The fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad earlier in December has set millions of Yemenis thinking about what lies in store for their own country. Some say the fall of the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen – who control Sanaa and much of northern and western Yemen – may be the “next surprise” in the region.

The violence in Tartous province marks the deadliest challenge yet to the Islamist-led authorities which swept Bashar al-Assad from power.

Yemenis have openly declared their support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched its devastating war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, which has so far claimed the lives of at least 45,361 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Even with hopes running high, so much can go wrong when a country ousts a longtime dictator and tries to start anew.

She spent 49 days in captivity and was freed in late November 2023. Shortly after Katzir was freed, her daughter told Israeli media that she had been hospitalized with heart issues attributed to “difficult conditions and starvation” while she was held captive.

In fact, so stubbornly did the Israeli government resist embracing the truth that it took JJAC 10 years to convince it, in 2014, to recognize the Middle Eastern refugees by creating Yom HaPlitim, Jewish Refugee Day, which is now observed every year on November 30.

Houthi underlined that the American occupation in Syria focuses on oil resources, engaging in blatant and open looting of Syrian oil, adding that the “Israeli” enemy destroyed Syria’s military capabilities in the largest air aggression since the establishment of the occupying entity.

Israel is celebrating the fall of Assad because it breaks the noose that Iran had been patiently tightening around Israel’s borders in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Tehran’s pincer is now broken and rendered useless. From the point of view of Israel’s wider conflict with the Islamic Republic, the collapse of Assad’s regime is a strategic victory.

Middle East and North Africa, marked by devastating wars and the dramatic fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.

The World Health Organization’s director-general said airstrikes on Yemen’s main airport occurred as he was about to board a flight in the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa. The Israeli military

Israel says it has hit Houthi targets across Yemen with airstrikes. The IDF says the targets were being used for military purposes and were points of entry for smuggled Iranian weapons. Raf Sanchez reports from Jerusalem on the scope of the attacks and what it could mean for the unrest in the region.