Syria Weekly: April 21-28, 2026

Sharaa goes on Gulf Tour & EU Mediterranean Summit in Cyprus; Tadamon Massacre perpetrator captured; Assad regime figures stand trial; CJTFOIR visits MOD; World Bank $225 million support; & more.

SYRIA’S TRANSITION:

• Transition Meetings

• Appointments

• Political Developments

• Economic Developments

• Infrastructure Developments

• Education Developments

• Security Developments

• Humanitarian Developments

• Health Developments

• Justice Developments

• International Developments

CONFLICT & SECURITY:

• Israel

• ISIS

• Idlib

• Aleppo

• Latakia

• Tartus

• Hama

• Homs

• Raqqa

• Hasakeh

• Deir ez Zour

• Rif Dimashq

• Damascus

• Daraa

• Suwayda

• Quneitra

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: