DAMASCUS, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Syrians are entering 2026 with a fragile blend of hope and unease, shaped by years of conflict, deep social fractures, and an uncertain future.
"For the new year, I wish for security and peace to live among us after abandoning us for so long," said Jumana Issa, an employee at a tourism company in Damascus.
"Prices and living costs, we haven't really felt they've changed. We go up and down like a swing. Sometimes it feels like we're moving forward, and sometimes like we're going backward," she told Xinhua.
Indeed, economic hardship remains severe across Syria, where war, sanctions, and currency collapse have left wages far behind soaring prices. Many families struggle to meet basic needs even as authorities speak of recovery.
Recent violence has reopened sectarian wounds. A mosque bombing in the central city of Homs on Friday killed at least eight people in a predominantly Alawite neighborhood, sparking protests -- some turning violent -- in coastal hubs including Latakia and Tartus, and in central cities such as Homs and Hama.
Tensions flared in Latakia afterward, with at least three people killed and 60 others injured on Sunday, leading to the imposition of a partial curfew.
The Friday attack, claimed by an extremist group calling itself Ansar al-Sunnah, revived fears of militants exploiting the country's fragile transition.
"The goal is to ignite sedition," said Imam Mohi al-Din Salloum at the damaged mosque. "Yes, Alawites were harmed. But the real target is Syria itself, to make sure it never settles."
Political and security tensions persist, notably in northern Syria, where a March agreement to integrate Kurdish-led forces into the state has stalled. Recent clashes in Aleppo have highlighted the fragility of the arrangement, displacing civilians anew.
Meanwhile, the fight against Islamic State remnants continues. Syrian forces recently arrested a senior IS commander near Damascus, dealing a blow to the group's networks, yet sleeper cells remain a threat.
Amid the strains, many living in Syria feel celebration remains distant. "There are lights and music, but inside each of us there is fear," said English teacher Fadia Khoury.
"Maybe it's imagined, from all the talk about bombings and violence. Maybe it's real. But it's there," she said, adding, "Every year we try to be optimistic. But our optimism itself has become frightening. We're afraid to hope too much."
Yet for many Syrians, the desire for national unity endures. "Syria is very beautiful," Issa said. "But it needs people who recognize its value and preserve it. We hope to be one people, with one heart."
"Syria must remain united," Khoury insisted. "Division weakens us. There must be love, not one group against another. We want someone who brings us all together."
Syrian authorities have intensified diplomatic outreach to ease isolation and sanctions, framing re-engagement as vital for stability. For now, ordinary Syrians, like vendor Abu Ahmad Hindiya in Damascus's historic Hamidiyah market, step forward with hopes that are delicate yet luminous, clinging to the possibility of steadier days ahead.
"We want goodness for this country -- that joy and security spread, and that prices come down, even a little," said Hindiya, describing his modest New Year wish to Xinhua. ■
