdom and formally reopened the embassy more than ten years after its closure; al-Shibani said his talks with UK officials were constructive (AP)
  • Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Tom Barrack said Damascus will support U.S. efforts to counter Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, following Syria’s entry into the coalition against the self-proclaimed Islamic State; along with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Barrack also also met Turkish and Syrian officials to discuss integrating the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the Syrian state (Times of Israel/AFP)

Counterterror Operations in Syria

  • The U.S. military announced that between October 1 and November 6, U.S. forces facilitated at least twenty-two operations targeting militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS); the operations killed at least five fighters and captured another nineteen (Reuters)
  • Syria formally joined the anti-IS coalition earlier this week, although a Syrian official suggested on Wednesday that Syrian participation is currently limited to political rather than military cooperation (AP)

Sharaa at the White House

  • Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian president to visit the White House since 1946, eleven months after his rebel alliance ousted former leader Bashar al-Assad (WaPo)
  • Sharaa has called for the suspension of remaining U.S. sanctions on Syria (Reuters)
  • Following the meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump praised Sharaa and promised the United States would “do everything we can to make Syria successful,” while also minimizing the implications of Sharaa’s past ties to terror organizations (Al Jazeera)
  • Separately, Syrian officials said security forces thwarted two plots from the self-proclaimed group to assassinate al-Sharaa in recent months, underscoring its continued activity in the country (Reuters)

Syrian Counterterrorism Operations

  • The Syrian Interior Ministry announced that its forces executed sixty-one nationwide operations against militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State, arresting seventy-one fighters and seizing several weapons, as Syria prepares to join the U.S.-led coalition against the terror group (Reuters)

Britain Lifts Sanctions on Sharaa

  • The removal of sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa follows a UN Security Council decision to remove similar restrictions ahead of Sharaa’s planned meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump; the European Union confirmed it will also lift its measures, though other arms and security restrictions on Syria will remain (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, the UN reported that nearly 100 individuals have been abducted in Syria since January 2025, causing worry of continued political violence even after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last year (UN)
  • Separately, the Syrian Foreign Ministry denied a Reuters report that the United States was planning to establish a military presence in Damascus, while the Interior Ministry suggested Russia could play a role in developing the Syrian military and other security forces (New Arab)

UN Repeals Sanctions on Sharaa

  • Fourteen members backed a recently proposed U.S.-drafted resolution removing Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his interior minister from an international sanctions list, clearing asset freezes and an arms embargo as talks with U.S. President Donald Trump approach; China abstained from the vote (Al Arabiya)
  • Separately, Sipan Hamo, a senior commander in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said negotiations on integrating his group into state structures have stalled over disagreements on decentralization and the force’s status; he added the SDF is preparing for potential conflict even as it seeks to uphold a March agreement with Damascus (Al Arabiya)