Syria sees first government reshuffle since al-Assad's ouster
Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has announced the country's first government reshuffle since the ouster of the Assad regime. The move comes amid intensifying street protests over poor administrative performance.
Syrian state media said interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa had reshuffled the cabinet, with major changes to the economy, interior and electricity portfolios. It is the first such overhaul since the removal of Bashar al-Assad and aims to bolster governing capacity at one of the toughest moments in the country's modern history.
The move comes amid intensifying protests in Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia over rolling power outages and shortages of flour. The newly named finance minister said he would open talks with Gulf-based investors to support the stabilisation of the Syrian pound. The health ministry is also expected to be restructured in coming days.
International creditors received the changes cautiously. An IMF mission said its review of a 2.1-billion-dollar programme could be wrapped up by month-end if the structural-reform timetable is respected. The European Union, for its part, is pressing for humanitarian corridors to be safeguarded and for civil-society access to be widened across the country.
More from Middle East
Flotilla activists arrive in Türkiye before setting sail to Gaza
More than 30 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla have arrived at Marmaris on Türkiye's coast to complete final preparations before sailing to Gaza. The activists hope this fresh attempt to break the blockade will draw international attention.
Trump Pauses Hormuz Plan 50 Hours After Announcing It - What Happened?
Donald Trump's "Project Freedom" operation, announced to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, was put on hold just 50 hours after it was unveiled. BBC sources cite Chinese pressure, Saudi-led diplomacy and divisions inside the Pentagon as the drivers behind this rapid climbdown.
Bowen: Strait of Hormuz standoff raises risk of sliding back into all-out war
BBC correspondent Jeremy Bowen warns that the US and Iran's mutual pressure in the Strait of Hormuz has put the fragile ceasefire at serious jeopardy, risking a return to full-scale conflict.