Guterres in Syria for first official visit by a UN chief in 17 years
The UN chief met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was under UN Security Council sanctions until last year.

The UN chief met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was under UN Security Council sanctions until last year.





![Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa during Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, who is accused of committing war crimes, attends a trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026. [File: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/reuters_6a006dbb-1778412987.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)



A four-day ceasefire between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led SDF was meant to cool tensions.

The Syrian government has announced a four-day ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Syria’s Interior Ministry says 81 of some 120 ISIL detainees who had escaped from a prison have been recaptured.

Al Jazeera gained access to an extensive network of tunnels in the Sheikh Maqsoud area of Aleppo.
Deepening instability, minority distrust and foreign meddling test Damascus’s grip on a fractured state.
Authorities remove two zeros from the pound, hoping to simplify transactions and regain trust in the currency.
Al Jazeera Arabic investigation obtains recordings of Suheil al-Hassan discussing Israeli support, regrouping efforts.
Jordan’s military said the attacks ‘neutralised arms and drug traffickers’ and destroyed laboratories and factories.
Talks held between top diplomats a day after al-Shaibani discussed military cooperation with Russian President Putin.