As much of the Middle East has been plunged into chaos and conflict by the war in Iran, Syria is one country trying to stay out of the fighting.
Syria has only recently emerged from a decade-long civil war following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. It is now led by a new government headed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
On Friday, Sharaa sent congratulatory cables marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr to a number of Arab and Islamic leaders. Syrian state-owned outlet Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said the cables were sent as “part of strengthening bilateral relations and exchanging congratulations on religious occasions.”
Sharaa reached out to a long list of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Algeria, Palestine, Yemen, Mauritania, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Tanzania, Bahrain, Kuwait, Indonesia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Somalia, Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan. He also sent a message to the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.
“The messages underscored Syria’s commitment to strengthening ties with these countries and conveyed hopes for continued cooperation and solidarity across the region,” SANA noted.
Sharaa appears keenly aware of the region’s challenges. In southern Syria, Iranian missiles launched at Israel can sometimes be seen from the ground as they pass overhead. At the same time, Israel is at war with Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Syria also has tensions with Hezbollah, which backed the Assad regime and tried to occupy parts of Syria during the civil war.
Sharaa has sought to put Syria on a path toward peace and prosperity. He was quick to reach out to US President Donald Trump in 2025, with support from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, two countries that have close ties to the White House. He has also been able to get sanctions removed on Syria so it can attract investment. Sharaa is positioning Syria as a country seeking peace, not conflict, in a region where conflict appears to be spreading.
On Friday, during a speech given at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Sharaa asserted that "Syria’s economy is rebounding sharply after years of decline," according to SANA, citing a budget surplus and projections that GDP will return to pre-war levels as reconstruction and wage increases accelerate.
“Everyone knows that the situation had deteriorated, and in numbers, the GDP in 2010 was $60 billion, then things deteriorated, and after liberation, statistics indicated that it had decreased significantly,” he noted. “In 2025, we achieved a growth rate of approximately 30 to 35 percent, with GDP reaching around $32 billion and spending reaching $3.5 billion. For the first time in Syria, there was a budget surplus,” he said.
The Syrian state is increasing its budget as GDP rises rapidly. Sharaa additionally stressed that the state has priorities, including ending the issue of refugee camps and enabling people to return to their villages and towns destroyed by the deposed regime, SANA noted.
To make sure that growth reaches ordinary Syrians, the government is raising public-sector salaries by 50%. Sharaa has also introduced tax exemptions for businesses hit by the war, with exemptions varying depending on the extent of damage. Commercial businesses will receive tax relief for one year, ranging from 50 percent for damage between 25 and 50 percent, to full exemption for damage exceeding 75 percent of the business, SANA reported.
Syria remains in transitional state
However, Syria still faces serious challenges. It recently completed a series of transitions in eastern Syria, where areas formerly run by the Syrian Democratic Forces were integrated into state-run areas. The Interior Ministry in Damascus has sent forces to work with the SDF to secure those areas. Still, there are places where the transfer of control has not gone smoothly, such as the Kurdish city of Kobani in northern Syria.
The road ahead remains complex. In southern Syria, the Druze area of Sweida is not under government control. Israel has vowed to back the Druze. At the same time, Damascus accuses Sweida of trying to smuggle weapons.
Independent Syrian media agency Levant24 reported on March 20 that “the Syrian Interior Ministry said security forces in Sweida thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons and ammunition for use in hostile acts on the Busra al Sham and Baka road, after detecting infiltration near checkpoints and suspicious vehicle movements.”
The report added that “it said a clash followed after gunmen opened fire, resulting in two killed, two wounded and two arrested, with weapons seized.”
IDF strikes military targets in Syria
On Friday, the IDF carried out airstrikes targeting infrastructure and military sites belonging to the Syrian government in southern Syria, saying the strikes were in response to attacks on the Druze.
The IDF has referred to the government in Syria as a “regime.” The Assad regime in Syria was a partner of Iran and Hezbollah.
In theory, the new government in Damascus and Israel share regional views regarding Iran and Hezbollah. However, Jerusalem has not viewed the new government in Damascus in a positive light.
The Trump administration has sought to smooth things over, including through trilateral meetings in January. However, the US is now focused on the ongoing conflict with Iran and Hezbollah, leaving Syria in a difficult position.
It borders both Iraq and Lebanon, where further conflict is currently unfolding. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have threatened Damascus, and they have carried out hundreds of attacks on US forces and on the Kurdistan Region.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned the Israeli airstrikes as a “brutal Israeli attack.” Syria says it “considers it a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the UN Charter, and a blatant attack on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Saudi Arabia also condemned the strikes. “The Kingdom reiterates its firm rejection of this blatant aggression and Israel’s violation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement,” the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement, and called on the international community to intervene and end “Israel’s violations of international laws and norms.”
Syria to prioritize avoiding international conflict
For Syria, the priority is to avoid being dragged into the region’s conflicts. It has support in that effort from Riyadh and Ankara.
The US's ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, is also the US's envoy to Syria and is also playing a growing role in Iraq.
On March 17, he noted, “Many thanks to Erbil and Baghdad for their work to reach an agreement at this critical time to resume energy exports and improve prosperity for the region. Your courage, steadfast cooperation, and commitment to the diplomatic path have been truly invaluable. The United States remains fully committed to supporting these important efforts in this time of crisis.”
The next day, he wrote on X/Twitter that he was "honored to chair the March 18 UNSC meeting on Syria, on the fifteenth anniversary of the launch of a revolution inside Syria."
"We remember the courage of those who first marched peacefully in 2011, calling for dignity, reform, and freedom on Syria’s Revolution Day," Barrack stated. "Their voices helped open the door to a new chapter for Syria. The United States honors the resilience of all Syrian people as they work toward a stable, unified, and prosperous future.”