“Education is the most natural means of fostering understanding, deepening national belonging, and raising generations that are confident in their identity, proud of their diversity, and committed to the unity of their homeland in both its land and people.”
~ Muhammad Turko, Syrian Minister of Education, 18 January 2026
News Highlights
News about Syria from Around the World
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President al-Sharaa met with a delegation from the Kurdish National Council (KNC) in the People’s Palace, Damascus, February 3, 2026. (L24:Social Media)President opens dialogue with Kurdish political leaders following ceasefire with SDF
3 February 2026. President al-Sharaa met with KNC leaders on implementing recent agreements to integrate Kurdish people into the state. He affirmed that constitutional guarantees are in place to protect Kurdish rights and reinforce equal citizenship, while preserving cultural and social traditions.
Read more at: LEVANT24
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Families in Hama hold photographs of those lost in 1982, 3 February 2026. (Enab Baladi)Hama publicly commemorates brutal massacre for the first time in 44 years
3 February 2026. In 1982, the Hafez al-Assad regime killed an estimated 40,000 Hama civilians, forced the disappearance of 17,000 others and decimated entire neighbourhoods, for opposing the regime’s oppression. While documents were secretly compiled through the years, this first public ceremony restores dignity to the victims and opens a pathway toward justice for survivors.
Read more at: LEVANT24
See also: “Never Forgotten: Assad Dynasty’s Failure to Exterminate and Erase Hama”
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Cheers broke out as Syrian military convoy enters Tel Brak in northern Syria. (Al Jazeera)Celebrations in former SDF stronghold as government forces arrive
3 February 2026. People gathered in the town square to cheer the arrival of state forces, expressing a mixture of joy at the liberation of their town, anger at SDF’s imprisonment of their relatives, and hope that the government continues its push to free areas from SDF control.
Watch video at: ALJAZEERA
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Syria’s Ministry of Health and UNDP (United Nations Development Program) sign agreement to rehabilitate and equip hospitals across five governorates, funded by the German government. (SANA)German funding will rehabilitate five major hospitals, under Health Ministry partnership with UNDP
3 February 2026. A €35 million German funded agreement between Syria’s Health Ministry and UNDP will restore and equip five major hospitals in areas recovering from conflict, part of the government’s efforts to rehabilitate healthcare. A portion of the funds will revitalize 25 medical centres across Syria.
Read more at: SANA
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Suleiman Abdulbaqi, head of internal security in Suwayda, visits Washington, D.C. as part of a delegation of social and civil figures from the governorate. (L24:Social media)Message of Suwayda delegation to Washington: We seek to be part of a unified Syria
2 February 2026. A Suwayda delegation met with US officials to present the governorate’s political and security realities directly, free of “misleading narratives.” Part of an outreach effort to find political solutions to the ongoing crisis, the message emphasized unity and rejected separatism.
Read more at: LEVANT24
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Representatives of Finland and UNICEF formalize new support for children in Syria. (UNICEF)Finland and UNICEF will foster inclusive education and protection for vulnerable Syrian children
1 February 2026. “Syrian children have waited too long for stability, safety and opportunities to learn,” said UNICEF’s representative in Syria, as the UN agency and Finland announced €2.7 million to expand inclusive education and child and social protection, prioritizing children with disabilities and those affected by conflict and displacement.
Read more at: SANA
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President al-Sharaa signing “Ceasefire and Full Integration Agreement” with SDF, 18 January 2026. (Counter-Vortex)Syrian government and Kurdish-led forces (SDF) announce agreement to end fighting and proceed toward unification of Syria
31 January 2026. Syria and the SDF agreed to a nationwide ceasefire and a phased integration of SDF forces and institutions into the Syrian state, restoring central authority over governance and administration.
Read more at: LEVANT24
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Ibrahim Olabi, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, during monthly meeting of the Arab Group, 28 January 2026. (Ibrahim Olabi,X)Syria elected to key role on major UN committee, reflecting confidence of UN member states
30 January 2026. Syria was elected by acclimation as Vice Chair of the UN Preparatory Committee on the Convention on Crimes Against Humanity. Ambassador Olabi noted the significance of the shift from involvement in issues internal to Syria to a role in global issues.
Read more at: ENABBALADI
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Modernized production lines support Syria’s push to secure daily bread supplies and strengthen food security. (L24)Syria boosts rehabilitation of bakeries to ensure stable bread supply including in newly liberated Kurdish areas
30 January 2026. Syria’s government launched a comprehensive program to strengthen food security, with bakery and grain establishments cooperating to improve efficiency, modernize production, improve bread quality, and ensure daily supplies.
Read more at: LEVANT24
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President Ahmad al-Sharaa marks one year in office as transitional president. (NFS)On Victory Conference anniversary, President prays to be worthy of the peoples’ trust
30 January 2026. On the anniversary of the Conference of the Syrian Revolution’s Victory, when Ahmad al-Sharaa shifted roles from military commander to president of the republic, he evoked the sacrifices of Syrians in every sphere and prayed to be worthy of their trust.
Read more at: SANA
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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, 28 January 2026. (Sputnik)Russia to serve in Syria’s reconstruction and promote regional stability
30 January 2026. Syrian President al-Sharaa and Vladimir Putin affirmed expanding Russian–Syrian cooperation, emphasizing reconstruction, economic progress, and efforts to restore Syria’s territorial unity and foster Middle East stability.
Read more at: ENABBALADI
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A family takes a picture outside Aleppo’s historic citadel, February 2025. (Omar Haj Kadour:AFP)Syria’s tourism industry rebounds with over 3.5 million visitors since liberation
29 January 2026. An upsurge in foreign tourists and expatriates visiting their homeland occurred between the December 2024 victory and December 2025. Officials cited improved security, revived cultural events, and growing regional and international interest in Syria.
Read more at: LEVANT24
Read more News Highlights
Perspectives
Essays Reflecting on the New Syria
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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.
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Rebuilding Syria
For peacefully protesting against the dictatorship, the Syrian people lived in terror of endless war and repression… and its population became increasingly impoverished, with large sections of cities destroyed and lying in ruins… The new leaders quickly began to establish the rule of law and an environment of freedom for all Syrian peoples… demonstrating a strong will to reconstruct the nation as a democratic state that respects human rights, seeks unity among the diversity of peoples, and is committed to the common good.
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Breaking the Endless Cycle of War
Humanity stands at a crossroads. We have the power to reject our inheritance of mutual destruction and build, instead, a future based on mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation. This possibility rests on potentials of our species that have been largely untapped until now: an active willingness to listen, a capacity for forgiveness, the aspiration to reach across human divides, and the awareness that no group or nation thrives when others suffer… In the case of Syria, the new leadership has held up these qualities as paramount for the rebirth of the country.