Syria

Fighters have been sent to the porous Syria-Lebanon border area from both sides in recent weeks, with far more at stake than smuggling rackets.

Washington is reordering its priorities as part of a broader strategic shift across the Middle East, and eyes a possible alliance with Damascus as a next step

Pipelines have a chequered history in the Middle East, but the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led US Tom Barrack to conclude that a new route through Syria could solve some problems.

Given the effective closure of the Hormuz Strait and Houthi threats to close off the Red Sea, Syria may emerge as a corridor and conduit to bypass these embattled maritime chokepoints

A former army forensics employee who later became known as Caesar tells Al Majalla how he risked his life to expose the torture and killing of countless Syrians in regime prisons

For nearly three decades, these recordings carried voices ignored by official media across the country's streets, taxis and nightclubs. Now, they are being digitised into a comprehensive archive.

The rushed 2025 rollout raised questions about the government's seriousness. Since then, no meaningful record has been published, fuelling fears that it was just a show.

Even if it stays on the sidelines of the US-Iran war, the country is fragile. Unlike larger economies that can absorb shocks in global markets, it has little room to cushion the impact.

The announcement last week that the US was pulling its 1,000 troops there has sparked worry, as American presence is seen as crucial for integrating the Kurds and fighting IS

Forms of civic engagement unimaginable under the previous regime are now unfolding. But authorities have also been accused of arbitrary restrictions, selective enforcement, and sudden reversals.