
What violence in Syria means for domestic, regional politics
The Druze and other minorities increasingly mistrust Syria's central government. It is run by a man once affiliated with al-Qaida, though he has pledged to protect Syria's diverse ethnic and religious groups since helping to oust Bashar Assad after a nearly 14-year civil war.
The sectarian turbulence within Syria threatens to shake-up postwar alliances and exacerbate regional tensions, experts say. It could also potentially draw the country closer to Turkey and away from Israel, with whom it has been quietly engaging since Assad's fall, with encouragement from the Trump administration.
The spark for this week's violence Deadly clashes broke out last Sunday in the southern province of Sweida between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes.
Government forces intervened, ostensibly to restore order, but ended up trying to wrest control of Sweida from the Druze factions that control it. Hundreds were killed in the fighting, and some government fighters allegedly executed Druze civilians and burned and looted their houses.
Driven by concerns about security and domestic politics, Israel intervened on behalf of the Druze, who are seen as a loyal minority within Israel and often serve in its military.
Israeli warplanes bombarded the Syrian Defence Ministry's headquarters in central Damascus and struck near the presidential palace. It was an apparent warning to the country's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led Islamist rebels that overthrew Assad but has since preached coexistence and sought ties with the West.
The Israeli army also struck government forces in Sweida.
By Wednesday, a truce had been mediated that allowed Druze factions and clerics to maintain security in Sweida as government forces pulled out — although fighting persisted between Druze and Bedouin forces.
Early Saturday, US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack announced a separate ceasefire had been brokered between Israel and Syria.
Worsening ties with minorities This past week's clashes aren't the first instance of sectarian violence in Syria since the fall of Assad.
A few months after Assad fled and after a transition that initially was mostly peaceful, government forces and pro-Assad armed groups clashed on Syria's coast. That spurred sectarian attacks that killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority to which Assad belongs.
Those killings left other minority groups, including the Druze in the south, and the Kurds in the northeast, wary that the country's new leaders would protect them.
Violence is only part of the problem. Syria's minority groups only have been given what many see as token representation in the interim government, according to Bassam Alahmad, executive director of Syrians for Truth and Justice, a civil society organisation.
'It's a transitional period. We should have a dialogue, and they (the minorities) should feel that they're a real part of the state," Alahmad said. Instead, with the incursion into Sweida, the new authorities have sent a message that they would use military force to 'control every part of Syria," he said.
'Bashar Assad tried this way," and it failed, he added.
On the other hand, supporters of the new government fear that its decision to back down in Sweida could signal to other minorities that it's OK to demand their own autonomous regions, which would fragment and weaken the country.
If Damascus cedes security control of Sweida to the Druze, 'of course everyone else is going to demand the same thing," said Abdel Hakim al-Masri, a former official in the Turkish-backed regional government in Syria's northwest before Assad's fall.
'This is what we are afraid of," he said.
A rapprochement with Israel may be derailed Before this week's flare-up between Israel and Syria, and despite a long history of suspicion between the two countries, the Trump administration had been pushing their leaders toward normalising relations – meaning that Syria would formally recognise Israel and establish diplomatic relations, or at least enter into some limited agreement on security matters.
Syrian officials have acknowledged holding indirect talks with Israel, but defusing decades of tension was never going to be easy.
After Assad's fall, Israeli forces seized control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone in Syria and carried out airstrikes on military sites in what Israeli officials said was a move to create a demilitarised zone south of Damascus.
Dareen Khalifa, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, said she believes Israel could have gotten the same result through negotiations.
But now it's unlikely Syria will be willing to continue down the path of reconciliation with Israel, at least in the short term, she said.
'I don't know how the Israelis could expect to drop bombs on Damascus and still have some kind of normal dialogue with the Syrians," said Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Centre, a New York-based organisation that focuses on global security challenges. 'Just like Netanyahu, al-Sharaa's got a domestic constituency that he's got to answer to." Yet even after the events of this past week, the Trump administration still seems to have hope of keeping the talks alive. US officials are 'engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between two sovereign states," says Dorothy Shea, the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Shea said during a UN Security Council emergency meeting on Thursday that 'the United States did not support recent Israeli strikes." Syria could be drawn closer to Turkey During Syria's civil war, the US was allied with Kurdish forces in the country's northeast in their fight against the Islamic State militant group.
But since Assad's fall, the US has begun gradually pulling its forces out of Syria and has encouraged the Kurds to integrate their forces with those of the new authorities in Damascus.
To that end, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed in March to a landmark deal that would merge them with the national army. But implementation has stalled. A major sticking point has been whether the SDF would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or be dissolved completely.
Khalifa said the conflict in Sweida is 'definitely going to complicate" those talks.
Not only are the Kurds mistrustful of government forces after their attacks on Alawite and Druze minorities, but now they also view them as looking weak. 'Let's be frank, the government came out of this looking defeated," Khalifa said.
