Tensions in Syria
March 3, 2026
Sarah Kumar
We have a weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox!
March 3, 2026
Sarah Kumar
In December 2024, Syria’s 13-year-old civil war ended with the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. From there, Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Islamic group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, became the transitional president. During that time, a transitional constitutional declaration was passed, even though it gave a lot of power to the executive with little to no checks.
In January 2026, the transitional government initiated military action against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces(SDF) in northeastern Syria. On January 18, a ceasefire agreement was made between the two, where the SDF would be combined into Syrian government forces, and so would key territories, like Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and other border crossings. Although this has not been fully implemented yet and situation still seems uncertain.
During this conflict and uncertainty, ISIS has exploited the divided landscape and attempted to reestablish its foothold, while Israel has carried out numerous strikes against Syria since the new government rose.
The U.S. reported in February that it would withdraw all its troops from Syria over the next two months. Kurdish clashes, sectarian violence and Israeli airstrikes all raise concern about regional stability and whether the centralized power will last under Syria’s fragile new Islamist led government.
Since December 2024, although over 1.4 million refugees returned home, 3.7 million are still displaced across the world, and more than 6 million are displaced within Syria.
Every day, Syrians went through a decade of instability, riddled with starvation, torture, chemical attacks, and mass displacement. Because of this, over 500,000 people were killed, and 14 million people were displaced and forced out of their homes. The massive displacement that came with the events in Syria caused a lot of refugees to flee to Europe. Predicted numbers for 2026 suggest that around 16.5 million Syrians are still in need of help and aid.
Read more here: