Syria Weekly

Syria Data Update (April 14-28, 2026)

Charles Lister — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:53:23 GMT

A total of 23 people were killed across Syria over the past 2 weeks — making this the second least violent fortnight in 15 years. Of the 23 deaths, 15 (or 65%) were caused by unexploded ordnance (UXO) and the remaining 8 (39%) were the result of direct acts of violence.

As noted previously, the incidence of direct (i.e. non-UXO) violence in Syria has been on a sustained record low since early-March 2026, with all record lows from the past 15 years recorded in the last 8 weeks:

2 deaths (March 24-31)
3 deaths (April 14-21)
5 deaths (April 21-28)
6 deaths (March 3-10, April 7-14)
7 deaths (March 31-April 7 and March 10-17)
8 deaths (March 17-24)

For the past 2 weeks, several areas of analytical insight are worth highlighting:

Syria Weekly: April 21-28, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:51:30 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

Transition Meetings:

April 21:

President Ahmed al-Sharaa led a Syrian government delegation to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on April 21 and held a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud. The Syrian delegation included Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani, the Foreign Ministry’s Director of International Cooperation Qutaiba Qadesh, and Director of Arab Affairs, Mohammed Taha Ahmed.
While in Riyadh, President al-Sharaa also met with Mohammed bin Abdullah Abu Nayan, the head of the Syrian-Saudi Business Council.

Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra hosted a meeting with a delegation from the U.S. military and Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) – led by Brigadier General Kevin Lambert – in Damascus on April 21. The meeting also included Syrian intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama.
A Justice Ministry delegation, led by Attorney General Hassan al-Turaba, Hasakeh internal security chief Brigadier General Marwan al-Ali, and Director of the General Directorate of Prisons Brigadier Ziyad Abu Ras, visited a number of SDF-run prisons in Hasakeh on April 21, before assuming official authority over their operations.
Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra hosted a meeting with the President of the Transitional Justice Committee, Abdulbasit Abdullatif, on April 21 during which they discussed ongoing efforts to support transitional justice in such a way that ensures long-term stability and security.
UN Deputy Special Envoy Claudio Cordone traveled to Quneitra on April 21 and visited Jubata al-Khashab and later met with UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) staff at the area of separation.

A government delegation held consecutive meetings with the Kurdish National Council (KNC), the Assyrian Democratic Organization, and Democratic Union Party (PYD) leaderships in Qamishli, Hasakeh on April 21.

The Governor of Tartus, Ahmed al-Shami, hosted a meeting with Saudi investment company Al Muhaidib Group on April 21 to discuss new potential investment partnerships and opportunities, including in livestock, logistics, grain storage, and transport.
The Director of Syria’s General Authority for Civil Aviation, Omar al-Hosari, hosted a meeting with Lebanon’s Ambassador to Syria, Henry Qastoun, on April 21 to discuss cooperation in air transport.

A delegation from Suwayda’s Education Directorate Examination Committee visited Damascus on April 21 to hold meetings with officials from the Education Ministry regarding secondary school examinations to be held later in 2026. Ministry officials insisted that any examinations held in Suwayda needed to be under government authority and oversight.
Minster of Interior Anas Khattab hosted a meeting with EU Ambassador Michael Ohnmacht on April 21, during which they discussed Syria’s internal security conditions, as well as the transitional justice process and EU proposals to support security sector reform in Syria.
Minister of Economy and Industry Nidal al-Shaar hosted a meeting with Norway’s Ambassador to Syria, Hilde Haraldstad, on April 21.

Deputy Governor of Hama Mohammed Taamah hosted a visit by George Petropoulos, Deputy Director of UN OCHA in Syria, on April 21 to discuss the humanitarian conditions and needs in Hama governorate.

