2025 has been the first full year in power for the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria, and the defining topics of the year have been the return of Syria to international diplomacy and bloody violence against religious minorities within the country. The first of the...
The Syrian government has introduced what is simultaneously being called a “final offer” and an “ultimatum” for the integration of the Kurdish SDF into the Syrian armed forces, guaranteeing the Kurds significant representation in the military and the creation of new...
Israeli troops continued their regular raids into southwestern Syria today, sending troops near two different villages in the Quneitra Governorate for reasons unknown. The troops are on the outskirts of Saida al-Hanout and on a hilltop overlooking Ein Zivan. Such...
Violence against Alawites was enormous in March, when government-backed forces and some security forces carried out a massacre in the Tartus and Latakia Governorates, killing in excess of 1,300 Alawites, mostly civilians. The violence has lingered since then, but...
A Bedouin couple was killed Saturday in their home in the town of Zaidal, on the outskirts of Homs, Syria. The two were members of the Bani Khaled tribe, and state media reported that “sectarian slogans” were found at the scene. The tribe responded by attacking the...
In early December of 2024, the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) movement ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and took power. On December 8, Israel invaded Syria, occupying the demilitarized zone and going deeper, with incursions still ongoing. The first...
“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...
