Assad’s ouster has raised urgent questions about the 2,000 troops who serve as a bulwark against ISIS and Iran.

That was his reference to an illegal narcotic that has flooded the Middle East over the past 10 years. "Syria has become the biggest producer of Captagon on earth," he said. "And today, Syria is going to be purified by the grace of God." Mostly unknown ...

For much of the past decade, Assad’s regime, bolstered by unwavering support from Iran and Russia, brutally suppressed dissent. What began as an uprising in 2011 evolved into a devastating civil war that eventually settled into an uneasy stalemate.

Turkey's foreign minister said after meeting Syria's de facto leader in Damascus on Sunday that there was no room for Kurdish militants in Syria's future, calling for the YPG militia to disband. Turke

Now, after the collapse of the Assad regime, people have begun returning home, including BBC Arabic's Feras Killani, who grew up there with his family, before they left in 2013.

Following the fall of Assad's regime, tensions across the Middle East have continued to remain high prompting concerns from countries in the area.

Will he walk the walk and not just talk the talk? And if he doesn’t win in the elections, will he peacefully stand aside for whoever does win?” one analyst said.

Sham, or HTS, made a lightning assault across Syria. Where did the rebels get the cash, weapons and training that made their takeover possible?

The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian rule.

What's New?Two of Vladimir Putin's key allies in Africa are pushing back against the presence of Russian forces in their countries, further threatening Moscow's foothold on the continent following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.