‘He is starving us’: Assad under pressure as Syria’s economy crashes

With the currency in free fall and food prices doubling, discontent is brewing across Syria, even within regime strongholds, as Bel Trew and Rajaai Bourhan report

Syrians buy bread at a shop in the town of Binnish in the country's northwestern Idlib province on June 9, 2020 as Syrians held a third day of rare anti-regime protests over deteriorating living conditionsin the government-held city of Sweida (AFP)

In the beauty salons of the Syrian regime stronghold of Tartus, the wives of army officers quietly chatter about readying their fake identity cards and passports.

In case Syria and its battered economy completely collapse, they whisper to one another, they may have to flee at a moment’s notice.

Disillusion with the government of President Bashar al-Assad is running high in the seaside city.