أعلن وزير المالية السوري محمد يسر برنية، ٧ نيسان الماضي، أن الموازنة السورية حققت ٤٦ مليون دولار فائض السنة الماضية ٢٠٢٥. وفي منشور على منصة لينكدإن قال الوزير إن هذا الفائض هو الأول الذي تحققه سوريا منذ سنة ١٩٩٠. وزارة المالية على صفحتها فيسبوك نشرت موجز أداء الموازنةالعامة للدولة لسنة ٢٠٢٥، إذ بلغ إجمالي الإنفاق العام ٣.٤٤٧ مليار دولار بزيادة ٤٥.٧٪ عن إجمالي إنفاق ٢٠٢٤، ذهب ٤١٪ منها نحو زيادة الرواتب والأجور إضافة لقطاعات الصحة، التعليم والحماية الاجتماعية ونفقات أخرى. وحسب الوزارة بلغ إجمالي إيرادات الموازنة ٣.٤٩٣ مليار دولار بزيادة ١٢٠.٢٪ عن إجمالي إيرادات ٢٠٢٤، نحو ٣٩٪ منها حصة رسوم جمركية مع تحسن الحركة الجمركية وضبط الفساد. وتوقع الوزير برنية أن يرتفع الانفاق العام سنة ٢٠٢٦، إلى ١٠.٥٢٦ مليار دولار نحو ثلاثة أصعاف إنفاق ٢٠٢٥ مع الاهتمام بالإنفاق الاجتماعي والاستثماري، ومرشح لزيادة أكبر سنة ٢٠٢٧ لتمويل المشاريع التنموية، إعادة الإعمار ، وبرامج مكافحة الفقر. في المقابل يقدر الوزير ارتفاع الإيرادات سنة ٢٠٢٦ إلى ٨.٧ مليار دولار ٢٨٪ من...
Unifying the Country and Reclaiming Newly Occupied Lands
A year after the victory of the revolution, Syria still suffers from geographic fragmentation and the Israeli military occupation of additional territories following Assad’s fall.
The governorates of Raqqa, Hasakah, and the northern part of Deir ez-Zor, along with two neighborhoods inside Aleppo city, remain under the authority of the Kurdish-led SDF, with no formal government presence of any kind (except for joint security checkpoints in the two Aleppo neighborhoods).
Although the March 10 Agreement was signed between President Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi on integration and withdrawal from Aleppo, the withdrawal stopped shortly after it began. Integration remains stalled at the time of writing, though the situation may change on the ground since the agreement is in its final month (set to expire at year’s end). Turkey continues to accuse the SDF of obstructing integration, while PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, from prison, has urged the SDF to proceed. The Syrian government and President Sharaa have adopted a conciliatory tone, with U.S. pressure on the SDF reinforced by Syria’s accession to the international coalition against ISIS.
In the south, most of Suwayda Governorate remains under the authority of Sheikh al-‘Aql Hikmat al-Hijri, his legal committee, and his national guard.
Hijri renamed Jabal al-Arab to Bashan and openly requested Israeli assistance for secession. Israel bombed Syrian government forces seeking to reassert control over the rebellious province, killing dozens, then struck and destroyed the General Staff building, and later targeted the vicinity of President Sharaa, who described the attack as an “act of war.”
Israel continues to send weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies to the rebellious province, where the Sheikh recently began humiliating purges of his opponents, including shaving beards and cutting mustaches.
Israel exploited the security vacuum before, during, and after Assad’s fall last year, advancing north of the 1974 ceasefire line to add a strip of newly occupied territory. The most significant point seized was the summit of Mount Hermon, overlooking Damascus, placing the capital within direct artillery range.
As with the SDF through the March 10 Agreement, the government attempted to address Suwayda via a U.S.-Jordanian mediated deal, while engaging Israel in security negotiations that collapsed. This culminated in fierce popular resistance in Beit Jinn, which left Syrian martyrs and Israeli casualties.
Caesar Sanctions
On Tuesday, December 2, a member of the Syrian lobby working to remove the Caesar Act announced that a U.S. House of Representatives decision on the matter would be published the following Thursday, without clarifying whether the lifting would be complete or conditional, as some Republican lawmakers demand under Israeli pressure and in light of sectarian incidents in Syria’s coast and south.
Last year marked the lifting of economic sanctions and terrorist designations against the Syrian president and government.
During his May visit to Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Trump declared his intention to lift sanctions on Syria after joint Saudi-Turkish mediation. He fulfilled his promise, removing many longstanding sanctions. The UN Security Council followed suit, lifting sanctions and designations against the Syrian government despite China’s reservations.
Yet the greatest obstacle remains the U.S. Caesar Act, originally engineered by the Syrian opposition against Assad, which has become the most dangerous barrier to Syria’s recovery after his fall.
The danger lies in the fact that the U.S. president cannot remove Caesar sanctions alone; they require approval from both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Although the U.S. State Department suspended Caesar for six months during President Sharaa’s recent visit to the White House, without its permanent repeal it remains a powerful deterrent against Syria’s reopening and investment by major global companies in the devastated country.
Economic Recovery
Last year, Syria witnessed a 200% increase in monthly salaries, alongside investment agreements and MoUs with Arab and international companies worth billions of dollars. The electricity sector improved unprecedentedly, oil and phosphate exports revived, and the government announced plans to build a new refinery to replace Homs and grant companies rights to explore for oil and gas.
Yet living conditions on the ground improved only in terms of availability of goods, not affordability.
Gasoline and fuel queues disappeared, but the price of bread doubled, while the cost of electricity in the first subsidized household tier (up to 300 kWh) rose by 60%.
Fuel price hikes, despite friendly grants, drove up the cost of all foodstuffs due to higher transport fees. Export liberalization for certain vegetables, fruits, and eggs ignited prices further, with a tray of eggs (under 1,800 grams) reaching 40,000 Syrian pounds — about $3.75.
The government promised another salary increase at the start of the year, but not all Syrians are government employees. The return of refugees and internal displaced citizens added pressure on prices and poverty in a country where the UN places 90% of the population below the poverty line.
Transitional Justice and Civil Peace
Despite President Sharaa’s call for citizens to refrain from revenge and resort to the law, the country has witnessed retaliations fueled by sectarian armed attacks against government personnel and civilians, compounding the wounds of years of destruction and mass atrocities.
The government’s internal security apparatus is working to arrest senior Assad regime officials implicated in war crimes. Yet nearly every week a new mass grave is discovered, adding to dire living conditions that fuel revenge attacks and other crimes.
Although the constitutional declaration stipulates punishment for incitement and sectarian speech, such rhetoric has not declined on social media. The wounds and limited security capabilities have so far hindered law enforcement in a country that has only just emerged from a devastating war.
Syria news report
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