In just over a week, a lightning rebel offensive has collapsed five decades of draconian Assad rule. Al Majalla looks back at the political career of the former Syrian president.

After over two decades of rule, following three decades of his father Hafez al-Assad's rule, Bashar has fled following a lightning rebel offensive that swept the country

One of Syria's four largest cities, Hama's history pre-dates Christianity. However, it is most famously known for a bloody assault carried out by Hafez al-Assad in 1982, which killed thousands.

Gaza, repentance, sexual fluidity, child abduction, and football through adversity all feature in these longlisted works that together reflect the social realities and hopes of today's Middle East

After taking Aleppo and Hama, armed Syrian opposition factions are making their way further south as the regime increasingly appears to be hollowing out

Cairo's move to localise the production of electric vehicles has several benefits, including boosting employment and reducing pollution. And it is well-positioned to overcome any challenges.

After years of relative quiet, renewed fighting in Syria could be the new US administration's first major foreign policy challenge

There is no state help, and many cannot yet return home. For those who can, the devastation is almost too much to bear. Still, thousands fly the flag and tell images of Hassan Nasrallah that they won.

With both internal and external security threats, plus a ceasefire agreement that leaves more questions than answers, the Lebanese Armed Forces seems trapped between a rock and a hard place