Levant

Syria's economy shows signs of reopening as sanctions ease, with the president using a Visa card and the World Bank granting $100 million for financial modernization. Lebanon's economy contracts sharply due to renewed conflict, with the World Bank projecting a 6.4% decline. Regional energy projects, including a revived Iraq-Syria pipeline, signal potential long-term shifts.

• 7Syria's President Makes First Visa Payment After Sanctions Lifted
• 5Syria and Iraq Economies Face Recovery and Crisis
• 4US targets Hezbollah with fresh sanctions, emphasises ties to Iranian government
• 3Renewed Conflict Derails Lebanon’s Fragile Economic Recovery - World Bank Group
• 3Turkey prepares to drill for oil and gas in Syria

Syria's political landscape shifts dramatically as a court sentences Assad to death in absentia and the US removes Syria from the state sponsor of terrorism list. Turkey and Israel clash over Syria, with Netanyahu vowing not to tolerate Turkish aggression. The SDF dissolves as Syria moves toward military unification, while Russia secures a deal on Mediterranean bases.

• 78Syrian court sentences Assad to death in absentia
• 30US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list after 47 years
• 25Israel strikes Syrian base, Turkey and US react
• 25Syria and Russia reach deal on Mediterranean bases
• 22Turkey denies Israeli claims, says no troops were at Syrian airbase struck by IDF

Israel conducts repeated strikes in southern Lebanon and Syria, killing civilians and military personnel, and reportedly captures 230 square miles of Lebanese territory. Turkey's military presence in Syria becomes a flashpoint, with Israel targeting Turkish threats. Wildfires in southern Lebanon are attributed to Israeli actions.

• 31Israeli Strikes Kill 11 in Southern Lebanon
• 21Israeli airstrikes hit Abu al-Duhur military airport in Syria's Idlib province - Anadolu Ajansı
• 17Israel Captured 230 Square Miles of Lebanon, Razed Villages and Built New Bases
• 16Israel kills Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon amid fragile ceasefire
• 13Israel Takes Responsibility For Attack In Syria: 'Turkish Forces Were Allowed To Deploy'

Societal reactions to Assad's death sentence are celebratory in Deraa, the heart of the uprising, while Lebanese groups demand accountability for the Beirut blast. Sectarian tensions rise as Druze factions block exams in Syria, and calls for an 'intifada' against Hezbollah emerge in Lebanon.

• 3Deraa, the heart of the Syrian uprising, celebrates Assad’s death sentence
• 3We demand accountability for the Beirut blast
• 2Lebanon’s Shi’ite urged to launch ‘intifada’ against Hezbollah
• 2The phone book that led us to Assad's spy chief in hiding
• 1Damascus faces air pollution with emissions and vegetation loss

Who covers Levant most

Outlets by number of headlines in August 2026, with their stance toward the country.

• Jerusalem Post128 titles

  -1SkepticalFrom Israel

  critical but not uniformly hostile

• Al Arabiya84 titles

  +1ConstructiveFrom Saudi Arabia

  supportive of new Syrian authorities, critical of Assad regime

• Times of Israel71 titles

  -1SkepticalFrom Israel

  skeptical of Hezbollah, neutral toward Lebanon

• Al-Ahram65 titles

  From Egypt
• Al Jazeera54 titles

  +1ConstructiveFrom Qatar

  sympathetic to new Syrian authorities, critical of Assad regime

• Anadolu Agency54 titles

  From Türkiye
• The National53 titles

  From United Arab Emirates
• Dawn42 titles

  From Pakistan