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Recent Appearances...

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Jihadists Launch Deadly Attack On Russian Airbase On Syria's Coast

2025-05-24

(ZeroHedge] In another clear indicator of just how drastically everything has changed in Syria in the wake of Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December last year, a militant group attempted to storm Russia's Hmeimim air base on Syria’s coast on Wednesday. Already the future of the base is uncertain, but Russia has still been maintaining it - given also Hmeimim is Moscow's only airbase on the Mediterranean.

"Militants attacked a Russian air base in Syria, killing two soldiers, a Syrian government official and a local activist said Wednesday," according to The Associated Press. Russian statements, which offered little detail, did not indicate if the slain were Russian soldiers or possibly foreign nationals who were contractors.

At least two militants were killed during their assault on the airbase. They are being widely reported as foreign Islamist fighters affiliated with the new Syrian government's military under President Sharaa (Jolani).

The Jolani/HTS government has tried to distance itself from the attack, as it is still seeking diplomatic normalization with Russia and a reset in relations:

The government official said the two militants who were killed were foreign nationals who had worked as military trainers at a naval college that was training members of the new government’s military. He said they had acted on their own in attacking the base and were not officially affiliated with any faction.

Damascus has on Thursday deployed additional forces in an effort to stabilize the security situation in villages near the airbase.

"The city of Jableh and the villages surrounding the Russian Hmeimim air base in the Jableh countryside are witnessing a security alert. Heavy deployment of public security forces has been observed in the villages of Al-Sharashir and Al-Qubaisa, both close to the base," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says.

SOHR had further described "clashes in which medium and heavy machine guns were used, coinciding with the sounding of alarm sirens inside the base" - when the incident unfolded.

One regional outlet has said Russian soldiers were killed, and that it was Uzbek terrorists behind the assault:

According to a report by the Erem outlet, the 20 May attack resulted in the killing of three Russian soldiers and the injury of at least six others. The report says the attack was carried out by an Uzbek-led faction, which afterwards began to mobilize in the village of Al-Sharashir, just two kilometers from the base.

Erem also said the Uzbek armed group, responsible for past atrocities including the killing of children, have displaced and intimidated scores of residents and have seized homes in in the nearby town.

#BREAKING | Islamist militants reportedly affiliated with ruling HTS attacked Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base in Syria around 4–5 AM. Russian forces returned fire, reportedly killing four militants. https://t.co/UQGcfjWqt0 pic.twitter.com/JorasQW3My
— The Global Eye (@TGEThGlobalEye) May 21, 2025

This coastal area near Latakia has for months seen attacks and massacres conducted by Islamic militant factions against the minority Alawite community of Syria. Christians and Druze have also been targeted.

Thousands of Alawites have been reported killed, and while the Jolani government has formally condemned the killings, eyewitnesses have consistently said the attacks had the involvement of HTS (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham) fighters, which remains the ruling faction in Damascus.

During the height of the sectarian killings, Alawite families sought refuge at Hmeimim air base in large numbers. Many thousands have been camped out on the base tarmac, with at times Russian troops seen handing out food and water and necessities of survival.

Back in March, Alawites expressed their distrust of HTS provided "security"...

HTS AlQaeda reps try to convince Syrian Alawi refugees to leave the Russian Hmeimim air base and go home. "Trust us now, mistakes happen, things got out of control". pic.twitter.com/JIpzSHpAB0

— tim anderson (@timand2037) March 18, 2025

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week expressed particular concern about the chaotic situation in Syria, where he said extremist militant groups are carrying out "real ethnic cleansing and mass killings based on ethnic and sectarian identity". He blasted what he called the West’s "stunning" indifference to mass killings acts of terrorism.

The strong comments followed in the wake of President Trump meeting with Syria's Sharaa while in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. This stunned even some Washington officials, given that Sharaa/Jolani has long been a US-designated terrorist. Trump has said he wants to give Syria a fresh start, and also announced the US will drop sanctions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week told a Senate hearing that Syria could collapse within just weeks; however, he didn't acknowledge in the testimony that it was the CIA's Operation Timber Sycamore which served to weaken and destabilize the country in the first place.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria gives armed groups 10 days to integrate into defense ministry

2025-05-18

A reminder: Y’all have been conquered. That means your only option is to surrender, so please get in with it. NOW.

