Gareth Browne

Some really sterling reporting by @timourazhari and his colleagues here: Syria is secretly reshaping its economy. The president’s brother is in charge. reuters.com/investigations…

A not-so-subtle message here: "Trump is famously impatient. If he senses hesitance or delay from Beirut, he may well redirect US engagement toward faster-moving arenas—namely Syria, Israel, and the Gulf—where American strategic interests are being more clearly advanced."

This baby’s name is Muhammad Zakariya al-Matouq. He is one and a half years old and lives in a tent in Gaza City. He weighs 6kg. The photo was taken on Monday by Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-Arini. At least 10 people have died of starvation, and 34 seeking aid, in the last 24 hours.

Excellent @BrowneGareth piece on what happened to kidnapped American journalist Austin Tice in Syria.

A ceasefire in Syria seems to be holding up so far. But the mood on the ground has been described as tense. I asked @TheEconomist’s @BrowneGareth whether the crisis has passed, and what it means for both Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa and Washington.

“I would never believe anyone who says they really understand Syrian intelligence or how they operated.” How did Austin Tice get lost in Syria? We investigate in part two of “The Weekend Intelligence” series on the American journalist economist.com/podcasts/2025/…

The first Trump presidency was the first time we really saw the White House publicly clarify what a priority this issue was, says @clarissaward. On “The Weekend Intelligence” she talks to @BrowneGareth about the official attempts to get Austin Tice home economist.com/podcasts/2025/…

“Are there people out there that know what happened to him? I believe so. Are those numbers great? Absolutely not.” In part two of our series on “The Weekend Intelligence”, we speak to the American in charge of bringing Austin Tice home economist.com/podcasts/2025/…

Thanks to @BrowneGareth for part 2 of podcast on #FreeAustinTice. Many hurdles we encounter in talking to press/policy community abt Austin fall away as you listen leaving the clear impression he has survived many years in Syria and urgent 🚨 work is ahead to find him.

The destruction that the tribal fighters are leaving in their wake is truly horrific. A landscape of burning, pillaging and unrestrained hatred is all you can see and hear in these videos. To excuse, justify, obscure or naturalise this is tantamount to national suicide.

Exclusive: US firms to develop Syria energy masterplan after Trump lifts sanctions - ⁦⁦@timourazhari⁩ ⁦@Reuters⁩ reuters.com/sustainability…

Israel bombs Damascus.

“We believe he’s alive, we think we can get him back and Assad should be held accountable.” In December Joe Biden was confident that Austin Tice was alive. Seven months later the missing journalist hasn’t been found. @BrowneGareth investigates economist.com/podcasts/2025/…

In the first of a three-part series on “The Weekend Intelligence” @BrowneGareth asks what happened to Austin Tice, the American journalist who went missing in President Assad’s Republic of Fear in 2012 economist.com/podcasts/2025/…

Part 1 of @BrowneGareth’s podcast looking at the fate of Austin Tice. He’s been working on this for months and talking to former regime officials to get to the bottom of what happened. open.spotify.com/episode/1zKldy…

LISTEN: A three part podcast miniseries on the hunt for missing journalist Austin Tice. An months-long investigation that took us across Syria and from Washington D.C to Beirut to Baghdad. Part one is out today. You can listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/1zKldy…

For example, this really understates the difficulty of rebuilding proxies. Israel's security doctrine has transformed: it will be far more aggressive against militias. America seems uninterested in restraining it. And Iran can no longer rely on its main transit route to Lebanon.

US envoy Tom Barrack in Lebanon: "If you don't want change, it's no problem. The rest of the region is moving at Mach speed and you will be left behind."

There are few more tranquil places to sit and reflect than the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus:

Tonight after being held up for months by another broadcaster you can finally get to see the documentary Gaza : Doctors Under Fire by @Basement_Films @bendepear @ramitanavai @karimtl at 10pm on @Channel4 It’s meticulous, compelling and very powerful - don’t miss it…