Syria

Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

The Syrian conflict has been growing in intensity and scope for more than two years, with the United Nations estimating more than 100,000 dead and millions displaced.

Chronology of Coverage

Dec. 4, 2014

Iran has begun taking more active military role in fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, highlighting unusual confluence of interests with United States; neither country is eager to acknowledge de facto nonaggression pact. MORE
Dec. 3, 2014

Editorial expresses alarm at United Nations World Food Program's announcement that it is suspending critical food program for Syrian refugees due to lack of funding; calls on richer members of international community to help make up this funding shortfall; notes that Syria is only one of growing number of crises around the globe that have created heavy demand on international relief organizations. MORE
Dec. 2, 2014

United Nations World Food Program has been forced to suspend voucher program that was providing food for 1.7 million Syrian refugees due to severe cash shortfall; suspension, one of most drastic cutbacks ever by an emergency relief provider in Syrian crisis, could lead to widespread hunger at onset of winter. MORE
Dec. 2, 2014

Turkey continues to urge United States to establish no-fly zone or safe area along Turkish-Syrian border, but no deal has been made; Obama administration officials say that they have not yet decided on whether to commit to what would be significant increase in American military engagement in the area. MORE
Dec. 1, 2014

Memo From Germany; cities throughout Germany are straining to make room for influx of refugees fleeing war in Syria, resorting to tents and modified shipping containers to house estimated 200,000 people seeking asylum there. MORE
Nov. 29, 2014

Shatila Journal; Syrian civil war has driven many Syrian families into Lebanon, roughly doubling population of Shatila and Sabra refugee camps in Beirut and stirring up painful memories for many Palestinians already living there; camps are notorious for massacre in 1982, when Lebanese Christian militants killed thousands of Palestinians civilians as Israeli troops encircling the area stood by. MORE
Nov. 28, 2014

Pres Obama's policies on Syria and Islamic State remain contradictory, which some on both sides feel is damaging American standing in region; Syrians are angry that American airstrikes targeting insurgents also seem to be in support of Pres Bashar al-Assad, president United States is supposedly trying to ouster, and that US can defeat Islamic State without taking sides in Syria's civil war. MORE
Nov. 26, 2014

Syrian government warplanes kill at least 60 people during airstrikes on Raqqa, de facto capital of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. MORE
Nov. 25, 2014

Editorial points out Defense Sec Chuck Hagel, who was pressured to resign, was asked to operate amid a shifting national security policy that remained tightly controlled by Pres Obama and his closet aides; warns this confusion will continue to present challenges for Hagel's successor; criticizes Obama's muddled approach to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. MORE
Nov. 24, 2014

Memo from Europe; European governments are pondering how to deal with radical fighters who want to return from Syria, concerned about chaos returning militants may cause when they come back to their native countries. MORE
Nov. 24, 2014

Sen Rand Paul, likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate, calls for declaration of war against the Islamic State, position that is not widely popular within his own party; Pres Obama is planning to ask Congress for official authority to use force against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. MORE
Nov. 21, 2014

Photos taken by young Syrians in a refugee camp in Jordan capture joy of athletic play in midst of country, and lives, torn by war. MORE
Nov. 20, 2014

Op-Ed article by Leonard S Rubenstein of Johns Hopkins University and Dr Zaher Sahloul asserts regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has descended to new level of barbarism, dropping brutal barrel bombs on field hospitals in order to deter Syrian citizens from seeking care; urges United States to create humanitarian buffer zone, along with no-fly zone, to protect doctors and other medical personnel. MORE
Nov. 20, 2014

Fate of obscure Syrian border town Kobani has become defining battle of broader contest with Islamic State; it is crucial public test of Pres Obama's strategy of combining American air power with local ground forces; for Islamic State, it is test of its image of inevitability and invincibility, and a tool for recruiting jihadists; for Kurds, it is a possible homeland, separate from Syria. MORE
Nov. 20, 2014

United Nations is among international aid organizations reporting that thousands of Syrians turned away by border guards in Jordan have build makeshift shelters in desolate stretch of desert in hopes that they will eventually be given asylum; situation is raising alarm among aid agencies, who say they see rapid decrease in options for Syrians fleeing war. MORE
Nov. 18, 2014

