Protests broke out in several Syrian areas last month, with tyres burned and roads blocked, in rejection of the government's decision to raise fuel prices again, according to BBC News Arabic. The network describes the protests as the largest demonstration of discontent since Ahmed al-Sharaa took power two years ago. The BBC reported that the price increase was reversed after several days, amid calls for more protests. The government said the fuel price increase is partly due to pressure on energy markets caused by the conflict between the United States and Iran. A spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry told the BBC that no one is available for an interview. Austerity and high prices. According to the BBC, the new government cut old subsidies as part of an austerity policy. Bread prices rose tenfold, fuel prices are now close to global levels, and electricity prices rose by more than 100 percent. Authorities adjusted public sector wages and pensions, but the value of the increases has been eroded as prices continue to rise. The United Nations Development Programme reported that 90 percent of Syrians lived in poverty last year. Families cut back. Two retirees interviewed by the BBC said one of them earns about 90 dollars a month, the minimum public sector wage. They added that the other's family eats only one meal a day, reduces lighting, and switches off its refrigerator for about five hours a day because of electricity costs. Retiree Nabil al-Ramhin (63) told the BBC: “We no longer eat more than one meal a day. It is tragic. I am not alone in this; the whole population is suffering, and all of us are hungry. We are nearly suffocating under the weight of rising costs.” Retiree Marwan Bashour (68), speaking about his monthly income of about 90 dollars, told the network: “This amount is not enough at all.” According to the BBC, aid from relief organisations stopped reaching some families because the organisations reduced their services due to a lack of funding. Political and economic background. Bashar al-Assad was ousted by opposition fighters led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, after more than 13 years of civil war that killed half a million people and displaced half the population. International sanctions imposed under Assad were lifted, and the United States removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The country appears more stable, although the security situation remains volatile, according to the BBC. The World Bank estimates the cost of rebuilding Syria at about 216 billion dollars, and considers reconstruction impossible without foreign aid and investment. Analysts' assessments. Hayed Hayed says the crisis is partly the result of resource shortages and the legacy of the former regime, and partly the result of policies moving toward a free-market economy without regard for their impact on people. Samir Aita says the crisis resulted from policies in which the government failed to manage expectations and created unrealistic hopes. Asked about his view of the future, Aita told the BBC: “This situation is not sustainable. If no change occurs, I fear we will slide into chaos.”