Assad, old alliances have crumbled, and global powers are figuring out their relationships with Syria’s new de facto leaders.

The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria says the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus — and it is preparing to deploy.

The number of US troops in Syria has regularly surged higher than the Pentagon has publicly disclosed since at least 2020, and in recent months increased to more than double the roughly 900 troops the US has long said are in Syria,

Tensions in northeast Syria between Kurdish-led authorities and Turkish-backed groups should be resolved politically or risk "dramatic consequences" for all of Syria, the United Nations envoy for the country Geir Pedersen told Reuters on Monday.

Turkey is in close dialogue with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, adding visits to Syria will increase from now on.

As those in the lucrative Captagon network move aside, how will the new leaders stop any criminals waiting in the wings to replace them?

The toppling of Bashar Assad has raised tentative hopes that Syrians might live peacefully and as equals after a half century of authoritarian rule.

Syria’s leadership isn’t the only aspect of the country to be changing as a result of this month’s toppling of longtime dictator, Bashar al-Assad. The blurring of its borders is also underway — from Israel to the southwest and Turkey to the north.

Two African states are frustrating Moscow's efforts to establish a stronger military presence in the continent following the fall of Assad.