The Syrian president knows that war between Israel and Hezbollah will send diplomats hurriedly calling Damascus. After more than a decade in the diplomatic naughty corner, this is his moment

War sent oil firms running while the loss of territorial control in the oil- and gas-rich north-east left the Kurds with the hydrocarbons and Damascus reliant on Iran. Will the good times roll again?

The interception of more than a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles in recent months has shown that smuggling has a highly effective new toy, while the Jordanians have a new security headache

A fascinating first-hand account from a former ambassador of the conversation about the Shebaa Farms that uncovered the lie that Hezbollah uses to justify its continued 'resistance' against Israel

The European "three no's" have remained the cornerstone of the European policy for many years

This bureaucratic sham is meant to make the Assad regime look credible but instead just demonstrates its sclerosis. Little wonder most Syrians don't bother.

The Turkish and Syrian presidents have not cared for one another in recent years. With Turkish soldiers on Syrian land, one has the upper hand. If pre-conditions can be ditched, will the leaders meet?

The Syrian Army's Fourth Division partners with an unlikely cast of characters to smuggle pills across borders while security men in Damascus raid currency exchanges. How did it come to this?

Ten years ago, al-Baghdadi declared an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria. But after being largely defeated in the Middle East, the terrorist group has found new places to regroup around the world.

Turkish and Syrian security officials are rumoured to have recently met at Latakia's Hmeimim air base under Russian auspices, where some cooperation agreements were reached