Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Damascus is actively pursuing a security agreement with Israel, with talks involving several countries. In an interview on Al Jazeera’s Al Muqabla program, reported on July 26, 2026, he said the arrangement could reduce tensions between the two countries and potentially open a path toward a broader peace agreement.

Al-Sharaa said Syria does not want to become involved in a direct conflict with Israel at present. He stressed that any security understanding would not undermine Syria’s rights over the occupied Golan Heights. He described a security framework as a possible foundation for addressing a wider, long-term crisis.

His remarks came after Israel carried out multiple military operations and air strikes in southern Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024 and al-Sharaa’s rise to power. Al-Sharaa also denied plans for Syrian military intervention in neighboring Lebanon, saying instability there would directly affect Syria. He said Lebanon’s crisis requires an integrated political, economic and social solution rather than a security-only approach.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to Israeli military incursions into Syrian territory. In a statement posted on his official X account during an official visit to Syria, Guterres said Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be fully respected. The report was published on July 26, 2026, as he undertakes what it describes as a historic visit to the country.

Guterres said Israel was violating the 1974 disengagement agreement and that such violations were wholly unacceptable and must stop. The agreement was signed between Syria and Israel after the 1973 war, according to the report. He also stressed the need to give full importance and respect to Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

The visit marks the first official trip to Syria by a UN chief in 17 years, the report said. It added that Israel has occupied Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967. After former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was removed from power in December 2024, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed Israeli forces to take full control of the Golan Heights buffer zone, contributing to renewed tensions in the area.

At least 35 people were killed and 30 injured when two passenger buses collided Saturday on the road from Deir ez-Zor to Damascus, Syria’s Health Ministry said. State news agency SANA reported that one bus was carrying members of the internal security forces, while the other was a civilian passenger bus. The source did not provide a cause for the crash.

Helicopters from Syria’s Defence Ministry were used to rescue the injured and remove bodies from the scene, according to SANA. The injured and the dead were transferred from Palmyra airport to a military hospital in the city of Homs. The reported casualty figure means at least 65 people were killed or injured in the collision.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa offered condolences to the families of those killed. He also instructed relevant authorities to provide all forms of assistance for responding to the accident and treating the injured. The report did not state the identities of the victims or provide further details about the buses’ routes beyond the Deir ez-Zor-to-Damascus road.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Syria on Saturday for a three-day visit, marking the first trip to the country by a UN secretary-general since Syria’s civil war began in 2011. Syria’s state news agency SANA said Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani welcomed Guterres and his delegation at Damascus International Airport. The report was published on July 25, 2026.

Guterres is expected to reaffirm UN support for Syria’s political transition. The country entered a new political phase after the new government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa removed longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad from power in December 2024. The previous visit by a UN secretary-general was made by Ban Ki-moon in 2009.

The civil war began two years after Ban’s visit, killing more than 500,000 people and leaving Syria in conflict for a prolonged period. During the current trip, Guterres will meet President al-Sharaa and exchange views with civil society representatives and members of nongovernmental organizations working on women’s rights. He is also scheduled to address Syria’s recently established interim parliament.

According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, Israeli forces carried out several incursions into rural areas of Quneitra over the past two days. The report said five military vehicles entered the Al-Samdaniyah al-Sharqiyah area, where Israeli soldiers set up a temporary checkpoint and searched passersby. In a separate incident, Israeli troops stationed in Al-Hamidiyah fired a mortar shell and smoke bomb, though no casualties were reported.

The previous evening, six Israeli military vehicles advanced near the Qudna dam under drone surveillance before retreating. Damascus strongly condemned these operations, describing them as a clear violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. Syria also urged the international community to compel Israel to fully withdraw its forces from southern Syria.

The incidents add to ongoing tensions along the Israel-Syria frontier, with Damascus seeking international intervention to enforce existing agreements and prevent further incursions.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for an attack on a US command center located at the Al-Tanf military base in Syria. According to the IRGC, the strike was carried out in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in earlier US attacks.

In a statement, the IRGC asserted that Iran maintains full control over the Strait of Hormuz and warned that no oil or gas exports would be allowed through the waterway as long as US strikes continue. The report also noted that Iran launched multiple missile and drone attacks on American military facilities across several Middle Eastern countries.

The attacks reportedly took place on Thursday night and early Friday in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, targeting various sites. The developments mark a sharp escalation in hostilities between Iran and the United States in the region.

Multiple explosions were reported in Damascus on July 7, 2026, during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Syria. According to a security source cited by Reuters, the blasts occurred near the hotel where Macron was staying. The exact cause of the explosions remains unknown, and witnesses described the city shaking from the sudden blasts.

Macron is in Damascus to meet Syria’s interim president Ahmad al-Shara and other senior officials. Local sources reported that one explosion also struck the headquarters of the Syrian Ministry of Tourism, injuring several people. Syrian state media Al-Ikhbariya said the explosions occurred while al-Shara was welcoming Macron at the presidential palace.

The French presidential office, the Élysée Palace, stated that Macron did not personally hear any explosions while en route to his meeting with al-Shara. Authorities have not yet provided further details on the incident or its perpetrators.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday, marking the first visit by a Western European head of state to Syria since the country’s new government took power in 2024. The trip, confirmed by AFP, is scheduled to conclude on Tuesday. According to the French presidency, Macron intends to express support for a free and pluralistic Syria that respects all its components and contributes to easing tensions in the Middle East.

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaibani welcomed Macron upon arrival. The visit comes as President Ahmed al-Shara, who replaced long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad after his ouster in December 2024, seeks to restore Syria’s international image and revive its fragile economy. The last French presidential visit to Syria occurred in 2009 under Nicolas Sarkozy, before relations deteriorated following Assad’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.