It's possible that the Kurds, like the Druze, might look to Israel for support, but Turkey is unlikely to stand by idly if they do, Khalifa said.
The Turkish government considers the SDF a terrorist organisation because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey. For that reason, it has long wanted to curtail the group's influence just across its border.
top videos
View all
Israel's latest military foray in Syria could give leaders in Damascus an incentive to draw closer to Ankara, according to Clarke. That could include pursuing a defence pact with Turkey that has been discussed but not implemented.
Turkish defence ministry officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity according to procedures, said that if requested, Ankara is ready to assist Syria in strengthening its defence capabilities. (AP) NPK NPK
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments
First Published:
July 19, 2025, 18:45 IST
News agency-feeds What violence in Syria means for domestic, regional politics
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Aid must be permitted to reach people': Barack Obama voices concern over Gaza; calls for action to 'stop preventable starvation'
Former US President Barack Obama (AP photo) Former US President Barack Obama on Monday urged immediate action to prevent what he called the "preventable" starvation unfolding in Gaza, referring to the situation caused by the war that erupted between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023. "While a lasting resolution to the crisis in Gaza must involve a return of all hostages and a cessation of Israel's military operations, these articles underscore the immediate need for action to be taken to prevent the travesty of innocent people dying of preventable starvation," Obama posted on X, alongside links to two New York Times articles. "Aid must be permitted to reach people in Gaza. There is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families," he added in a follow-up post. Meanwhile, Israel's military on Sunday announced a "tactical pause" in fighting amid mounting concerns over starvation in the region. US President Trump, responding to reporters' questions about the images of starving children in Gaza, accused Hamas of diverting aid. "When I see the children and when I see, especially over the last couple of weeks people are stealing the food, they're stealing the money, they're stealing the money for the food. They're stealing weapons, they're stealing everything," said Trump. "It's a mess, that whole place is a mess. The Gaza Strip, you know it was given many years ago so they could have peace. That didn't work out too well," he added. The Israeli military has stated there is no evidence that Hamas has systematically stolen humanitarian aid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's handling of aid, saying limited humanitarian access has been permitted -- provided it doesn't bolster Hamas or endanger hostages. "We've done this so far," Netanyahu said, according to The Jerusalem Post. "But the UN is spreading lies and falsehoods about Israel. They say we don't allow humanitarian supplies in, yet we do. There are secure corridors. They've always existed, but now it's official. No more excuses."


News18
an hour ago
- News18
'Prevent Dying Of Starvation': Barack Obama Calls For 'Immediate Action' Amid Gaza Crisis
Last Updated: Former US President Barack Obama has emphasised that aid must be allowed to reach people in Gaza as 'there's no justification for keeping food and water away from civilians.' Former US President Barack Obama has reacted to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict for the first time and called for 'immediate action". Taking to X, Obama said, 'While a lasting resolution to the crisis in Gaza must involve a return of all hostages and a cessation of Israel's military operations, these articles underscore the immediate need for action to be taken to prevent the travesty of innocent people dying of preventable starvation." He further stressed that aid 'must be permitted" to reach people in Gaza, adding that 'there is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families." His remark came as the World Health Organisation has reported a sharp rise in malnutrition and disease, with a large portion of Gaza's 2 million residents now starving, as reported by AP. Experts have also raised an alarm over the worsening situation and warned that Gaza is nearing famine. Amid the concerns over rising hunger in Gaza, the Israeli military on Sunday started a limited halt in fighting in three populated areas. This also comes as Israel has faced massive backlash for the 21-month-long war. The military said it would begin a 'tactical pause" in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid" entering the territory. The pause begins every day at 10:00 am to 8:00 pm local time until further notice, starting Sunday, according to a report by AP. Meanwhile, several recent images from Gaza being widely shared online show emaciated children. Israel says it is prepared to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile, something the group has refused to agree to. Israel has allowed in around 4,500 trucks for the UN and other aid groups to distribute since May. However, according to the UN, the average of 69 trucks a day is far lower than the 500 to 600 trucks Gaza needs in a day. The UN says it has been unable to distribute much of the aid because hungry crowds and gangs take most of it from its arriving trucks. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Houthis Vow To Target All Ships Trading With Israel, Urge Nations To Cut Ties Over Gaza Blockade
Yemen's Houthi rebels have announced a new escalation, threatening to target any commercial vessels connected to Israeli ports regardless of their country of origin. This campaign, focused on the strategic Bab el Mandeb Strait, aims to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis have already attacked over 100 ships, sunk multiple vessels, and launched missiles at Israel, prompting fierce retaliatory strikes. International shipping faces increasing peril, while diplomatic efforts seek to stave off further conflict and protect key global trade routes.#RedSeaCrisis #HouthiAttacks #GlobalShipping #IsraelGaza #MiddleEastNews #MaritimeSecurity #BreakingNews #Ceasefire Read More