“Politics is not about running away from one problem and entering into another problem. Politics is about looking for strategic solutions and building trust between you and those in your surroundings, both internal and external. That requires being clear and honest with all parties.”
~ Ahmad al-Sharaa, President of Syria, 22 June 2026
News Highlights
Current News about Syria
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Presidents Ahmad al-Sharaa and Emmanuel Macron meeting in Damascus announce a new phase in Syria–France relations, July 7, 2026. (SANA)Syria and France commit to long-term cooperation during French president’s historic visit to Damascus
7 July 2026. Calling Emmanuel Macron’s visit a historic milestone, President al-Sharaa said that Syria and France are “laying the foundations for a partnership built on tangible projects that serve the interests of our two peoples.” They restored ambassadorial ties and agreed on broad political, economic and security cooperation.
Read more at: SANA
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French President Emmanuel Macron during joint press conference with Syria’s president at the People’s Palace in Damascus, July 7, 2026. (SANA)France announces its readiness to return € 50 million of seized illicit funds to Syria
7 July 2026. The signing of a declaration of intent between the French and Syrian foreign ministers will initiate the process of recovering € 50 million in Syrian assets confiscated by France’s judicial system. The agreement includes the restoration of 23 artifacts that had been on loan to the Arab World Institute in Paris.
Read more at: SANA
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![Rahmah [meaning compassion] Worldwide Foundation honours 180 orphaned children during a ceremony at the Damascus Opera House, July 5, 2026. (SANA)](https://i0.wp.com/newfaceofsyria.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Rahmah-meaning-compassion-Worldwide-Foundation-honours-180-orphaned-children-during-a-ceremony-at-the-Damascus-Opera-House-July-5-2026.-SANA.jpg?resize=796%2C624&ssl=1)
Rahmah [meaning compassion] Worldwide Foundation honours 180 orphaned children during a ceremony at the Damascus Opera House, July 5, 2026. (SANA)Damascus ceremony honors children orphaned by those who sacrificed for the revolution
6 July 2026. Jointly sponsored by government and humanitarian agencies, the event highlighted the importance attached by Syria to supporting orphaned children. Ministry officials stated that caring for children of martyrs is a national humanitarian responsibility, and that investing in people is central to the new Syria.
Read more at: SANA
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Participants in the first national Eco-Innovate hackathon in Damascus, July 5. (SANA)Syria holds first national hackathon for tech-based solutions in environmentally-conscious development
5 July 2026. The 3-day Eco-Innovate program aims to empower technologically savvy youth to find solutions to Syria’s economic and development challenges that integrate environmental goals. The program seeks to immerse Syrian youth in a culture of environmental innovation.
Read more at: SANA
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A Syrian delegation participates in the Green Climate Fund’s 45th Board meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, June 29 to July 3. (Ministry of Local Administration and Environment, Syria)Green Climate Fund approves $27.7 million grant for Syria’s water security
3 July 2026. The purpose of the grant from the GCF—the world’s largest fund dedicated to financing climate change adaptation and mitigation projects in developing countries—is to address water scarcity in regions of Syria most affected by reduced rainfall and drought resulting from climate change.
Read more at: SANA
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President Ahmad al-Sharaa and First Lady Latifa al-Droubi meet with Syrian-American women professionals at the People’s Palace in Damascus. (SANA)President, First Lady and Syrian-American professional women discuss enhancing women’s role in Syria’s recovery
3 July 2026. President al-Sharaa and First Lady Latifa al-Droubi met with a delegation of US women in healthcare, education, and community work on ways to strengthen women as active partners in Syria’s rebuilding, aiming to prepare a younger generation with requisite knowledge and skills.
Read more at: SANA
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People’s Assembly building in Damascus, as the new parliament is formed. (SANA)Completion of new People’s Assembly membership marks milestone in Syria’s transition to democracy
2 July 2026. With 70 appointments by the president, adding to 137 elected members, Syria’s transitional parliament is complete. The appointees include figures from diverse spheres of Syrian life, including 15 women, plus individuals who suffered years of detention and loss of limbs in Syria’s liberation struggle.
Read more at: SANA
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Foreign Minister al-Shaibani announces Syrian–Lebanese Joint Higher Committee agreement marking a new phase of cooperation. (SANA)Syria’s Foreign Minister announces new step in Syrian-Lebanese relations based on mutual respect, aimed at long-term cooperation
2 July 2026. Minister al-Shaibani announced that Syria and Lebanon are entering a new phase of relations, through a Joint Higher Committee, aimed at long-term cooperation based on mutual interests. He reaffirmed Syria’s commitment to regional stability, constructive dialogue and shared development.