April 22:

Syria Weekly: April 14-21, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:04:07 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

Transition Meetings:

April 14:

Minister of Finance Mohammed Barnieh and Central Bank Governor Abdulqader Husrieh chaired a technical round table meeting of the "Friends of Syria" group alongside World Bank Group Ousmane Dione on April 14. The meeting saw participation from the governments of Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, the US, the UK, Italy, Switzerland, the EU, IMF and other international partners.
Later that day, Minister of Finance Barnieh and Central Bank Governor Husrieh also participated in the ministerial meeting of the G-24 on the sidelines of the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC.
The Ministry of Energy co-hosted a workshop — alongside the ICRC and SARC — in Damascus on April 14, entitled “Protecting Essential Service Providers and Facilitating Their Safe Access During Conflict in Urban Areas.” Additional government participants came from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Justice, Emergency and Disaster Response, and Local Administration and Environment.
The director of Syria’s General Authority for Civil Aviation, Omar al-Hosari, spoke by virtual call with the Assistant Minister of Investment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Ali Al-Dubaiqi, and the CEO of FlyNas, Bandar bin Abdulrahman Al-Mohanna, on April 14, during which they followed up on the agreement to establish the new “FlyNas Syria” airline and to resume Damascus-Riyadh flights from April 19.

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ibrahim Olabi, hosted a meeting with Major General Anita Asmah, Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNDOF in New York on April 14. They discussed mechanisms to enhance cooperation amid continued Israeli military incursions into Syrian territory.

Later that day, Permanent Representative Olabi also met with Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov, to discuss bilateral relations.

The head of the Syrian General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport, Omar al-Hosari hosted a meeting with Jordan’s Ambassador to Syria, Sufyan al-Qudah on April 14 to discuss further opportunities for cooperation in civil aviation, following the recent signing of memoranda of understanding.

Minister of Information Hamza al-Mustafa met with French Ambassador Jean-Francois Faivre on April 14 to discuss proposals for cooperation in media.

Minister of Higher Education Marwan al-Halabi hosted a meeting with French Ambassador Jean-Francois Faivre on April 14.

Staff from the Presidential follow-up team helped to receive 800 Kurdish families as they returned to their places of origin in Afrin, Aleppo on April 14.

A delegation from the Syrian Development Fund, led by its CEO Safwat Raslan, traveled to Deir ez Zour on April 14 to conduct a series of field tours ahead of the launch of fund-linked development work in the governorate.

With US Troops Gone, Where Does Syria's Fight with ISIS Stand?

Charles Lister — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:45:51 GMT

U.S. military forces withdrew from their final base in Syria late on Wednesday, April 15 – departing the Qasrak Airbase in the far northeast of the country. Due to a heightened threat of attack by Iranian proxy militias in Iraq, the final convoys of U.S. troops and equipment drove the entire length of Syria and exited via the Nassib crossing with Jordan. In doing so, a 10-year U.S. military mission came to a quiet and abrupt end.

The purpose of that U.S. military mission -- to impose a permanent defeat to ISIS -- is not yet accomplished, but the terror group is a shadow of its former self. Without a doubt, the U.S. military deployment and long-term partnership with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was instrumental in defeating ISIS’s territorial ‘state’ and degrading its insurgent and terrorist presence on Syrian soil.

Syria Data Update (April 7-14, 2026)

Charles Lister — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:06:03 GMT

A total of 16 violent deaths were recorded across Syria over the past week — 10 (63%) of which were caused by unexploded ordnance (UXO). The remaining 6 deaths were caused by direct acts of kinetic violence, making this week on par with the 2nd least violent week in Syria in 15 years, with all record lows recorded in the past 6 weeks:

2 deaths (March 24-31)
6 deaths (March 3-10, April 7-14)
7 deaths (March 31-April 7 and March 10-17)
8 deaths (March 17-24)

As was the case with last week’s data, this week further underlines two consistent trends emerging from Syria Weekly data in 2026, that while the overall level of deadly violence in Syria has declined significantly since mid-to-late 2025:

(1) Direct or kinetic violence has significantly declined since late-January 2026.

(2) UXO incidence and casualties have markedly increased in 2026.