Syria’s state news agency SANA described Macron’s visit as a crucial step in restoring the country’s international presence and beginning a new era of balanced partnership between Syria and France.

At least five people were killed and sixteen others injured in a bomb explosion at a café in Damascus, the capital of Syria. The incident occurred on Thursday near the Justice Palace on Al-Nasr Street, according to the country’s health ministry as reported by state television Al-Ikhbariya.

Reports said explosives had been planted inside the café before the blast. Following the explosion, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation to determine who was behind the attack.

Authorities have not yet identified any suspects, and the investigation is ongoing to uncover the motive and perpetrators of the bombing.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) armored vehicles and tanks entered Syria’s southern Quneitra province near the occupied Golan Heights, conducting a sudden search operation, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA. The incursion occurred on May 16, 2026, and has sparked renewed local tension and concern in the strategic border region.

Government and local media sources reported two separate incidents. In the first, four Israeli military vehicles entered the rural village of Saida al-Hanout, surrounding several homes but making no arrests. Shortly afterward, three Israeli tanks crossed the border near Tel al-Dreiat, close to the village of al-Muallaka, before returning to their previous positions without any clashes or gunfire. The IDF has not issued an official statement on the operations.

Analysts noted that the Golan-adjacent border area remains highly sensitive, and any military movement there poses regional security risks. Syrian state media described the incursion as a violation of sovereignty, prompting tighter border surveillance.

Amnesty International has called for an investigation into alleged war crimes by Israeli forces following the destruction of homes in southern Syria. The rights organization made the appeal after reports that Israeli military operations and shelling in the region had intensified, causing extensive damage to agricultural land and residential areas.

According to Amnesty, Israel has violated the 1974 disengagement agreement by seizing additional Syrian territory beyond the occupied Golan Heights. Local Syrian residents have accused Israeli forces of conducting frequent raids, detaining young men, and using herbicides that prevent farmers from accessing their land. These actions have prompted Amnesty to demand a formal war crimes investigation.

The call for investigation highlights growing concerns over Israel’s military activities in Syria and their impact on civilians, though no official response from Israeli authorities was mentioned in the report.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara carried out a major government reshuffle on Saturday, removing several ministers and officials, including his own brother. According to the state news agency SANA, former Homs governor Abdul Rahman Badruddin al-Ama was appointed as Secretary-General of the Presidency, replacing Shara’s brother, Maher al-Shara. Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa and Agriculture Minister Amjad Badr were also dismissed, with Khaled Fawaz Jarour and Basel Hafez al-Suwaidan appointed as their successors respectively.

The report noted that Khaled Fawaz Jarour previously headed the Faculty of Media at Damascus University. The reasons behind the reshuffle have not yet been disclosed. The move follows the 2025 formation of Syria’s interim cabinet, which came after long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted in 2024 and was reportedly dominated by Shara’s close associates.

In addition to the ministerial changes, President Shara appointed new governors in several provinces, including Homs, Quneitra, Latakia, and Deir Ezzor.

Jordan carried out airstrikes in southern Syria early Sunday, targeting suspected bases and warehouses used for drug and arms smuggling. The Jordanian Armed Forces said the operation aimed to curb illegal trafficking activities along the border. According to the state news agency Petra, the targeted sites were identified through intelligence and destroyed to ensure national security amid rising smuggling attempts.

Syrian state media Al-Ikhbariya reported that the strikes hit a facility in Shahba village in Suwayda province, believed to store weapons and narcotics. Additional attacks were observed near a former security branch base, where drone and ambulance movements were seen. Analysts noted that smuggling networks have remained active along the Syria-Jordan border for years, prompting Jordan to conduct similar operations in the past.

The incident comes amid Syria’s ongoing political transition following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 and the formation of an interim government led by Ahmad al-Sharar in early 2025, which is seeking to reintegrate the country internationally.

Syria has launched its first judicial proceedings against ousted president Bashar al-Assad and senior members of his former government. The public hearing began at 11 a.m. on Sunday in Damascus, marking the start of trials under the interim government. Only one defendant, Atef Najib, Assad’s cousin and a former brigadier general, appeared in court. Najib, who once headed the political security branch in Daraa province, was brought in handcuffed and placed in a cage inside the courtroom.

Najib is accused of leading crackdowns and arrests in Daraa in 2011, when teenagers were detained and tortured for anti-government graffiti, sparking nationwide protests that escalated into a 13-year civil war. The conflict ended with Assad’s downfall on December 8, 2024, leaving over half a million dead and displacing hundreds of thousands. Assad fled to Russia after his ouster, along with many close allies.

The court set May 10 for the next hearing. Other defendants to be tried in person include Assad’s relative Wasim al-Assad, former Grand Mufti Ahmed Badruddin Hassoun, and several military and security officials arrested in recent months.

Syria has launched its first public trial against officials linked to the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad. According to the state news agency SANA, the proceedings began on Sunday in Damascus, where Atef Najib, a former brigadier general and Assad’s cousin, appeared in court. Najib, who once headed the political security branch in Daraa province, faces charges of committing crimes against the Syrian people.

In 2011, Najib held that position when teenagers were arrested and tortured for anti-government graffiti in Daraa, an incident that sparked mass protests against Assad’s security forces. The government’s violent crackdown escalated into a 14-year civil war, which ended in December 2024 after Assad was ousted in a surprise offensive by armed opposition forces. Assad later fled to Russia, along with many of his close associates.

The case also names Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and several senior security officials, all charged in absentia. Najib is the only one arrested and presented before the court. The initial hearing took place on Sunday and will resume next month, with citizens gathering outside the court to welcome the start of the trial.