‘Things are getting better’: Syrians return to Mediterranean beaches once shadowed by fear
The fall of Assad has reopened a coastline previously too dangerous to visit, though questions over security and social freedoms remain
Syria
Kurdish-led militia disbands after integration into Syrian army
Formal dissolution of the SDF, which has controlled large parts of northern and eastern Syria, is welcomed by the US, Turkey and Russia
US and Turkey criticise Israeli attack on Syria
Turkey has accused Israel of trying to destabilise Syria and undermine its new administration
From Syria to Clonakilty: ‘I feel really proud of what we have built in Ireland’
Civil war turned Reham Ghafraji’s life upside down, with the former literature student taking very different career paths in west Cork
The Irish Times view on Bashar al-Assad: death in absentia
The sentence was greeted with jubilation on the streets of Damascus
Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes
The former Syrian president fled to Moscow after rebels overthrew his regime in December 2024
Leaving Al Hol: A Syrian father on survival, freedom and what comes next
Fade (28), his wife and four children lived in the notorious detention camp in Syria for eight years. He agreed to an interview so he could tell the ‘real story of inside Al Hol’
Explosions injure 18 in Damascus as Emmanuel Macron meets Syrian president
French leader and counterpart Ahmad al-Sharaa continue talks after twin blasts near hotel
How three months of war have reshaped the Gulf
Facing a US-Iran deal that leaves them vulnerable, Gulf Arab countries are rethinking their defence strategies, economies and trade routes
The ‘40 before 40’ challenge: can doing new things help me see my life in Dublin in a new light?
I couldn’t spend my big birthday in Syria as I had hoped, so I decided instead to plan 40 days of 40 moments that revolved around the number 40, to help me focus on living in the moment
The US will face a reckoning one day. In the meantime, Trump just gets more volatile
Middle East chaos, looting of public purse and collapse in respect for US just 16 months into his second term
This Is Also a Love Story by Sally Hayden: Fearless reporting from Ireland’s most vital journalist
Love ‘feels like a form of resistance’ for writer who refuses to stop humanising people whose humanity is denied by others
This is Also a Love Story by Sally Hayden details ‘extraordinary people’ in ‘unthinkable situations’
This is Also a Love Story, written by Irish Times journalist Sally Hayden, was launched in Dublin on Friday
Foreign correspondent Sally Hayden: I wrote a book about love to remember there is goodness in the world
In more than a decade reporting on war, journalist Sally Hayden has witnessed unbearable cruelty and violence. But also, love – for partners, family and community
Syria arrests Amjad Youssef, suspected leader of Tadamon massacre
Tadamon, where an estimated 288 people were killed, became symbol of crimes committed against civilians during civil war
One EU state has much more to fear from the Iran war than any other
Drone attack prompts fresh debate about bloc’s ‘mutual assistance’ clause
Defiance by Loubna Mrie: A gripping, devastating account of a Syrian woman’s revolution
Mrie is remarkably brave in her documentation of Syria, its people and what she did after she realised she was unable to keep living in the way that was expected of her
Merz’s 80% return plan for Syrians in Germany stirs controversy
Chancellor’s latest verbal slip triggers political backlash and reignites Germany’s fraught migration debate
Israel’s strategic aims, rather than America’s, are shaping the war with Iran
Worldview: Netanyahu’s primordial Zionism and Trump’s National Security Strategy have a lot in common
Iraq emerges as a shadow front in US and Israeli war against Iran
Iraq has been a battleground for Tehran and Washington’s interests since 2003. A murky conflict has broken out there again
Years of surveillance, minutes of execution: Inside the plan to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Israel spent years hacking Tehran’s traffic cameras, monitoring guards before the assassination
As Israel pounds Hizbullah in Lebanon, refugees flee back into Syria
‘When we fled the war at home, they tried to stop us coming. Now there is war here, they’re not letting us leave’
‘The plane flew and started spraying’: Israel accused of poisoning Syrian farmland with chemicals
Villagers report dying fields, damaged livestock and fears for their livelihoods
Syrian government takes over Raqqa: first on the agenda is rubbish collection
Authorities must clear 165 illegal dumps in city and fix creaking sewerage network
‘End of rules-based order’: Irishman who helped end a civil conflict on a world tilting toward war
As a UN mediator, Seán Deely helped to end a civil conflict. Now, he warns the world is tilting towards war
‘We’re not monsters’: Families accused of ties to Islamic State confront fresh limbo
As Syrian authorities relocate detainees from a notorious open-air prison, many fearful and unsure whether they are any closer to going home
Syria turns page on Assad era with international book fair as censorship eases
