March saw the beginning of a violent crackdown against Syria’s Alawite minority in the country’s northwest, with well over a thousand people killed in a very short period of time in the Tartus and Latakia Governorates. The slain were overwhelmingly civilians, dragged...
Syrian Leader Sharaa Says Willing to Normalize Relations With Israel
Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has reportedly expressed openness to normalizing relations with Israel under certain circumstances, ending decades of acrimony between the two neighboring states. Sharaa reportedly discussed the matter with Rep. Cory Mills (R – FL)...
Syria Detains Top Palestinian Islamic Jihad Leaders After US Demands
Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government has been unclear about what their position will be on the Palestinians. That’s an important issue because there is a large Palestinian population within Syria. It’s also an important topic because the US has recently...
Many Iraqis Unhappy With Islamist Syrian President’s Invite to Arab League Summit in Baghdad
Next month, Iraq will host the Arab League’s 34th summit in Baghdad. This was seen as an exciting opportunity for Iraq after the protracted US invasion and occupation, to finally reclaim some regional influence for themselves. It’s become a source of no small amount...
Syrian Kurds Fault New ‘Inclusive’ Government After Getting Shut Out of Cabinet
Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) promised to deliver a diverse, inclusive new government for the nation, and while some media reports are praising the new government unveiled today as mission accomplished, many are extremely unsatisfied at what passes for...
Iraqi Tribal Council Proposes Volunteer Force to Fight HTS in Syria
Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led government and its role in the massacre of well over a thousand civilians, mostly Alawites, in the northwest earlier this month continues to loom large not just internally but in Syria’s relationship with the...
Ceasefire in Doubt as Syrian Troops Occupy Lebanon Border Village, Burn Homes
Yesterday’s clash at the border between the Lebanese Army and the Syrian Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government’s forces seemingly ended with a ceasefire overnight. Eight Syrian soldiers were killed in the Monday fighting, along with five (some unconfirmed reports say...
Syria Placed Under Islamist Rule for Five Years by New Interim Constitution
In December, the Sunni Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took over Syria in an internationally-backed offensive. HTS was formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, and al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) before that. Today, their leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammad...
Syria Military Operation Over, But Killing of Alawite Civilians Continues
Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) declared their military operation against the Alawites over on Monday morning, but the execution of Alawite civilians has not halted. The number of civilians executed before Monday has also been rising further as more are counted. At...
Israel Condemns Syria Government as ‘al-Qaeda Terrorists,’ Demands Global Denunciation
After a weekend of fighting between the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government and Alawite militias in northwestern Syria, and the subsequent massacres of Alawite civilians that left well over 1,000 people dead, Israel is expressing newfound outrage against...