Syria is a patchwork of identities, par for the course in a region where novel nationalities vie with tribe and religion for the citizenry’s loyalty. For most of the country’s history, the Assad family...
I woke to voice notes from Mazen, his Suwayda Druze dialect thick with tears. “Jolani’s ISIS are massacring us,” he said, referring to the forces of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly...
Syria after Bashar al-Assad is a country in chaos, but that does not mean it cannot get worse. One way that could happen would be a direct Turkish military intervention. Unfortunately, that is exactly...
The recent sectarian violence shows that the Syrian government and its Turkish backers share a dangerous vision of a Sunni-dominant state.
Picking and choosing between Druze leaders will prove counterproductive.
Billions From Riyadh: Saudi Arabia announced on July 24 new investments in Syria totaling $6.4 billion. The deal was confirmed at a conference in Damascus by Saudi Investment Minister...
Brigadier General Kevin Lambert took over as the new commander of the anti-Islamic State coalition of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) in a ceremony in Iraq on...
American Citizen Murdered: The State Department confirmed on July 22 that a Druze Syrian-American citizen was executed in Syria alongside seven of his family members, amidst sectarian clashes involving Druze and Bedouin factions along with Syrian government forces. Hosam Saraya, 35, was identified by relatives after video emerged of masked men in military uniforms shooting eight Druze captives on July 17 while shouting “God is great.” Though one friend of the Saraya family stated that he believed the gunmen were aligned with the Syrian government, their identities could not be confirmed.
Self-determination in the Middle East is inconsistent. For Muslim Palestinians, statehood is seen as an unfulfilled destiny. Yet for religious minorities like the Druze or ethnic groups like the Kurds,...
Syrian Government Imposes ‘Security Cordon’ for Suwayda: Syria’s government began evacuating Bedouin families from Suwayda and deployed security forces around its perimeter...
Defense Budget Increase: Israel will increase its defense spending by $12.5 billion, according to an announcement from the country’s ministries of finance and defense. The supplement...
Tensions in the Syrian governorate of Suwayda continue to rise following clashes between government forces and Druze militias affiliated with prominent Druze leader Hikmat al Hijri between July 14 and...
Israel’s Druze Test in Syria On July 16, the Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes in the heart of Damascus. The IDF said it had targeted Syria’s military headquarters and...
‘Protecting Our Druze Brothers’: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 17 laid out two red lines regarding Israel’s use of military force in Syria, following days...
The Lebanese Army busted a major narcotics factory. On July 13, Lebanese forces raided a facility in Baalbek used to produce the synthetic, amphetamine-like drug captagon. The army dismantled approximately...
IDF Strikes Damascus: The IDF struck the entrance of Syria’s military headquarters and another military target near the presidential palace in Damascus as it continued nationwide...
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted strikes near the Syrian Presidential Palace and targeting the Syrian government’s military headquarters in Damascus, the Israeli military said on July...
Strikes Ordered by ‘Political Echelon’: Following a “directive from the political echelon,” the IDF conducted airstrikes against Syrian government forces moving toward the...
Druze-Bedouin Clashes Erupt After Merchant Abducted: At least 30 people have been killed in ongoing clashes in southern Syria between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze militias after...
The man President Donald Trump hailed as a “tough guy” who will bring stability to Syria is empowering extremists tied to Al Qaeda.