For this week, several areas of analytical insight are worth drawing out:

Syria Weekly: April 7-14, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:23 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

Transition Meetings:

April 7:

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani hosted meetings and received the credentials of Indonesia’s Ambassador, Lukman Hakim Siregar; the Czech Republic’s Ambassador Vitislav Pivonka; and the Greek Ambassador Emmanuel Kakavelakis on April 7.
The MOD’s Assistant Ministers for the Eastern Region (Brigadier General Sipan Hamo) and Northern Region (Brigadier General Fahim Issa) met on April 7 to discuss military coordination amid the SDF’s continued integration into the state. Both had been years-long enemies until January 2026.

Minister of Emergency and Disaster Response Raed al-Saleh hosted a meeting with the Deputy Chairman of Turkey’s IHH foundation in Damascus on April 7, to discuss IHH’s “full readiness to provide all forms of support within the framework of an integrated disaster management approach… including enhancing cooperation in the areas of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery operations, in addition to implementing periodic and practical training programs, and forming fully equipped search and rescue teams.”

Governor of Daraa Anwar al-Zoubi hosted a meeting with the UNHCR representative for southern Syria, Ali Bibi, on April 7 to discuss humanitarian needs in Daraa and coordinating the programming of the UN and NGOs to be most impactful.

The Director of the General Authority for Ports and Customs, Qutaiba Badawi, visited Latakia Port on April 7 and met with its Container Terminal Director, Faisal Howeilo, to discuss its ongoing operations, plans and needs.

VIDEO: Your Questions Answered, April 10, 2026

Charles Lister — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:09:24 GMT

Syria Data Update (March 31-April 7, 2026)

Charles Lister — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:31:34 GMT

A total of 22 violent deaths were recorded across Syria over the past week — 15 caused by unexploded ordnance (UXO), making this the biggest weekly UXO toll seen in Syria since mid-May 2025. The remaining 7 deaths caused by direct kinetic violence marked the third lowest weekly toll in Syria on record, with all record lows having occurred over the past 5 weeks:

2 deaths (March 24-31)
6 deaths (March 3-10)
7 deaths (March 31-April 7 and March 10-17)
8 deaths (March 17-24)

This past week serves to underline two consistent trends emerging from Syria Weekly data in 2026 — that while the overall level of deadly violence in Syria has declined significantly since mid-to-late 2025, (1) direct or kinetic violence has significantly declined since late-January 2026 and (2) UXO incidence and casualties have markedly increased in 2026.

For this week, several areas of analytical insight are worth drawing out:

Syria Weekly: March 31-April 7, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:11:03 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

VIDEO: Your Questions Answered, April 3, 2026

Charles Lister — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:28:09 GMT

Syria Data Update (March 24-31, 2026)

Charles Lister — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:26:18 GMT

Last week saw the lowest level of violence in Syria in 15 years, while the month of March closed out as the least violent month in Syria in 15 years. As Syria Weekly data has been documenting since August 2025, the level of violence across Syria has been on a downward trend for some time. In fact, deadly violence in Syria declined by 30% between January and August 2025, and then plummeted by 73% in the final third of the year. Notwithstanding a brief period of fighting in Syria’s northeast in January 2026, the months of February and March 2026 have set consecutive record lows in violence, with March seeing a total of 23 people killed in direct acts of violence. That is 60% lower than the February 2026 record low of 58 deaths and 94% lower than the post-Assad average of 356 deaths per month.

Specifically, last week saw a total of:

Syria Weekly: March 24-31, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:15:14 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

Transition Meetings:

March 24:

Syrian Petroleum Company CEO Yousef Qablawi traveled to Houston, Texas, USA and participated in the CERA Week energy conference on March 24, participating in many bilateral meetings on its sidelines, including with Richard Thomas, Director of Acquisitions & Divestitures and Conoco Philips.
The Director of Syria’s Investment Authority, Talal al-Hilali, led an SIA delegation to Paris, France and participated in meetings with the President of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, Claudia Salomon, alongside President of the Syrian-French Business Council, Jamal Qasimi, and the French Chargé d’Affaires in Syria, Jean-Baptiste Faivre.
The SIA delegation also met that day with officials from the World Bank — all on the sidelines of the International Arbitration Week.

