“Syria does not have a sectarian problem.” That’s the official position of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who made the declaration and emphasized the idea of Syrian unity and plurality on his visit to London. That has been the ongoing position of the ruling Hayat...
The ouster of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad was meant to usher in a time of renewed calm in Syria, coming as it did after a bloody civil war. Some Syrians are still upbeat about their chances. Minorities, not so much. Whether they’re religious or ethnic minorities,...
Violence against Syria’s Alawite minority continues apace this weekend, with multiple incidents in the central city of Homs leaving at least two civilians killed and two others wounded. The first incident took place Friday in the Zahra’a neighborhood, where an Alawite...
Syria’s Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and SDF leader Mazloum Abdi announced Tuesday that they have reached a “comprehensive ceasefire,” to go into effect immediately. This followed heavy fighting Monday in the eastern part of the Aleppo Governorate. The fighting...
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was feted in last week’s visit to the US for the UN General Assembly, but the ongoing sectarian violence raging in Syria shows no sign of slowing. Syria’s Alawite minority is among the main targets. Alawites were massacred en masse in a...
For the first time in 25 years, Syria’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, is visiting the United States. The visit has a singular goal in mind, getting the US to permanently remove sanctions from Syria. The bulk of the sanctions against Syria come in...
In cities and towns across Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria, thousands took to the streets in favor of the idea of retaining a decentralized system of governance in Syria, rejecting the calls of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) for full centralized control of...
With tensions continuing to simmer in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate, senior Druze commanders are reporting that the Israeli government has been arming and financing Druze militias that are seeking a large amount of autonomy over the area. Suwayda is the historic...
Early Sunday morning, Israeli troops in armored vehicles advanced into multiple villages in Syria’s southwestern Daraa Governorate. The troops were interrogating locals and searching multiple homes, claiming they were looking for weapons. No arrests were reported. The...
Tensions between the Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF continue to stall efforts to unify their military forces as for the second time this week there was reportedly a clash between the two sides, this time in Deir Ezzor Governorate. The SDF reported that on...
