A Violent Week for the Syrian Experiment
This halts the momentum of Ahmed al-Sharaa's new Damascus regime, which seems to have miscalculated and failed to restrain its own forces. Israel will also need to be careful wading into Syria's sectarian conflict. It's one thing to prevent a massacre by bombing Syrian forces advancing on the Druze-majority province of Sweida, and another to make ostentatious strikes on the Syrian capital.
The conflict in Sweida picked up with communal violence between Bedouins and Druze, a non-Muslim minority. Syria's Defense and Interior ministries took that as an opening to do what Israel has warned against: Deploying troops south of Damascus to bring the Druze to heel.
After walking into an ambush by a Druze militia, Syrian forces escalated. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that 83 people were executed by regime forces, out of 597 dead on all sides over four days. Looting and destruction were widespread, and videos circulated of soldiers humiliating Druze men and clerics.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
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Who are the winners and losers of Trump's tariffs?
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Bloomberg
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- Bloomberg
US Sees Backing Syrian Leader as Key to Countering Iran and ISIS
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News24
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