Later that day, SIA Director al-Hilali also participated in a conference in Paris focused on investment opportunities in Syria.

A meeting of the Turkish-Syrian Joint Committee for Land Transport was convened in Gaziantep, Turkey on March 24 to discuss proposals to move towards a “direct transport” model in which cargo transfers at border crossings are eliminated in order to reduce costs and accelerate the movement of trade. The Syrian delegation also raised challenges relating to the application of Turkish visas for Syrian truck drivers, claiming that 247/350 of the applications submitted in 2025 had been approved.

Prominent Druze figure Hassan al-Atrash visited Governor of Suwayda Mustafa Bakkour on March 24, for a meeting to discuss humanitarian conditions, enhancing civil peace, and preparations to facilitate the return of displaced people to their homes in western Suwayda.

Syria Data Update (March 17-24, 2026)

Charles Lister — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:30:41 GMT

The overall level of deadly violence over the past week in Syria was the second lowest ever on record, with a total of 12 deaths recorded across the country — 4 (33%) of which were caused by unexploded ordnance (UXO). The 8 non-UXO deaths confirmed across Syria represented the third lowest level ever on record, after the 7 and 6 deaths recorded in the previous two weeks, respectively.

Consequently, March is currently on track to be the least violent month in Syria in the past 15 years.

Of the 12 deaths confirmed across Syria last week, four causes were at play:

Syria Weekly: March 17-24, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:01:12 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

Transition Meetings:

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani spoke by phone with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud on March 17, to discuss ongoing regional conflict.

Minister of Energy Mohammed al-Bashir hosted a meeting with ICRC Representative Stephan Sakalian on March 17 to discuss ongoing projects to rehabilitate or improve Syria’s water and electricity sectors, and the need for new work at the Alouk pumping station in Hasakeh.

Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husriyeh met with the President of the Austrian-Arab Chamber of Commerce, Werner Vasslabend, in Vienna on March 17.
Later that day, Central Bank Governor Abdulqader Husriyeh and Interior Ministry Director of International Cooperation, Colonel Abdulrahim Jabbara, participated in a dialogue meeting with members of Syria’s diaspora in Vienna, Austria on March 17.

VIDEO: Your Questions Answered, March 23, 2026

Charles Lister — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:54:26 GMT

Syria Data Update (March 10-17, 2026)

Charles Lister — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:31:04 GMT

The overall level of violent deaths across Syria rose last week, with a total of 19 confirmed — compared to the record low of 11 deaths recorded the week prior. This week’s casualty level however, remains considerably below the average noted by Syria Weekly since October 2025, when Syria’s overall level of weekly violence has been on a gradual declining trend.

Most significant and importantly though is the fact that this week’s overall increase in violent deaths was entirely due to:

Syria Weekly: March 10-17, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:22:36 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

Transition Meetings:

March 10:

President Ahmed al-Sharaa spoke by phone separately with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliiyev and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on March 10 — both to discuss the ongoing conflict across the Middle East, issues of border security, and opportunities to enhance bilateral relations.
Deputy Interior Minister Abdulqader Tahhan hosted a multilateral meeting entitled “The Syrian Arab Republic’s Efforts in Combating Drugs After Liberation” on the sidelines of the UNODC’s 69th Session in Vienna, Austria on March 10.
The director of Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs, Qutaiba Badawi, hosted a meeting with Lebanon’s Ambassador to Syria Henri Qastoun on March 10, to discuss border security, conditions at border crossings, and steps to further facilitate the return of Syrians.
Minister of Information Hamza al-Mustafa hosted a meeting with China’s Ambassador Shi Hongwei on March 10 to discuss potential media partnerships, reciprocal visits, joint workshops, and the exchange of expertise.

