Syria

Some in Damascus think female protection units are better suited for police force work, but this would be a huge waste of their valuable military skills

Al Majalla reveals how these units have evolved into cross-border operational networks targeting security and economic infrastructure

Hezbollah is recruiting new cells in Syria's west, while Iraqi militias are doing the same in the east. For its part, Damascus readies its forces to respond to any threat.

Former regime soldiers are stuck in limbo, as their undocumented status prevents them from working, travelling, and curbs family members' access to education, healthcare and social services

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