Syria Looks to Pick Up the Pieces of Its Shattered Economy // My dispatch from Damascus for The Wall Street Journal wsj.com/world/middle-e…

More than a decade of civil war left Syria’s economy in shambles. Now, as the country’s new leaders seek to rebuild, they are confronting a raft of challenges. trib.al/12gIGX4

“Syria lives, the regime has fallen!” young Syrians standing on chairs chanted in a packed Damascus bar. They held revolutionary flags and cursed the old regime’s deposed ruler: “A black year for you, Bashar. A sweet year for the revolutionaries!” wsj.com/world/middle-e…

The people of Syria said good riddance in the past month to the dictatorship that ruled for half a century. And when the clock struck midnight, Damascus let rip. trib.al/aLY40ML

Syria’s Alawites, the Muslim sect of the deposed Assad dynasty, say they fear discrimination and attacks under the country’s new Islamist government By Omar Abdel-Baqui A good article that captures some of reasons for anxiety among the Alawites. wsj.com/world/middle-e… via The Wall Street Journal

In Jabalia, on Oct 31, 2023, for instance: wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Syria’s Alawites, the Muslim sect of the deposed Assad dynasty, say they fear discrimination and attacks under the country’s new Islamist government wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Israeli settlers took to online chat groups to follow the movements of released prisoners and plot their attacks on Palestinian towns in the West Bank to where they were being returned as part of the ceasefire. My latest with Omar Abdel-Baqui for The Wall Street Journal wsj.com/world/middle-e…

“..The Hamas presence on the ground armed is a slap in the face to the Israeli government and army,” said Gershon Baskin, a former Israeli hostage negotiator..” A must-read report by ⁦Summer Said⁩ and ⁦Omar Abdel-Baqui⁩ wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Here is an early look at the front page of today's Wall Street Journal on.wsj.com/40HMM0q

📉 "Syria Looks to Pick Up the Pieces of Its Shattered Economy" by Omar Abdel-Baqui including quotations by Omar S. Dahi (The Wall Street Journal). wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Israeli police have raided the best-known Palestinian-owned bookshop in Jerusalem and detained its two owners theguardian.com/world/2025/feb… via The Guardian

“Welcome back. This is your home.” Syrian Jews return to Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime. // Omar Abdel-Baqui wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Smart analysis by ⁦Omar Abdel-Baqui⁩ Adam Chamseddine: #Lebanese authorities said they arrested several people who launched rockets toward #Israel last month, as the government tries to assert its authority and keep a fragile cease-fire alive wsj.com/world/middle-e…

The latest from Omar Abdel-Baqui who talked with foreign fighters in Syria. It’s a great work. “Some foreign fighters have been in Syria for a decade, marrying Syrian women and sending their children to local schools.” wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Syria’s new leaders have to figure out what to do with thousands of foreign fighters in their ranks, whom many in the country fear and suspect were involved in a recent wave of ethnic killings. My dispatch from Damascus for The Wall Street Journal wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Was pleased to help the WSJ with this article on foreign jihadists in Syria. These muhajireen played an important role in helping HTS take control of the country, but their future in Syria is now one of the most difficult questions to resolve. Give it a read:

The battle over Beirut's airport wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Insightful analysis by ⁦Omar Abdel-Baqui⁩ & ⁦Adam Chamseddine⁩: #Lebanese army has largely disarmed #Hezbollah in its southern strongholds, but it’s still unclear whether the state can impose its military might across the country #Israel wsj.com/world/middle-e…

Lebanon’s army has largely disarmed Hezbollah in its southern strongholds—in part with the help of Israeli intelligence. U.S. and Israeli officials say they have been pleasantly surprised by the progress. By me and Adam Chamseddine for The Wall Street Journal: wsj.com/world/middle-e…