Syria
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Documentary
Syria After Assad
Syria’s uncertain future under jihadist-turned-statesman Ahmad al-Sharaa.
July 1, 2025
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Documentaries and reports examining the war in Syria, the Assad regime and its relationship with Iran, the role of militias and the rise and evolution of ISIS.
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All Stories in Syria
Article
What U.S. Diplomats Thought After Meeting Syria’s Jihadist-Turned-Statesman Ahmad al-Sharaa
Less than two weeks after Ahmad al-Sharaa ousted Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a U.S. State Department delegation arrived in Damascus to meet the onetime Al Qaeda commander. This video drawn from the documentary ‘Syria After Assad’ shows what they thought…
July 1, 2025
Documentary
Syria After Assad
Syria’s uncertain future under jihadist-turned-statesman Ahmad al-Sharaa.
July 1, 2025
Article
‘What They Left Behind’: A Look at the Human Toll of the Syrian War
After the fall of the Assad regime, Syrians reckon with the devastating human toll of the war from hundreds of thousands killed to thousands still missing. A look at the figures that underscore the losses Syrians have endured.
June 10, 2025
Article
‘I’d Scream Louder’: After Assad’s Fall, Brothers Return to Saydnaya Prison Where They Were Tortured
Bashar al-Assad’s regime detained more than a million people during the Syrian war. Saydnaya was the regime’s most notorious prison. In a video drawn from the documentary ‘Syria’s Detainee Files,’ brothers who were held at Saydnaya describe their experience –…
June 10, 2025
Documentary
Syria’s Detainee Files
FRONTLINE investigates the Assad regime’s arrest, torture and execution of detainees during the Syrian war.
June 10, 2025
Article
Trump Calls for an End to U.S. Sanctions Against Syria Under New President. Who Is Ahmad Al-Sharaa?
The developments come five months after a rebel offensive led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, now Syria’s interim president, ousted Bashar al-Assad following more than 13 years of brutal war.
May 14, 2025
Article
Syria’s War Began 14 Years Ago. Explore FRONTLINE’s Reporting on Its Origins and Consequences
FRONTLINE has been covering the war since it began in 2011, tracing its origins and evolution, its impact on Syrians and the rest of the world, and how the U.S. has responded.
March 14, 2025
Podcast
Who Is the Rebel Leader Who Ousted Assad?
Correspondent Martin Smith on the fall of Assad, what we know about Syrian rebel leader Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, and what’s next for Syria.
December 13, 2024
Article
Assad Has Fallen. Who Is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the Syrian Militant Who Led The Rebel Offensive That Toppled Him?
In 2021, FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith became the first Western journalist to interview Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. The documentary that followed, “The Jihadist,” investigated Jolani’s origins and his Islamist militant group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
December 8, 2024
Article
As Syrian Rebels Re-Ignite Conflict And Take Aleppo, Revisit FRONTLINE’s Reporting
FRONTLINE has been covering the war since it began in 2011, tracing its origins and evolution, its impact on the country’s people, and how the U.S. has responded.
December 3, 2024
Article
Ten Years Ago, ISIS Seized Power and Territory. What’s Happened Since?
Explore FRONTLINE’s reporting on the rise of the terror group, the fight against it and the lasting ramifications below.
June 28, 2024
Article
11 Years into the Syrian Conflict, Explore its Evolution, Toll & Putin’s Role
Years before his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s intervention to help President Bashar al-Assad stay in power in Syria was accused of targeting civilians and fueling a refugee crisis.
March 11, 2022
Article
The Designated Terrorist and the Fight Over the Future of Syria’s Last Opposition Stronghold
In 'The Jihadist,' Martin Smith becomes the first Western journalist to interview Syrian militant Abu Mohammad al-Jolani and investigates his rebranding efforts.
June 1, 2021
Documentary
The Jihadist
Designated a terrorist by the United States, the powerful Syrian militant Abu Mohammad al-Jolani now seeks a new relationship with the West.
June 1, 2021
Article
Repatriating ISIS Foreign Fighters Is Key to Stemming Radicalization, Experts Say, but Many Countries Don’t Want Their Citizens Back
A review of the 10 countries that yielded the most ISIS foreign fighters showed varying levels of commitment to repatriation and prosecution.
April 6, 2021
Article
Syrian Militant and Former Al Qaeda Leader Seeks Wider Acceptance in First Interview With U.S. Journalist
Abu Mohammad al-Jolani is the leader of the most dominant force in opposition-held Syrian territory. He’s also designated a terrorist by the U.S. In his first interview with an American journalist, he claims his group poses no threat to the…
April 2, 2021
Article
10 Years in, Explore the Syrian Conflict’s Origins, Evolution and Toll in These Streaming Documentaries
FRONTLINE’s Syria-related documentaries take you back to the beginning.
March 12, 2021
Article
U.S. Strikes Iran-Backed Militias in Syria, Responding to Rocket Attacks
The U.S. strikes destroyed facilities used by a number of Iranian-backed militias, including Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Kata’ib Hezbollah. The latter figured heavily in our recent documentary "Iraq's Assassins."
February 26, 2021
Article
How Did an American Mom Go From Indiana to ISIS Territory?
'Return From ISIS,' a new FRONTLINE documentary, investigates Sam Sally’s path from Indiana to ISIS territory and back.
December 15, 2020
Documentary
Return From ISIS
The story of an American mother who takes her son to the ISIS-controlled city of Raqqa.
December 15, 2020
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