Syria’s diplomatic rehabilitation has moved at breakneck speed. Now, al-Sharaa faces a harder challenge: turning international acceptance into economic progress, stronger institutions and restored sovereignty for Syrians at home.
Pakistan’s historic military and intelligence ties with Syria could help Damascus rebuild its security institutions.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, its consequences still shape Syria, from Assad’s manipulation of jihadism and the War on Terror to the rise of Ahmad al-Sharaa and a transformed regional order.
Ballout’s story reveals how Syria’s jihadist networks endure across generations, as Europe confronts their ideological legacy and Syria faces signs of renewed interest in Islamic State among disaffected youth.
Harried by government security campaigns, IS appears unable to regain territorial control in Syria, instead working to maintain visibility through limited operations while betting on the failure of the country’s transition.
As Syria’s first head of state to address the UN in nearly 60 years, Ahmad al-Sharaa promised a new chapter despite a host of challenges facing his divided country's political transition.
Following the killing of five Kurds in Jenderes by Turkish-backed forces in March, HTS intervened in SNA territory for the second time in six months, underscoring al-Jolani’s ambitions of territorial expansion and highlighting his use of ethnic and religious minorities to make a case for himself.
In Syria’s eastern Deir e-Zor province, the Islamic State is increasingly moving out of the shadows, openly recruiting new members in villages, reactivating its religious police force and escalating attacks.
As Turkey prepares for an upcoming military operation in northern Syria, the SDF warns it could lead to an Islamic State resurgence in the northeast.
The IS attack on al-Sinaa was a test of its adversary, to find out the SDF response, Through it, IS learned that the SDF was unable to thwart an attack without the participation and support of US forces.
