Latest news with #AbuMohammadal-Jolani
Newsweek
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Syria's Forgotten Minority—Why the Druze Deserve Our Protection and Attention
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As an Israeli Druze woman serving as a minister at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., I feel compelled to share what is happening to my people in Suwayda, Syria. The Druze of Syria, the largest concentration of Druze in the Middle East, numbering more than 700,000 people, are facing a brutal and systematic assault. Despite their relatively small numbers, the Syrian Druze played a foundational role in shaping modern Syria, just as we play a significant role in Israel. A convoy of Syrian military and security forces passes a sign for Suwayda, Syria on July 15, 2025. A convoy of Syrian military and security forces passes a sign for Suwayda, Syria on July 15, 2025. Stringer/Getty Images They led the Great Syrian Revolt against French colonial rule, fighting for liberalism, the rule of law, and human rights for all. This religious minority known for its dignity, neutrality, resiliency, and peaceful resistance is now being targeted by Jihadi militias supported by the Syrian regime, with tanks artillery, and heavy weapons. As a human being I am watching history repeat itself—in real time—through the footage of this horrendous ethnic cleansing. The atrocities of October 7 in Israel did not occur in a vacuum. We have warned the world for years about this growing wave of radical extremism. It has targeted the Yazidis in Iraq, the Alawites in Syria, Christians across the Levant—and now, it is butchering innocent Druze civilians: women, children, and the elderly. Homes are being shelled, families displaced, hospitals are being bombed, and religious sites and symbols desecrated, led by the Syrian regime with the blessing of President Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. And yet once again—the world has remained largely silent in the face of the genocide taking place against my people. Let me be clear: The Suwayda massacre is not an internal Syrian issue. As we have seen before, this has escalated into international sectarian war by radical Jihadists against minority groups that do not ascribe to their version of fundamentalism. As the only democracy in the Middle East that actively protects minority rights, Israel has not stood idly by. Israel is committed to preventing continued harm from being inflicted on the Druze in Syria. As the state of Israel, we are committed to protecting the Druze minority and maintaining the strategic security buffer on Israel's northern border with Syria in the Golan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to protect the Druze community in Syria and to attack strongholds of al-Jolani's regime in Damascus. Together with the minister of Defense, the PM publicly committed to eliminating the radical forces that attacked the Druze and called for a full withdrawal from Suwayda. We are determined to deter the regime from harming the Druze, by ensuring the full demilitarization of the border with Syria, acting to defend our common values, and for the protection of minority groups. Everyone should know that the Druze of Syria stand as the last symbol of pluralism and minority diversity in the Arab-majority region. If Suwayda collapses, Israel and Jordan face an immediate Jihadi threat on their border. Therefore, I urge you to speak out, clearly and urgently. Join Israel in condemning the violence and the targeted persecution of this minority group and in calling for an immediate withdrawal of Syrian forces from Druze Syrian villages. We must see an immediate cessation of the siege on all essential humanitarian necessities and a humanitarian corridor created between Syria and Jordan. Let me conclude by quoting the people of Suwayda: "Don't let this turn into another forgotten atrocity. Human rights are not selective. Minority lives are not optional." Sawsan Natour-Hasson is the minister of public diplomacy at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. She served as the director of the Middle East Economic Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel. Natour-Hasson has held a variety of posts in the Foreign Ministry in Israel and around the world, including deputy chief of mission in Athens and in Sofia. Prior to that, Natour-Hasson was an attorney specializing in civil and labor law. She has been awarded the Prize of Excellence for her work at the Foreign Ministry. Natour-Hasson holds LL.B. and LL.M. law degrees from Haifa University. She is Druze and lives with her family in Daliyat Al-Karmel. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Shafaq News
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq arrests another Syrian wanted for terrorism
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Iraqi authorities arrested a Syrian wanted on terrorism charges, in Najaf province. A security official told Shafaq News Agency that security forces detained the Syrian who was allegedly linked to the militant group led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani (the current Syrian transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa). 'The Syrian suspect was residing in the Maysan neighborhood in central Najaf and is wanted under Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law,' the source said. 'He arrived in the province a month ago and had participated in several battles alongside terrorist groups in Syria.' Iraqi security forces have arrested several Syrian nationals in recent days for allegedly promoting extremist organizations on social media. Additionally, security forces had been deployed around the Syrian embassy in Baghdad, following an attempt by six individuals to breach the security cordon surrounding the embassy, according to a security source.
