Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan preempted discussions with a Syrian government delegation in Ankara by announcing that the talks would focus on supporting Syria and reconstruction efforts. Addressing parliament on Wednesday,

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Major airlines are planning to reinstate flights to the Middle East following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Over the last 15 months of conflict, several Western carriers pulled out of flights to Israel, Jordan and Lebanon as missile attacks closed skies over Iraq and Iran in unpredictable airspace.

The Middle East is witnessing widespread celebrations after the Gaza ceasefire announcement. In Iran, crowds filled Tehran and Tabriz, chanting for Gaza's resistance. Jordan's streets came alive with car parades and Palestinian flags.

As it became increasingly clear that Syrians were not imminently leaving Turkey, the Turkish government formalized the Temporary Protection Regulation in 2014. It allowed Syrian nationals access to the Turkish education and health care systems and laid the groundwork for them to pursue employment if they could secure work permits.

The Israeli security cabinet had earlier recommended to the government that it allow the Qatar, Egypt and US-mediated truce to go into effect on Sunday.

The Israeli security cabinet recommended the approval to the ceasefire deal in Gaza, although strikes have continue to kill scores in the Palestinian territory.

The article explores why Syria, despite its early independence, was unable to establish a democracy, instead evolving into a mukhabarat state

"Everyone agrees that the Israeli advance in Syria is a mistake, and that we need to return to previous arrangements," Ahmed al-Sharaa said

Students at the University of Aleppo sang in celebration after news broke of a ceasefire and hostage-release deal brokered between Israel and Hamas. Footage from Obada Jbara shows young men waving Palestinian flags and singing outside the faculty of medicine.

Which direction do we want Syria to go? Host to a 10-sided gunfight? A return to a repressive regime? Proxies and promoters of mischief making? Or, a peaceful, neutral hub that respects its people

In 1982 an uprising in the city of Hama by the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group originating in Egypt, challenged Assad’s rule. Tens of thousands of people were killed by the government’s bombardment of the city. The chilling message stuck with Syrians for decades.