US withdrawal from Syria

As US ends operations in Iraq, Baghdad celebrates its withdrawal and renewed sovereignty - analysis

Baghdad asked the US to return. Now, in a kind of “no good deed goes unpunished” manner, Iraq is celebrating the US leaving after asking the US for help.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Supporters of a Shi'ite armed group celebrate the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026.
Members of the military police stand near a bus carrying released detainees during a prisoner exchange between the Syrian government and Druze factions, in Sweida, Syria, February 26, 2026.

US efforts helped pave way for Syria-Druze deal, source tells 'Post'

Months of US diplomacy paved the way for a historic detainee swap between Damascus and the Druze of Sweida, marking a breakthrough in Syrian peace efforts.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Direction and distance sign for the Syrian capital of Damascus at Mount Bental Israeli military outpost on the Syrian border

Poll: 65% of Syrians favor US engagement, 59% say peace with Israel is likely

Opinions were more divided on full diplomatic normalization with Israel, while public assessments of Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa were largely favorable.

|ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
The writer meets with General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces

General Abdi warns Syria’s fate relies on US support and integration of the SDF - opinion

From ISIS camps to new political battles, General Abdi explains the pressures shaping Syria’s uncertain future.

|ByQANTA AHMED

ISIS is still in Syria and the next generation of Jihad is at the doorstep - opinion

Syria is changing rapidly, and not in a positive direction: American troops are withdrawing, foreign jihadists are being recruited, and most worryingly, there’s talk of closing the massive ISIS dete

JUNE 4, 2025ByDR. YARON FRIEDMAN
Women walk through the al-Hol camp in Hasaka governorate, Syria, April 1, 2019.

US says a drone attack targeted its Syria base, no casualties

The attack took place at the base near where the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq meet. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

AUGUST 15, 2022ByREUTERS
Military vehicles of Iraqi army tour at al-Waleed air base near Al-Tanf, Iraq January 18, 2021.

Abramovich blocked from keeping his private jet in Israel

Abramovich, who also has Israeli citizenship, flew from Moscow to Israel on Sunday.

MARCH 15, 2022ByLAHAV HARKOV
Roman Abramovich watches his team during their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal

Bolton: Dermer said Trump’s Syria withdrawal - ‘worst day’ of Trump admin

The Trump decision to withdraw from Syria caught almost everyone by surprise in December 2018.

JUNE 21, 2020BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
White House national Security Advisor John Bolton listens as U.S. President Donald Trump holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 16, 2018

Months after saying US will withdraw, now 1,000 troops in Syria to stay

MARCH 18, 2019BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES and US troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria, in November.

The failures of the war on ISIS - analysis

A final battle against ISIS illuminates the failures of the war to destroy it.

FEBRUARY 24, 2019BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter sits as medics treat his comrades injured by sniper fired by Islamic State militants in a field hospital in Raqqa, Syria, June 28, 2017.

U.S. ‘weeks’ away from start of Syria withdrawal

With no answers for partners on the ground or US allies as to how the withdrawal will take place, US vows it is on track

FEBRUARY 11, 2019BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
U.S. and Turkish soldiers conduct the first-ever combined joint patrol outside Manbij, Syria, November 1, 2018. Picture taken November 1, 2018. Courtesy Arnada Jones/U.S.