United Nations panel urges Security Council to order all countries to seize oil trucks coming in and out of territory controlled by jihadists in Iraq and Syria and to impose global moratorium on sale of antiquities from those countries; both oil and antiquities are thought to be vital sources of financing for groups that call themselves the Islamic State and the Nusra Front. MORE
Nov. 17, 2014

Islamic State militants release videotape showing that they have beheaded fifth Western hostage; man is identified as aid worker and former Army Ranger Peter Kassig; Pres Obama condemns murder, calling it an 'act of pure evil by a terrorist group'; footage is of poor quality, prompting analysts to say that execution may have gone awry amid sustained attack from United States-led military coalition. MORE
Nov. 14, 2014

American airstrikes on Syrian city of Raqqa, self-proclaimed capital of Islamic State, have scattered its fighters and disrupted harsh system they had imposed on residents; gratitude toward United States is limited, however, with food and fuel prices soaring, basic services disappearing and any semblance of stability vanished. MORE
Nov. 14, 2014

Police in Bosnia arrest 11 people accused of fighting alongside Islamist militants in Syria and Iraq or recruiting and raising money for such groups. MORE
Nov. 14, 2014

French citizen Flavien Moreau is sentenced to seven years in prison, charged with terrorism offense for having joined an Islamist group in Syria; is first such ruling in France, where dozens more returning volunteer fighters are being held pending trial. MORE
Nov. 13, 2014

Police in Germany's Cologne area detain nine men and search at least 20 homes in raids against people suspected of supporting terrorism; two are suspected of helping five men travel from Germany to Syria to join terrorists there. MORE
Nov. 12, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column underscores importance of listening carefully to what key players in the Middle East are saying in public as Pres Obama dispatches more advisers to help Iraqis defeat Islamic State group; expresses skepticism that America's fractious allies in the region can agree on new power-sharing arrangements for Iraq or Syria, even if Islamic State is defeated. MORE
Nov. 11, 2014

Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad says that United Nations proposal for local cease-fire in Aleppo is worth considering. MORE
Nov. 10, 2014

Spotty intelligence, poor weather and lack of urgency from Iraqi Army and Kurdish forces are limiting targets and pace of American-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Islamic State; so far, campaign has averaged fewer than five airstrikes a day in both Iraq and Syria. MORE
Nov. 7, 2014

American fighter jets carry out series of airstrikes in northwestern Syria that seek to kill leaders of Qaeda militant cell Khorasan, which is plotting attacks on the West. MORE
Nov. 6, 2014

Analysts say that days of easy and rapid gains for Islamic State extremists may be coming to close in Iraq as group's momentum stalls; slowdown is thought to be result of multiple factors, including international airstrikes and unfavorable sectarian and political demographics. MORE
Nov. 6, 2014

Brig Gen Ofek Buchris, Israel's army division commander in Golan Heights, says he has counted 15 intentional attacks from across once-quiet Syrian border since March; Buchris calls attacks more nuisance than threat and says while he is confident that neither rebels nor Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah are interested in engaging Israel, warns that sooner or later serious attacks could begin. MORE
Nov. 6, 2014

Pres Obama says he will seek specific authorization from Congress for military campaign against Islamic State militants, opening door to lengthy, potentially contentious debate over nature and extent of American engagement in Iraq and Syria; announcement represents significant shift from Obama's earlier position that he had legal authority to take military action under existing statutes. MORE
Nov. 5, 2014

Syrian rebel group Nusra Front has expanded its control in northern province of Idlib, seizing territory from Western-supported rebel organizations and potentially threatening a critical border crossing with Turkey. MORE
Nov. 2, 2014

Christian village of Ras Baalbek, Lebanon, is generally supportive of the presence of Hezbollah in their community, recognizing that without them town could be taken over by Islamic State militants or other insurgent groups; this support is not free of suspicions about group's Islamist ideology and future ambitions. MORE
Nov. 1, 2014

