Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist focused on Middle East affairs. Members of the Syrian Kurdish Asayish security forces stand guard at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds ...

A group of 13 women and children with links to Islamic State (IS) have booked tickets to return home to Australia, the government has said.

Critics warn new restrictions could signal a shift toward more bans under President Ahmed al-Sharaa given his previous ties to jihadist terror groups.

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani reopened the Syrian Consulate in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Thursday, officially resuming operations after a hiatus of nearly 14 years. The SANA news agency said Shaibani raised the Syrian flag at the consulate building, in the presence of an official delegation from the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

Mastercard announced the completion of the necessary technical procedures to process international bank card transactions within

But after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, sparking a regional war, Bahrain and neighboring Gulf countries found themselves in Iran’s crosshairs. So the family fled back to th

Mastercard, one of the largest payment networks globally, has completed technical procedures to process international bank card transactions inside Syria, the first step of its kind in more than 15 years, the SANA news agency said Thursday.