The Karkh Central Prison in Baghdad, formerly known as Cropper, has come under repeated rocket attacks since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, amid growing instability across Iraq.

At a moment of deep regional uncertainty, where lines of war intersect with the maps of energy and trade, Syria finds itself at a new crossroads shaped not only by internal pressures but by fast-moving geopolitical shifts reshaping the Middle East.

In early 2026, Israeli Occupation Forces used herbicides along the Lebanon and Syria borders, destroying crops, harming ecosystems, and threatening food security.

More than a decade after U.S. forces entered Syria under the banner of the “war on terror,” signs are mounting that Washington may be preparing to turn the page on its military presence there.

Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in Syria to boost the economy, break isolation, and reshape regional and political ties.