New Delhi, July 22 -- As a diplomat and analyst with decades of experience in the region, I approach this topic with academic rigor, balance, and pragmatism, far removed from ideological extremes but firm in the absolute condemnation of terrorism in all its forms: from the barbaric Sunni jihadism of Daesh and Al-Nusra, which has demonstrated its contempt for human life through countless atrocities, to the indiscriminate acts of Iranian proxies like Hezbollah, the Houthis, or Hamas, which undermine regional stability through state-sponsored terrorism.

For discerning English readers, it is relevant to cite the analysis from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in its report Syria's Sectarian Fault Lines Post-Assad (July 2025), which warn...