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.

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

By bnm Gulf bureau Iraq has suspended crude oil exports to Syria, citing regional instability, in a move that threatens to deepen Syria's fuel crisis, Iraqi officials said on December 22. The decision to halt shipments of approximately 120,

President Trump’s dilemma in Syria is to let a terrorist state emerge at the heart of the Middle East on his watch or to violate his campaign promise of “no more foreign wars."

Iraq's airspace has been frequently violated since the US military's withdrawal at the end of 2011 due to its almost complete lack of air defences.

There’s not a whole lot of moral clarity available in the treacherous political and historical landscape of Syria, except that almost no one laments the downfall of the 54-year Assad dynasty. Like most nations of the modern Middle East,

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.

With the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and an uncertain future, U.S. troops in the region must navigate a geopolitical minefield.

Is this the fall or the rise of Syria? Depending on where one stands, it foreshadows the answer to that question. Given the various interests involved, the different positions add complexity to

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised Friday to work with Iraq to ensure no resurgence of the Islamic State group after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow in neighbouring Syria.The Islamic State group (IS) overran large swathes of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014,

If regional tensions escalate, disruptions to energy supplies could impact global markets, including Japan, which remains disengaged despite the mounting crisis.

Blinken said he spoke to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani about the situation in Syria after the Assad regime's fall.