
Wow, it’s still hard to believe Assad is gone! After taking over from his father back in 2000, he managed to hold on for over a decade, even with all the fighting, thanks to support from Iran and Russia. But in December 2024, rebels finally took Damascus, and he was ousted. Honestly, it’s good riddance considering all the terrible things he was accused of – torture, people dying in prisons, and just awful attacks on civilians. Now, things are really uncertain with President al-Sharaa in charge. I’ve been reading reports that old political problems and tensions between different groups are flaring up again, though there are also some cautious attempts to rebuild relationships with neighboring countries. It’s a complicated situation, to say the least.