Cairo is cautiously deliberating how to proceed with the new Syria, as it grapples with the Dec. 8 ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the takeover of the country by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa.

On Jan. 3, Egypt imposed strict entry restrictions on Syrian nationals, exempting only those with temporary residence permits. This follows a December decision requiring prior security approval for Syrians with US, Canadian, European, or Gulf residence permits, or Schengen visas.

The measures aim to “safeguard Egypt's national security” and “prevent Syrians with links to the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist organizations” from entering, said Maj. Gen. Samir Farag, senior strategist at Egypt's Security & Defense Advisory Board, in an interview with Al-Monitor.

The new restrictions align with a recently passed asylum law, which requires refugees entering the country irregularly to apply for asylum within 45 days of entry. Applications will be reviewed by a “refugee affairs committee” led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, with rejected applicants required to leave Egypt.