25 July 2026. The visit of Antonio Guterres to Syria, the first visit by a UN secretary-general in 17 years, marks a significant step in UN-Syria relations. Lauding the nation’s determination to rebuild and underscoring the UN’s broad support, Guterres called upon the international community to aid Syria’s recovery.Read more at: ENAB BALADI
24 July 2026. Syria and Türkiye signed an agreement to open cultural centers in each other’s country, to hold conferences, forums, festivals, exhibitions and cultural performances, establish libraries and resource centers, and sponsor exchanges of writers, scientists, researchers, academics and students.Read more at: SANA
23 July 2026. Briefing the Security Council, the UN’s envoy for Syria praised the establishment of the People’s Assembly and the Supreme Constitutional Court, while warning that Israel’s incursions, terrorist activity, and shortages of humanitarian aid could threaten the recovery.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
23 July 2026. Syria reopened the Alouk Water Station after years of disruption, restoring public drinking water to al-Hasakah city and countryside, and eventually to half a million residents in the province. The breakdown of the water supply and other public services was a major cause of conflict in the region.Read more at: ENAB BALADI
21 July 2026. The Ministry of Tourism announced that over 3.5 million people had visited Syria in the first half of 2026, more than double the number from the same period in 2025. Foreign tourists accounted for the largest increase, with Syrian expatriates serving as “Syria’s ambassadors around the world.”Read more at: SANA
21 July 2026. A coordinated initiative, overseen by a national committee of ministers, governors and relevant agencies, is working with international financial institutions and UN agencies to remove landmines and restore infrastructure to enable displaced families to return to their communities.Read more at: SANA
20 July 2026. Syria’s geographic location is central to a developing regional strategy aimed at reducing dependence on the Strait of Hormuz as an energy and trade corridor. The need for alternative routes creates the potential for Syria to reemerge as a key hub for the transfer of energy and goods between the Gulf, Central Asia and Europe.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
19 July 2026. President al-Sharaa overhauled Syria’s security and intelligence leadership in an effort to strengthen national security, promote stability and remove obstacles to reconstruction. The move to consolidate agencies comes in the wake of recent violent attacks and cross-border arms smuggling attempts.Read more at: ALJAZEERA
24 July 2026. Authorities in Aleppo are moving ahead with plans to restore the city’s UNESCO-listed Old City, aiming to preserve its historic character, revive centuries-old markets and encourage residents to return as part of broader efforts to support economic recovery, a local official said on Thursday. Restoration work is currently underway on five historic markets and several landmark buildings damaged during years of war. Read more at: SANA
18 July 2026. Addressing the Syria International Textile Exhibition, attended by over 300 exhibitors from 25 countries, President al-Sharaa spoke of the industry’s revival as a means of restoring a heritage of creativity, expertise and skilled craftsmanship, as well as a source of job creation and economic growth.Read more at: SANA
16 July 2026. CMA CGM, one of the world’s largest container shipping and logistics companies, announced an expanded role in Syria’s reconstruction, during French President Macron’s visit to Damascus. The company will aid the development of an integrated transport system, boosting economic development and helping restore Syria’s role in regional trade.Read more at: ENAB BALADI
16 July 2026. Ministers of interior, health, culture and religious endowments (Awqaf) met to advance a nationwide strategy to combat drug trafficking and addiction. They are cooperatively developing a national framework that includes prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration.Read more at: SANA
15 July 2026. Emerging as a stabilizing force, Syria’s Supreme Constitutional Court is assuming an independent advisory role, focusing on shaping a legislative framework while enshrining the rights of the People’s Assembly to legislate and formulate decisions.Read more at: ENAB BALADI
14 July 2026. Syria’s representative to the global conference on the Montreal Protocol, the global treaty universally ratified by UN members in 1987, called for measures to enhance its enforcement, including holding in-person meetings rather than virtual ones to strengthen consensus-building and cooperation.Read more at: SANA
13 July 2026. Dr. Abdul Hamid Aqil al-Awak, a constitutional lawyer, former judge, academic and public servant, was elected Speaker of Syria’s new legislature. Having opposed the previous regime while serving as a judge, he went into exile in 2014 to Turkey, where he laid out legal policies and procedures for Syria’s path to becoming a constitutional democracy.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
13 July 2026. When Syria’s new parliament convened for oath-taking and electing its leader and presidential council, President al-Sharaa urged lawmakers to prioritize public duty, strengthen accountability and help build a responsible, consensus-based legislature. He said the Assembly must serve as a platform for truth and justice.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
13 July 2026. The CEO of the new high-tech center, a public-private venture, said its goal is to connect entrepreneurs with experts and investors in an integrated environment. He said the center will incubate startups from the earliest stages, help develop prototypes, and connect entrepreneurs with partners and financial backers.Read more at: SANA
18 July 2026. The file of recovering Syrian antiquities is witnessing growing momentum, with dozens of artifacts being repatriated from both inside and outside the country. This trajectory combines citizen-led initiatives, official institutional efforts, and diplomatic action in the post-liberation era, aiming to protect the national heritage and recover cultural properties that were lost or smuggled during the years of war. Read more at: SANA
17 July 2026. The Krak des Chevaliers, one of Syria’s best-known medieval landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is re-emerging as a major tourist destination following restoration work after damage sustained during the war. Perched on a hill 750 meters above sea level in the western countryside of Homs, the fortress dates back nearly nine centuries and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006. Watch video at: SANA
11 July 2026. Minister al-Shaibani described Syria’s relationship with Qatar as a partnership based on trust and mutual respect that will foster regional stability. They discussed ways to enhance collaboration across various sectors and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of diplomacy.Read more at: SANA
10 July 2026. Syria’s Minister of Awqaf [Religious Endowments], Mohammed Abu al-Khair Shukri, urged deeper collaboration among Islamic religious and academic institutions along with renewed efforts to promote peace across the Islamic world.Read more at: SANA
9 July 2026. The village of Jinwar, one of several women-led communities in the northeast region, provides a safe haven for Kurdish, Arab and Yazidi women seeking independent lives. It offers healing, cooperation, and self-confidence while fostering peace, resilience, and collective strength. One resident said: “When women take steps forward, everything changes.”Read more at: THE GUARDIAN
8 July 2026. The appointment of Huda Atassi, a prominent advocate for Syrians exiled and displaced by civil war, reflects the inclusion of civil society figures in Syria’s new parliament. Trained as an architect, she left Syria in 2012 for Lebanon and then Turkey, where she served Syrian families suffering in exile.Read more at: SYRIAN OBSERVER
13 July 2026. Before the morning light is complete above the rooftops of Darayya (Rural Damascus, southwestern Syria), dozens of pigeons have already reached the edges of walls and the roof of the loft before their owner. “I like to go up in the morning and sit beside them for two hours, drink a cup of coffee, send them up for a round or two, then go to my friend. We drink a glass of tea and sit together,” he told Enab Baladi. Read more at: ENAB BALADI
13 July 2026. Maktab Anbar, one of Damascus’ most prominent historic landmarks located in the heart of Damascus Old City, and a leading example of 19th-century Damascene architecture, has been added to the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) Heritage List, marking a renewed international recognition of Syria’s cultural heritage. Read more at: SANA
