Middle East: Crisis, violence-torn region of 2016

The Middle East has become the main center of the violence and clashes in 2016; as war-torn Syria witnessed Iran and Russia-backed Bashar al-Assad regime attacks; Iran accelerated its expansionist and sectarian policies across the region; Egypt has been enduring hard times due to the economic crisis; Iraq has been hit by Daesh violence; Lebanon has been targeted by Hezbollah more; Yemen has been hit by food shortage; and the tension between Riyadh and Tehran escalated this year.

War-torn Syria witnessed Iran and Russia-backed Bashar al-Assad regime attacks all year and on August 24 Turkey launched the Euphrates Shield operation aiming to sweep terrorists, particularly Daesh and Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK) terrorists from Syria, and has been running for 129 days.

Russia and the Iran-backed Assad regime intensified its attacks on the Syrian province of Aleppo, on November 15, although it had been launching attacks on the city for weeks.

The heavy bombardment was followed by the evacuation of thousands of people from the opposition-controlled part of the city, as a result of international efforts.

With the casualties of 2016, it is estimated that more than 600,000 people have been killed in the Syrian Civil War as the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared that figure recently.

Iraq, which has been witnessing intense attacks of Daesh terrorists, declared full scale war against the terrorists. Amid the clashes between security forces and Daesh terrorists, the country also has been witnessing incidents carried out by the Hashd Shaabi militia, known for their human right violations.

In mid-2014, the Daesh terrorist group captured the northern city of Mosul and overran vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.

The war between the Saudi Arabia-backed coalition and the Houthis lasting nearly two years in Yemen has pushed the country to the brink of famine. The photos of the malnourished children caused deep sympathy across the world.

Due to the ongoing civil war in Yemen, more than half of the total population is facing famine, diseases and death threats, according to the recent figures of the United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office.

An estimated 18.8 million people in Yemen need some kind of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 10.3 million who are in acute need.

Escalating conflict since March 2015 has created a vast protection crisis in which the safety and basic rights of millions are at risk, and those millions are struggling to survive, according to the UN.

More than 19 months of war have killed or injured nearly 44,000 people and forced more than 3 million people from their homes.

Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran the capital, Sanaa, and other parts of the country, forcing members of Yemen's Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.

The conflict escalated in March of last year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Muslim allies launched a massive military campaign aimed at reversing Houthi gains in Yemen and restoring the country's embattled government.

Egypt, has been racked by turmoil since the military deposed Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president, in a 2013 military coup, is facing a financial bottleneck in 2016, as the Egyptian pound lost a value of 247 percent against the dollar.

Due to the decreasing value of the local currency, people cannot afford staple foods.

Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on terrorism charges in the Riyadh, Mecca, Medina, Al-Kasim, Hail, Asir, Al-Jawf, Al-Baha and Tabuk provinces of Saudi Arabia.

Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent figure, was among those executed by Riyadh. Which triggered a crisis between two countries.

In October 2011, during the 2011–2012 Saudi Arabian protests, al-Nimr was a leading opponent who organized the protests.

Al-Nimr, who was shot by police in the leg and arrested amid accusations such as 'encouraging the protest' and 'opening fire on the security forces' in 2012, was sentenced to death in 2014.

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding an end to Israel's illegal settlement building on occupied territory.

The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem areas Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

There are now about 550,000 Jewish settlers living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem combined, according to the Israeli government and think-tank statistics.

About 350,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem and 2.7 million in West Bank.

In Lebanon, more Hezbollah militants were killed in Syria. However, former army Chief Michel Aoun was voted in as president, ending more than two years of deadlock surrounding the vacancy.

The Middle East didn't just witness the violence and humanitarian crisis, but also the economic difficulties due to the decreasing oil prices.

One of the biggest of the stakeholders of the decreasing prices of Riyadh cancelled $266.7 billion worth of projects as part of the austerity policy aiming to decrease the budget deficit amid decreasing oil prices.

Riyadh's move came as part of the austerity policy, as Saudi Arabia declared that it was aiming to decrease the budget deficit from $98 billion to $87 billion.

Previously in 2015, Saudi Arabia increased the prices of fuel, water and electricity.