Hossam Louka active across all fronts, from Syrian countryside to Riyadh and Moscow

Bouthaina Shaaban, Assad's discreet regional relations-builder 

While the delicate task of working towards Syria's reconciliation with its neighbours in the Middle East is in the hands of his intelligence chiefs, Bashar al-Assad has also sought help from prominent figures of his father's old guard.

Cham Bank picks lawyer Gassan Baloul for legal fight against OFAC 

The lawyer, who is an expert in the Middle East, has clients ranging from Lebanese banks IBL and Jamal Trust Bank to the Republic of Iraq. He is now defending Syria's Cham Bank which is suing the US Treasury for having placed it under sanctions.

Saudi Arabia's earthquake aid reveals Riyadh's changing posture towards Syria 

Saudi Arabia and Syria's secret normalisation process has been brought into the open by recent Saudi deliveries of humanitarian aid to areas of Syria controlled by Assad, an initiative that paves the way for more direct diplomatic contact.

• SYRIA/SAUDI ARABIA - Hossam Louka pops up in Riyadh.

• UNITED STATES/MOLDOVA - Chisinau biggest receiver of US fund to counter Russian influence.
  

• FRANCE/IRAN - Former pro-Iranian Centre Zahra France official fails to block asset freeze.

Taksim Square blast makes Ankara ill at ease with its private fighters in northern Syria 

While it is still not clear who perpetrated the deadly attack in Istanbul on 13 November, a theory that Syrian fighters could be responsible has begun to surface in Ankara. This comes on the back of already growing disquiet between these fighters and their sponsor.

Spymaster Hussam Luka given mission to conquer eastern Syria 

Lauded for crushing the last flutters of rebellion in southern Syria, Hussam Luka, the head of Bashar al-Assad's general intelligence service, has been instructed to apply the same methods in the east of the country, betweeen two foreign assignments, paving the way for him to be put in charge of strategic Kurdish matters.