The newly formed Islamist regime in Syria, established as former Al-Qaeda commander Ahmed al-Sharaa—also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani—was named Syria’s transitional president on Jan. 31, 2025, following the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, has wasted no time in revealing its true nature. Despite initially pledging to form an inclusive transitional government, the regime has unleashed a brutal campaign of violence that bears all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing, targeting the country’s Druze minority.
This month, that campaign intensified dramatically. According to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), more than 1,000 people have been killed in recent clashes, including 336 Druze fighters and 298 civilians, 194 of whom were “executed by gunmen affiliated with the Ministries of Defense and Interior.”
Following a brutal military onslaught on the Druze-majority Syrian city of Sweida, a new ceasefire was announced by the government and some Druze leaders on July 16 after several Israeli airstrikes targeted Syrian army headquarters in Damascus, aiming to protect the Druze population. The ceasefire was not respected by the Arab clans that joined forces with government troops in their attempt to occupy Sweida.
Pro-government Syrian Arab clans have joined the government in their fight against the Druze minority. Thousands of Arab clan militants joined their allies in attacking the Druze, claiming that the Arab clans are in duress. The Supreme Council of Arab Tribes in Syria declared a call to arms on July 18 to occupy Sweida and defeat the Druze. (Read More)