Syria’s Charge d’Affairs to Lebanon, Iyad al-Hazzah, hosted a meeting in Beirut with French Charge d’Affairs to Syria Jean-Francois Faivre on March 10, during which they discussed ongoing regional conflict as well as Syria’s ongoing transition.

Governor to Suwayda Mustafa Bakkour hosted a meeting with a delegation from the WFP on March 10 to discuss ways to further improve coordination and to establish a new production line in the automated bakery in al-Qasr.

The Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry for Internal Trade Affairs, Maher Khalil, participated in a virtual call with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on March 10 to discuss plans to establish a national food safety authority.

VIDEO: Your Questions Answered, March 13, 2026

Charles Lister — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:50:01 GMT

All-time low violence amid regional conflict, surge in Syria regional diplomacy & Hezbollah tensions; SDF integration continues, but tensions emerge; crucial investment mechanism in the works; & more.

Syria Data Update (March 3-10, 2026)

Charles Lister — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:31:38 GMT

While conflict raged across the Middle East, Syria recorded its lowest level of violence on record over the past week, with a total of 11 deaths confirmed — 5 (45%) of which were caused by unexploded ordnance (UXO). The remaining 6 violent deaths across Syria last week were attributed to:

Syria Weekly: March 3-10, 2026

Charles Lister — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:08:43 GMT

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

Transition Meetings:

March 3:

President Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted a large meeting with civil society activists and media progressionals at the Presidential Palace on March 3 to discuss “the role of the media and community initiatives in enhancing public awareness and reinforcing national responsibility.”
During the meeting, Sharaa repeatedly emphasized that Syria’s recovery was going to take a long time, whether regarding the economy, reconstruction, displacement, social peace, security or other issues. He also told participants that “being preoccupied with minor details at the expense of the larger goal leads to losing sight of the objective. Therefore, we must maintain focus on the higher goals, especially during times of crisis,” adding that people needed to focus on agreeing on strategic objectives rather than focusing on disagreements on small details. President Sharaa claimed that Syria now enjoyed greater levels of freedom of expression that many regional countries, but that a predisposition towards “chaos,” enmity, complaint and sectarianism made that freedom a challenge to Syria’s stability. He also said a new law to allow for political parties would be introduced following the opening of the parliament and that the reconstruction challenge required patience. For areas in which “destruction reached 90% of 100%,” the state lacked the capacity to meet reconstruction needs and in these cases, “an investment model” would be required.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani hosted a meeting with a delegation from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry - led by Commissioners Monia Ammar and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin - on March 3 to discuss the commission’s work to date.

A government delegation, led by Ahmed al-Hilali, Mustafa Abdi and Maher al-Shaar traveled to Hasakeh on March 3 to visit and inspect the Semalka crossing with Iraqi Kurdistan to prepare for its integration into the General Authority for Ports and Customs.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdulsalam Haykal traveled to Barcelona, Spain on March 3 to participate in the Mobile World Congress 2026, during which he announced the official launch for applications among mobile communication providers to apply to replace MTN as one of Syria’s 2 providers. Applicants have until June 15 to apply for the 20yr license.
Minister of Information Hamza al-Mustafa signed a strategic agreement with UNDP on March 3 to build the capacity of 775 Syrian media workers over a 4-month programming period.
Governor of Deir ez Zour Ghassan al-Sayyed Ahmed hosted a meeting with a delegation from UNICEF on March 3 to discuss the latter’s plans for 2026-2031 to support humanitarian and development work in the governorate — including in sewage and water infrastructure, as well as agriculture, solar, and livelihood programming.

Minister of Tourism Mazen al-Salhani hosted a meeting with Cyprus’ Charge d’Affairs Michalis Hadjikyriacou on March 3 to discuss proposals to resume direct flights and cruise ships between Syria and Cyprus, and to re-establish cooperation in cultural and historical heritage tourism.

Syria’s Ministry of Tourism participated in the ITB Berlin International Tourism and Travel Exhibition in Germany on March 3, alongside several other Syrian tourism, travel and aviation companies.