With US envoy Tom Barrack in attendance in Paris, Syrian and Israeli government ministers met in what is being called “de-escalation” talks aimed to reduce the growing tensions amid the ongoing Israeli invasion of southwestern Syria and the sectarian violence in the...
US Envoy Barrack Gives Lebanon 90 Days to Disarm Hezbollah, Says Israel Set the Deadline
Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack continued throughout the week to make increasingly conflicting demands and pledges to Lebanon. On Wednesday, he brought back the demand for disarmament of Hezbollah, now insisting that not only does this have to happen within 90 days,...
Syrian Observatory Blasts US Envoy for Claiming Syrian Government Forces Not Involved in Suwayda Executions
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based rights group that tracks violence in Syria, has released a statement criticizing US Ambassador Tom Barrack for claiming Syrian government forces were not involved in the mass executions of civilians in...
Israeli Troops Raid Southern Lebanon, Search Homes and Detain Workers
Continuing to flout November’s ceasefire with Lebanon, Israeli ground troops invaded southern Lebanon once again at dawn on Wednesday, with around 20 troops marching into the area around al-Abbasiya. The troops searched multiple abandoned homes in the area. Israel did...
US Citizen Among Eight Druze Executed by HTS Forces in Southern Syria
An American citizen was among eight civilians executed by fighters linked to the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led Syrian government in Suwayda, southern Syria, last week. A video of the execution of Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old Syrian American, and his seven relatives...
White House Says Trump Was ‘Caught Off Guard’ By Israel’s Recent Syria Airstrikes
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that President Trump was "caught off guard" by Israel's recent airstrikes in Syria and the Israeli tank shelling of the sole Catholic church in Gaza. "He was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also...
US Official Calls Netanyahu a ‘Madman’ for Bombing Syria Despite US Opposition
Axios reported on Sunday that White House officials were frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to Israel's recent airstrikes on Damascus, which came as the US was urging Israel not to bomb Syria. "Bibi acted like a madman. He bombs everything...
Over 1,100 Killed in the Past Week in Syria’s Suwayda, Calm May Not Last
Sunday saw relative calm return to the Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria, after a solid week of fighting among the Druze and Bedouins left in excess of 1,100 documented deaths so far and a final toll that is likely to be even higher. A majority of the slain were...
Latest South Syria Ceasefire Crumbles, At Least 638 Killed
Fighting between the Druze and Bedouins in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate continues to rage, despite the second ceasefire of the week being declared on Wednesday. The toll in the fighting and killing since Sunday is now up to at least 638, according to the Syrian...
Netanyahu Reiterates Demand for South Syria to Remain Demilitarized
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated long-standing demands that the entire south of Syria south of Damascus remain absolutely demilitarized, and vowed that Israel will continue to carry out attacks on Syria to enforce that as one of his “red...


