Current sectionMiddle East NewsAnalysis Al-Sharaa wants to make a still-fragile Syria a key strategic partner in the post-Iran Middle East. Israel must decide whether to accommodate the regional order Trump is shaping or try to stand in its wayShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribe08:12 PM • July 28 2026 IDTOn the eve of July 17, in the Al-Maysar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, an argument over a shop quickly turned into a battleground involving live fire. Three people were wounded, cars were set on fire and security forces had to be called in to prevent the situation from deteriorating further. A few days earlier, in Azaz, north of Aleppo, a family feud devolved into gunfire directed at a security patrol. At the end of June, in a Damascus suburb, a dispute over money led to armed clashes and the temporary imposition of a curfew.In the NewsWill Syria Become the Next Arena for Israel and Trump's Clashing Visions?Israel Has Finally Discovered That Threatening Journalists Is DangerousNearly Half of Americans Want Netanyahu Arrested on U.S. Soil, Poll FindsGulf States Back Plan to Let Iran Collect Voluntary Fees to Use HormuzNetanyahu Meets With Trump at Closed-door Meeting at White HouseRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael's Far Right Is Repeating the Sin That Brought Down the TempleAl Jazeera Reportedly Ends Contracts of Over 20 Gazan JournalistsWith the West Bank Primed to Explode, Israel's Government Sees an OpportunityTwo Israelis, Four Palestinians Killed in Clash After Settlers Enter TownBiden Officials Now Regret What They Let Israel Do in Gaza. Does It Matter?These Young Israelis Are Calling for the Zionist Left to Confront the Occupation