Read more at: SANA
Click here for News Highlights dating back to May 2025
Perspectives
Essays Reflecting on the New Syria
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Weaving the Past into the Present through Syria’s Textiles
The urgency of restoring Syria’s textile industry goes beyond economic revival; it is about preserving irreplaceable connections to the nation’s cultural soul and ensuring that the knowledge, stories, and social practices embedded in textile creation continue to exist for future generations.
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Emerging Leadership in a Changing World
Signs of a new style of leadership are appearing around the world. As old systems fail to respond to accelerating change, people are looking for leaders who can move beyond age‑old patterns of established authority and embrace emerging realities. In many countries — including those that have endured profound upheaval — leaders are arising who emphasise social cohesion, inclusiveness, compassion, responsibility and building trust.
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A Quiet Revolution
A quiet revolution is taking place in Syria today. Its source is an approach to national unity and peace rooted in inclusion, mutual dignity, and shared responsibility. This essay highlights a dramatic example of change in an area heavily conflicted for decades, where armed violence broke out last year several months after the new government came to power, and where police officers from groups once considered mortal enemies now serve side by side. Syria’s new leaders are modeling pathways to peace that speak to the challenges of human coexistence in a divided world.
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The Miracle of Syria
There is no rational explanation for what has occurred. A despotic regime backed by a military superpower was deposed in a bloodless coup by a band of revolutionaries in eleven days. The coup was orchestrated by a militia leader who seamlessly assumed the role of head of state, rapidly gaining respect at home and abroad. A despondent people, living in fear and despair for many decades, experienced the ecstatic joy of liberation, unleashing a flood of creative energy for rebuilding homes, schools and hospitals, drawing millions of Syrians to return from exile. A country in ruins quickly became a vast…
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Damascus in Islamic Prophecy
In these turbulent times, as the world appears to slip further into chaos, people are turning to end-times prophecies for guidance or for comfort. Such prophecies exist in several major world religions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the three Abrahamic religions—and some lesser-known ones such as Zoroastrianism. All of these ancient revelations predict the appearance of a messianic figure who will raise humanity from the depths of darkness and inaugurate a new era of light.
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A Catalyst for Middle East Unity and Stability
The Middle East stands at a potential turning point with the emergence of a new government in Syria. After nearly fourteen years of devastating civil war, foreign incursions, and humanitarian crises, the rise of new Syrian leadership offers an extremely rare opportunity for regional recalibration.
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From out of the Rubble, Life and Hope
The White Helmets lived the meaning of sacrifice—leaving their own families to save others under fire. “It’s hard to be away from your family,” one volunteer said, “but life requires sacrifice.” In a global culture that is shaped by the desire for personal comfort and that exhibits indifference to the suffering of others, their courage stands as a quiet challenge.
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Healing From Syria’s Past
Those who liberated Syria from dictatorship face the daunting task of uniting groups that have seen each other as enemies for generations. Ancient resentments and the desire for revenge cannot be erased overnight. The new government is seeking to establish trust in a land and region of the world where there has been little trust in those who ruled, where brutal leaders were frequently replaced by violent coups, and where dynasties held onto power through harsh and often cruel mechanisms of control.
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The Power of Understanding
The word ‘understand’ carries several meanings, but one of the most significant ones is the ability to show a sympathetic or tolerant attitude toward others. Achieving this kind of understanding is a result of our collective evolution—an expression of the wisdom born from the union of heart and mind.
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The Legacy of Ancient Syria
To understand any nation, especially one whose origins date back many thousands of years, we need to know something about the forces that shaped it. A positive outcome of the long history of trade, turmoil, and constant population shifts is that ancient Aram/Syria became a true melting pot, laying the foundations for a pluralistic civilization. Syria is one of the most multicultural nations in the Middle East, if not the world.
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Terrorists or Heroes?
Can a person who committed acts of terrorism become a national leader and a warrior for peace and unity? To most people this would seem like an unresolvable paradox, a virtual impossibility. Yet world history provides numerous examples of individuals who have used violence in struggles for just causes and who later became admired political figures, leading nations and fighting for the welfare of their people.
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The Appearance of Miracles
In less than six months, a nation that was on the brink of failure has been revived and is undergoing a transformation, an unfathomable occurrence in the normal course of events. Signs point to the presence of a new generation of leaders, whose sole motive is to serve their people and bring peace to a region embroiled in conflict over centuries.