For the first time in decades, Iraq has turned to overland fuel exports through Syria, a move that underscores the scale of disruption hitting its traditional shipping routes as war on Iran intensifies, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.

Iraq’s shift to alternative oil routes through Syria amid Gulf disruptions is creating economic opportunities for Syria while reshaping regional energy flows.

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.