After days of fighting, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and government troops under President Ahmad Al Shara agreed to a fragile ceasefire.

But in that short time – and with each side still accusing the other of attacks – the landscape has already changed.

Areas that were under SDF control, mostly in the north-east, are now in possession of the government. The Kurdish-led group was previously backed by the US in the fight against ISIS during the Syrian civil war, but that support had been fading as Washington gravitated closer to Mr Al Shara, even before the latest developments.

Now many questions remain about what happens to resources in north-eastern Syria, how the new power dynamics will shape regional geopolitics, and what happens to ISIS members who had been detained in SDF facilities.

Host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National’s deputy foreign editor Aveen Karim to break down what led to the clashes and what comes next.

Two weeks of protests in Iran have been met with a regime crackdown that threatens to provoke foreign intervention.

What started as demonstrations over worsening economic conditions has spiralled into an uprising across the country, putting the government under immense pressure.

US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran if more protesters were killed, and reassured Iranians that help was “on its way”. Days later he softened his tone, saying that the killing had stopped, leaving plenty of room for doubt over what he does next.

Amid the tensions, there have been attempts by the Iranian regime to downplay the protests as riots orchestrated by America and Israel. On the other hand, there have also been efforts to use the unrest as a reason for US military action.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher follows the latest developments in the demonstrations and the arguably opportunistic moves to exploit them. She speaks to The National’s correspondent Lizzie Porter and to Sanam Vakil, Mena director at Chatham House, and asks, what options lie ahead for an Iranian government on the brink?

Even though Caracas sits across the ocean, thousands of kilometres from the Middle East, the US attack on Venezuela and capture of its leader Nicolas Maduro has been unsettling.

For Venezuelans who felt oppressed by Maduro’s regime, the raid brought the prospect of hope for a better future. But for others, it was a worrying signal of American interventionism and a breach of sovereignty.

In the region, this all feels eerily familiar. It is difficult to shake off the memories of the Iraq invasion in 2003, or the military intervention in Libya in 2011. The aftermath in each case led to years of instability and violence that are still taking their toll today.

But beyond the trauma, there is a real sense that the events of the past week could have a ripple effect, as Trump indicates Iran could be next. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and host of Taking the Edge Off the Middle East podcast.