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Syria

Syria
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Syria. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Damascus
Head of State
President Bashar al-Assad
Head of Government
Prime Minister Hussein Arnous
Australian women returning from Syrian refugee camps where they have been staying since Islamic State’s demise walk past the media as they arrive at the airport in Melbourne on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Australia

Islamic State-linked Australian women charged with keeping slave in Syria

The mother and daughter, accused of ‘crimes against humanity’, were arrested in Melbourne after travelling from a Syrian detention camp.

Australia

Australia warns of arrests as 13 people linked to Isis set to return from Syria

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Middle East

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Brics

Iran war tests India’s Brics leadership as ‘political relevance’ questions mount

With Brics members Iran and the UAE as belligerents, the bloc has failed to reach a common position on the Middle East conflict.

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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi chats with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during the 2025 Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro last July. Photo: AP
Middle East

Syria begins long-awaited first trial of Assad-era officials

Atef Najib was head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province under Assad. He faces charges related to the arrest and torture of teenagers in 2011.

Ukraine war

Ukraine and Syria pledge security cooperation as Zelensky expands Middle East tour

Zelensky and Sharaa discuss drone defence and food security as Kyiv seeks to export its military expertise.

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US, Israel war on Iran

In a time of war, Chinese museums are a safe haven for ancient treasures of Iran

Cultural exchanges established with the Middle East are underscoring China’s role as a safe harbour for vulnerable global heritage.

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An image showing damage to a room in Tehran’s Golestan Palace. Photo: AP
Middle East

Syrians protest against alcohol sale limits, personal freedom curbs

Hundreds of demonstrators in Damascus gathered in a silent protest against the move they say deepens sectarian divisions.

Hong Kong society

Rodent trip: hamster hitches ride on bus to Sha Tin

Golden brown Syrian hamster spotted by a passenger on KMB bus from Central.

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war nears 3-front tipping point as Gulf energy hubs burn

Israeli strikes on the world’s largest gas field and Iranian attacks on Saudi and Qatari hubs threaten a global energy crisis.

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Smoke and fire rise near the South Pars gas field following an attack amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Turkey

Pregnant woman and 5 kids die in container fire in Turkey

The 27-year-old mother was seven months pregnant, with her husband fighting for his life after the blaze.

Burned containers housing agricultural workers following a fire in Kepez district, north of Antalya, southwestern Turkey. Photo: AFP/DHA
Middle East

Drone and rocket attacks target US embassy as Iraq is pulled into war

Iraq’s Green Zone in Baghdad comes under attack as war rages on multiple fronts in the Middle East.

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Middle East

Opinion | How US-Israel war on Iran rocks foundations of the Abraham Accords

For Arab states, the conflict has revealed a paradox: the alliances meant to enhance their security may also have increased their vulnerability.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Nearly 500 dead in Lebanon from Israeli offensive against Hezbollah

As the death toll rises by 100 a day, the Lebanese president proposes a truce with Israel, saying Hezbollah is pushing Lebanon into ‘chaos’.

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Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs. Photo: Reuters
US, Israel war on Iran

‘Disappointing’: Americans recall desperate, self-funded escapes from Mideast

‘Everyone’s been sending each other resources because, quite frankly, the US has not done a single thing in any capacity,’ a traveller says.

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An empty terminal at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Photo: AFP
Iran

How far could the war with Iran spread beyond the Middle East?

From Turkey and the Caucasus to South Asia, analysts warn the war could ignite new flashpoints along regional fault lines.

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Germany

Berlin jails man for 13 years over stabbing at Holocaust memorial

The man, 20, said he had been motivated by his radicalisation and belief he was acting with a religious mission.

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US, Israel war on Iran

A guide to how the Iran war has ricocheted across the Middle East and beyond

From sunken warships to closed airspaces, here is a country-by-country breakdown of the conflict’s impact so far.

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Exposing himself to the danger of unexploded ordnance, a boy tries to climb on an Iranian projectile that landed in an open field in the outskirts of Qamishli, eastern Syria. Photo: AP
Ukraine war

Trump’s Iran attack sparks calls in Russia to abandon Ukraine talks

Some Russian hardliners are urging Vladimir Putin to double down on the war in Ukraine.

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US, Israel war on Iran

US and Kurds discuss potential Iran military operation: sources

The prospect of Kurdish groups operating inside Iran signals US consideration for a ground uprising.

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Cathay Pacific

432 Hongkongers stranded in Middle East and 47 flights cancelled

Cathay Pacific also suspends Dubai and Riyadh flights, as attacks force countries to close airspace.

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Flag carrier Cathay Pacific has suspended its Dubai services until Thursday. Photo: Eugene Lee
US-Iran tensions

Airspace closed, flights cancelled amid US-Israel-Iran conflict

Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Syria and the UAE all announced at least partial closures of their skies.

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An interior view of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv in Israel on Saturday after the nation closed its airspace to civilian flights following a joint Israeli-US attack on Iran. Photo: Xinhua
Middle East

US presses Syria to shift from Chinese telecoms systems

Washington warned Damascus, which is considering buying Chinese telecoms technology, to buy from US or allied states.

Middle East

US ambassador says Israel has right to much of Middle East, sparking uproar

Mike Huckabee’s comments were condemned by Arab and Muslim nations as ‘extremist rhetoric’.

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Middle East

US pulls forces from Syria as new government exerts control

The Syrian army has already taken control of Al-Tanf military base, ending an American military presence that lasted for a decade.

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Syrian government internal security forces enter the city of Hasakeh on February 2. Photo: AFP\
Australia

Australian citizen in Syria with alleged Isis ties banned from returning home

This is the first known use of a temporary exclusion order introduced in 2019 to prevent high-risk citizens from returning to Australia.

Australian family members of suspected Isis militants walk toward a van bound for the airport during the first repatriation operation of the year at Roj Camp in eastern Syria on Monday. Photo: AP
United States

US civil rights icon Jesse Jackson dies at 84: ‘my constituency is the damned’

The Baptist minister’s two presidential runs helped lay the groundwork for the election of America’s first black president, Barack Obama.

Middle East

US pulls out of strategic military base and hands it over to Syria

Syria says its forces have taken over al-Tanf base, ending an American military presence that lasted for more than a decade.

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