Former Syrian police photographer known as Caesar, who smuggled photos documenting deaths of thousands of prisoners out of country, has become less optimistic that United States will take action against regime of Pres Bashar al-Assad; his concerns reflect broader discontent within moderate Syrian opposition that poses new challenge for Obama administration’s strategy to counter Islamic State. MORE
Oct. 30, 2014

First contingents of Iraqi Kurdish soldiers and Syrian rebel fighters arrive in beleaguered town of Kobani, Syria, raising hopes there that influx heralds more cooperative international effort to fight Islamic State extremists; reinforcements are first that Turkey has allowed to cross through into Syria after weeks of tense diplomacy. MORE
Oct. 30, 2014

German authorities allege that immigrant Ismail Issa is supplier to radicals in Syria; charges follow shopping spree by Issa in which he purchased military gear in Germany destined for transport to Syria; indictment against Issa paints clear picture of young man's evolution from alienated immigrant to extremist. MORE
Oct. 29, 2014

Pesh merga forces from Iraqi Kurdistan move for the first time to join fight against Islamic State Militants besieging the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani; move, involving about 150 pesh merga fighters, takes advantage of Turkey's decision to open its borders to reinforcements. MORE
Oct. 29, 2014

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column draws parallels between Vietnam War and current situation in Iraq and Syria; contends that most Iraqi and Syrian Sunnis have embraced or resigned themselves to Islamic State group because they were systematically abused by pro-Shiite regimes of Syrian Pres Bashar al-Assad and Iraqi Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki; warns that challenge America faces in fighting Islamic State is its tacit alliance with Syria and Iran. MORE
Oct. 28, 2014

Outbreaks of fighting and growing sectarian tensions in northern Lebanon have heightened fears that civil war in neighboring Syria is spilling over with new momentum. MORE
Oct. 28, 2014

Family of British man Dr Abbas Khan, who died in Syrian prison, claims vindication after a jury in London determines that he had been unlawfully killed; Syrian officials had maintained that Khan had hanged himself in his cell. MORE
Oct. 28, 2014

Theo Padnos article describes his experience of being kidnapped in Syria in 2012 by Al Nusra Front and surviving months of beatings and torture. MORE
Oct. 26, 2014

Death of James Foley at the hands of Islamic State militants was a very public end to the hidden ordeal he shared with other Westerners in the militants' underground prisons in Syria; interviews with five former hostages, locals, relatives, colleagues and a former militant paint picture of excruciating suffering and torture; ordeal has remained largely secret because militants warned hostages' families not to go to news media, threatening to kill their loved ones if they did. MORE
Oct. 24, 2014

Increasing number of young Muslim women in West are being drawn to radical Islamist groups in Syria and Iraq, either seeking to fight or to become wives of fighters; Islamic State has been making concerted effort to enlist women and young girls, portraying life under a caliphate as an Islamic paradise that offers religious alternative to what can often be second-class life of struggle and alienation in the West. MORE
Oct. 24, 2014

Lebanon says it will not accept any more refugees from neighboring Syria, except in 'exceptional' cases; move could prevent tens of thousands of Syrians from escaping their country’s civil war. MORE
Oct. 24, 2014

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that air and missile strikes in Syria by the United States and its allies against Islamic State militants over the last month have killed more than 500 extremist fighters as well as at least 32 civilians. MORE
Oct. 24, 2014

Editorial stresses importance of protecting Kobani, embattled Syrian city on northern border with Turkey, from brutal assault by Islamic State militants; contends setback there will show the fragility of Obama administration's plan to fight ISIS and hand the militants an important victory; warns town's fall could allow militants to cross border into Turkey and directly threaten a NATO ally. MORE
Oct. 23, 2014

Turkish Pres Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticizes American airdrop of supplies and weapons near Syrian town of Kobani, saying United States had mistakenly aided militants besieging town instead of Kurdish fighters defending it. MORE
Oct. 22, 2014

Federal law enforcement officials say they intercepted three teenage girls from Denver suburbs traveling to Syria to join militants from the Islamic State at a German airport and returned to their families; it is unclear whether the three young women will face any criminal charges. MORE
Oct. 21, 2014

Turkey will allow Iraqi Kurdish forces known as pesh merga to cross its border with Syria to help fight Islamic State militants, who have besieged Syrian town of Kobani; decision is important shift by Turkish government, which had refused to allow fighters or weapons to cross border in support of Kurdish fighters. MORE
Oct. 20, 2014