Most books which were banned under Assad are allowed again, but others are now prohibited
Syria’s notorious open-air prison for thousands of suspected Isis detainees is now almost empty
Al Hol camp held tens of thousands of people accused of having Isis links
Syrian forces’ routing of Kurdish-led SDF signals end of experiment in democracy
Northeast region’s system of grassroots democracy prioritised equality between men and women and direct participation of communities
‘Isis bride’ or trafficked sex slave? Shamima Begum still looms large in British psyche
Life carries on in Bethnal Green as Begum’s life is stalled in a Syrian camp, but Britons don’t want her back
US abandons Kurdish allies as Syria’s new government seizes control
A force that helped defeat Islamic State is collapsing as the Trump administration turns to back the new Syrian government
Syrian president pulls off another stunning advance with Kurdish agreement
Syrian Democratic Forces were last players from country’s civil war that remained beyond authority of new government
Syria asks Lebanon to hand over Assad-era officers
Syrian security officials meet Lebanese counterparts over exiled Assad-era officers
A decade on from crisis, Europe claims control of migration — at a human cost
Policymakers say strict new measures have driven down irregular arrivals, but experts say the underlying factors are little changed
US military carries out multiple strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State
Washington launched operation in December after an attack on American personnel
‘A dangerous escalation’: Aleppo empties as government and Kurdish forces clash
Hospitals strain, civilians flee and shelters fill as the worst violence since Assad’s fall grips Syria’s former commercial capital
‘The only way is up’: Meet Syria’s self-appointed minister of tourism
Hassan Akkad’s irreverent videos are a love letter to a liberated Syria - squat toilets and all
A €120 dinner for two in Beijing, Berlin, Damascus and Odesa? Our correspondents couldn’t spend their money
From shrimp skin in Beijing to chicken livers in Syria and cherry schnapps in Berlin, the quality and value available in other countries are striking
‘A black legal hole’: Europe criticised for leaving young citizens trapped in Syria
Western countries accused of washing their hands of their own citizens held in Syria
What’s the best meal Sally Hayden can get for €120 in Damascus, Syria?
Our correspondent ducked through an old wooden door on a narrow street and found glorious food
Eight killed in explosion at Syrian mosque during Friday prayers
An ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim Syrian group says it carried out the attack on the Alawite mosque in Homs
Private jets and penthouse suites: ousted Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s luxurious life in exile
Deposed president and his family are living with impunity in Moscow
Ireland should resist cheap, tough talk on migration
When our Minister for Justice implicitly endorses treating UK policy as a model for Ireland, we’re falling sway to toxic politics
US launches strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for killing of US troops
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth says attack is ‘not the beginning of a war’ but a ‘declaration of vengeance’
Tunisia returns to autocratic rule, 15 years after Jasmine Revolution
Country saw first of a string of movements across North Africa and Middle East that became known as the Arab Spring
Actions of Bondi Beach hero declared ‘a source of pride for Syria’
Ahmed al-Ahmed has received praise from political leaders for tackling gunman and saving ‘countless’ lives
Two US soldiers and an interpreter killed in suspected Islamic State attack in Syria
Donald Trump warns of ‘very serious retaliation’
‘Couriers’ found in possession of €345,000 sentenced to three-year jail term
Three men originally from Syria but with valid Swedish passports were en route to Dublin Airport to travel to Istanbul when detained
A year after tyrant Assad’s fall, Syrians mark ‘liberation day’ with flags and fireworks
Crowds gathered in celebration, but questions remain over country’s future
Syria’s disappeared: Leak of Assad torture photographs reveals fate of thousands
In the News podcast: Documents released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Returning home to Syria after 13 years: A writer reflects on her journey to Damascus after fall of Assad
A year on from the collapse of the Assad regime, Syrian-Irish writer Suad Aldarra reflects on her return to Damascus in 2025
Inside Assad’s surveillance state: leaked files show how spy network spread fear in Syria
Documents spanning decades reveal intelligence agencies monitored civilians, recorded personal details and used local officials to enforce compliance
Syria’s disappeared: leak of Assad torture photos reveals fate of thousands
More than 33,000 images of detainees reveal starvation, torture and death in Assad-era prisons
Trump warns Israel not to ‘interfere’ in Syria
Move comes days after a deadly operation by Israeli forces killed 13 people
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices