Middle Orient

The collapse of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024 unleashed one of Syria’s most complex economic challenges in decades. Soaring inflation, eroded confidence in the Syrian pound, and the dominance of black-market speculators have turned the national currency from a medium of exchange into a symbol of financial collapse. …

Syria’s recent constitutional declaration, intended to unify a fractured nation, has instead deepened a crisis over the state’s identity, centring on divergent visions of political Islam. By designating Islamic jurisprudence as a principal source of legislation, the transitional authority in Damascus aimed to ground its legitimacy in a shared religious …

This past July, a cleric from Gaza with 1 million followers on TikTok launched a fundraising campaign on US-based crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. The stated goal: to raise 500,000 euros “for humanitarian needs and aid to civilians in Gaza.” But behind the scenes, a covert team sought to uncover his true …

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ISIS activity is resurgent in Kirkuk, where militants exploit a security vacuum between Peshmerga and Iraqi army lines. Villagers report direct encounters and live in fear, while officials warn the gap must be filled by a joint force to prevent further instability. The specter of ISIS has returned to haunt …

The Syrian leader is heading a neo-Jihadism that is more insidious and dangerous than all other forms of political Islamism and Salafi-Jihadism the world has known so far. Syria’s interim self-appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who served for two decades as a militant in the al-Qaeda terrorist organization under the alias …

Palestinian families across Gaza City confront an agonising decision as Israeli forces intensify military operations, declaring the area a “dangerous combat zone.” With nowhere safe to go and lacking resources to flee, residents describe feeling trapped between violence and survival in overcrowded displacement camps. Ahmed Mohammed Fayad packs belongings from …

Egypt is bolstering its military presence in the Sinai Peninsula as Israel pushes ahead with a new military operation to conquer Gaza City, which Cairo fears will displace even more Palestinians in the devastated and immiserated coastal enclave. Egypt has reportedly deployed up to 40,000 troops in the northern Sinai …

Despite efforts to integrate diverse rebel factions into a unified military structure, a report notes significant challenges, including defections, tribal conflicts, and difficulties in maintaining regular salary payments. A recent report has revealed that 22 senior military officials in the New Syrian Army, including key figures such as the Minister …

In a recent gathering with Arab media in Damascus, President Ahmed Sharaa presented a vivid account of Syria’s current landscape, interweaving the country’s domestic complexities with aspirations for renewal. His vision is of a state reclaiming its institutions, a nation devoid of expansionist ambitions, and a society poised for revival …