American military aircraft drop ammunition, small arms and medical supplies to Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State militants in the Syrian town of Kobani. MORE
Oct. 18, 2014

Islamic State forces have been forced to retreat on several fronts, stalling their march on Syrian city of Kobani and shifting battle in favor of Kurdish fighters who have been defending city in monthlong battle. MORE

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Latest Articles

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Radio-Free Syria

By ELIZA GRISWOLD

Raed Fares, a Syrian activist whose video protests skewer ISIS and President Bashar al-Assad alike, is dodging the threat of death from both sides.

December 7, 2014, Sunday

World Briefing | Middle East

Syria: Militants Say They Killed a Lebanese Soldier

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Syrian extremist group linked with Al Qaeda said on Friday that it had killed a Lebanese soldier.

December 6, 2014, Saturday

Britain Puts 2 in Prison After Return From Syria

By STEPHEN CASTLE and MELISSA EDDY

The case has provoked a debate over how to handle returning jihadists without discouraging their families from cooperating with the authorities.

December 6, 2014, Saturday

Germany, in a First, Convicts a Returned Jihadist

By MELISSA EDDY

The man, 20, who traveled to Syria to fight alongside a group associated with the Islamic State, was sentenced to three years and nine months in juvenile detention.

December 6, 2014, Saturday

Charity in France Is Accused of Being a Front for Financing Terrorism in Syria

By DAN BILEFSKY and MAÏA de la BAUME

Pearl of Hope was shut down after the Paris Prosecutor’s office charged its two senior leaders with using charity deliveries as a front to funnel funds to jihadists.

December 5, 2014, Friday

U.S. Warns of Attack in Turkey

By SEBNEM ARSU

A statement from the American Embassy in Ankara did not name the supposed planners, but it did say the offices of a Western-backed Syrian opposition group might be the target.

December 5, 2014, Friday

On War and Immigration, Obama Faces Tests of Authority From Congress

By JEREMY W. PETERS and ASHLEY PARKER

Congress moved on two fronts Thursday to test the limits of presidential authority, including a surprising maneuver in the Senate to begin debating President Obama’s war powers against the Islamic State.

December 5, 2014, Friday

U.S. and Iran Both Attack ISIS, but Try Not to Look Like Allies

By TIM ARANGO and THOMAS ERDBRINK

The strikes against the Islamic State represent an unusual confluence of interests in Iraq and Syria, where Tehran and Washington find themselves fighting the same enemy in an increasingly public fashion.

December 4, 2014, Thursday

Lens

Dec. 2, 2014 — Pictures of the Day

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Photos from Syria, Russia, India and Thailand.

December 2, 2014, Tuesday

U.N. Cuts Food Aid to Refugees From Syria

By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE and RICK GLADSTONE

The agency said the suspension, taking place immediately, would have “disastrous” consequences for refugees struggling to cope with deprivation.

December 2, 2014, Tuesday

Coverage Highlights

Multimedia

video feature

Deadly Explosion in Daraa Village

Video posted to YouTube was said to show the victims of a blast, including four antigovernment activists, in Soura, a village in the southern province of Daraa.

interactive

The Refugees

More than 6.5 million Syrians have been displaced by the war, according to the United Nations. The New York Times visited the homes of four of them to hear their stories.

interactive

A Broad Look at the War Across Syria

Uncertainty about how an outside attack could affect Syria’s civil war is one of the factors leading to disagreement among Western countries about how to respond.

interactive

Syrian Refugees Struggle at Zaatari Camp

About 120,000 Syrians are calling the tents and trailers of the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan home, at least for the foreseeable future.

Related Article | Video

video

The Lions of Tawhid

The Times’s C.J. Chivers travels with an antigovernment fighting group in and near Aleppo, where the war for Syria’s future has hardened all involved.

Related Article | Photographs

photographs

For Shelter-Seeking Syrians, Home Is a Cave

As President Bashar al-Assad’s military continues to pound neighborhoods aligned with the rebels, uncountable Syrian families are waiting out the violence in the caves of bygone times.