In the primarily Druze province of al-Suwayda' in south Syria, Shaykh Abu Fahad Wahid al-Bal'ous established Harakat Rijal al-Karama ("Men of Dignity Movement") in 2014 as a 'third-way' movement: neither opposition nor loyalist, but focused on defending the province from external attack and seeking internal reform without calling for armed rebellion against the Syrian government or 'regime change'.

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In recent years, widespread concerns have emerged about the transformation of Syria into a "narco-state," specifically in relation to reports about the allegedly growing production of the stimulant drug captagon inside Syria, and the smuggling of the drug both within the country and outside its borders.

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Besides the original parting of ways between al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State, arguably the most prominent fissure within the jihadist world over the past decade has been Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's split from al-Qa'ida. To recap, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's original core was Jabhat al-Nusra, which started out as an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and then declared a 'renewal' of a supposed allegiance to al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in April 2013 when ISI declared its expansion into Syria and became Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham.

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While 'muhajirun' ('migrants'- referring to foreigners who went to the insurgent-held areas of Syria) are generally associated with armed groups and aid organisations, many of them also participate in the local economy in the areas they reside. In the insurgent-held areas of Idlib and its environs, a number of them run businesses such as shops, restaurants and takeaways.

The Moroccan Kitchen is one example of a muhajir-run takeaway, operating out of Idlib city and principally advertising itself on Telegram. As its name suggests, the takeaway serves Moroccan food, and it is run by a Moroccan muhajir. I conducted a brief interview with the takeaway owner (Abu Ibrahim al-Maghribi) on 22 May 2023.

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It has now been ten years since the Battle of al-Qusayr in the Homs countryside on the border with Lebanon. The battle is best remembered for the overt role that Hezbollah played to help the Syrian government retake the town from rebel control, marking the first occasion in which Hezbollah's overt intervention in the Syrian civil war came to wider public attention. In addition, the battle is remembered for the large number of Hezbollah fighters killed in the battle.

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