[Rudaw] Syria’s defense minister announced on Saturday that all armed units have been integrated into the Ministry of Defense, unifying the country’s armed forces, though he gave "remaining small military groups" a ten-day deadline to complete the process.

"Today, we convey to our honorable people the news of the integration of all units into the Syrian Ministry of Defense," Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said in a post on X.

He said that the process to unify all the armed units under a single institutional structure began immediately following the end of the former regime.

"Given the importance of institutional work, we stress the need for the remaining small military groups to join the ministry within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of this announcement, in order to complete the efforts of unification and organization," he added, warning that any delay complying would be dealt with under the law.

In December, the rebel coalition, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else

Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else

...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
(HTS) that led the final offensive to oust Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Light of the Alawites...
, agreed to merge into the Syrian defense ministry.

The Syrian Democratic forces (SDF), which control the northeast, signed an agreement with Damascus on March 10, to integrate "all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria [Rojava] under the administration of the Syrian state, including border crossings, the [Qamishli International] Airport, and oil and gas fields."

Despite this deal, Kurds in Rojava are concerned about key decisions the new authorities in Damascus have made to centralize authority. The Damascus leadership in late April censured SDF's call for federalism, saying it contradicts their agreement.

The Times of Israel adds:

Syria’s new authorities, led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, have dissolved the army and security agencies linked to the Assad government.

The new administration also dissolved all armed factions including Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the lightning offensive that toppled Assad in December.

Factions that agreed to dissolve were integrated into the defense ministry, and General Security, the country’s new police, opened the door to recruits as part of both institutions’ efforts to create a new army and security force.

Factions from Daraa in the south, as well as ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
-backed factions in the north and Islamist groups also joined the ministry’s forces.

These factions have retained their weapons and remain deployed in their areas of operation.

But HTS and Islamist groups aligned with it remain dominant, especially in their original stronghold in Idlib in the northwest and in Damascus.

Syria’s new authorities face major challenges preventing them from asserting control over all of the war-torn country, including the presence of gangs with varying loyalties.

The main challenge for Abu Qasra, who as a rebel commander led the offensive that overthrew Assad, is building a new national army.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Trump says he’ll lift sanctions on Syria, restore ties with new president Sharaa

2025-05-14

See also here.

[IsraelTimes] Meeting between leaders set for Wednesday; sources say Damascus may offer talks on normalizing relations with Israel under Abraham Accords

US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and whatever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th and 47th President of the United States...
said Tuesday he will move to normalize relations and lift sanctions on Syria’s new government to give the country "a chance at peace."

Trump is set to meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia

...a kingdom takingup the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime Death Eater who last year led the overthrow of former leader Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Scourge of Qusayr...
. He said the effort at rapprochement came at the urging of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists...
, the Saudi de facto ruler, and Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
"There is a new government that will hopefully succeed," Trump said of Syria, adding, "I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special."

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Tuesday that Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was a "pivotal turning point for the Syrian people, as we move toward a future of stability, self-sufficiency and genuine reconstruction after years of destructive war."

Sharaa will be the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since the late Hafez al-Assad met Bill Clinton
...former Democratic president of the U.S. Bill was the second U.S. president to be impeached, the first to deny that oral sex was sex, the first to have difficulty with the definition of the word is...
in Geneva in 2000.

It was a major boost for the Syrian president, who at one point was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 US-led invasion of the Arab country. Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by Death Eater groups led by Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
, or HTS, stormed Damascus, ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family.

According to the London Times, citing unnamed security sources, Sharaa may use the meeting to offer talks on normalizing relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.

A US security source confirmed the possibility of Damascus joining the accords, with the United Arab Emirates as a mediator. Sharaa confirmed last week that Abu Dhabi is already acting as an intermediary between Israel and Syria, with talks focusing on security and intelligence matters and confidence-building between the two countries, which have no official relations.

The source added that Washington and Gulf countries are seeking to pull Syria away from Iranian influence. Tehran, sworn to Israel’s destruction, propped up the former Assad regime throughout the bloody Syrian civil war.

The US has been weighing how to handle Sharaa since he took power in December. Gulf leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and will want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran’s return to influence in Syria.

Then-president Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. Joe's wife and daughter weren't killed by a drunk driver. He didn't graduate with three or even two degrees, wasn't in the top half of his law class, and his daddy didn't come home from a hard day's work in the mines and play football with the guys. The NAACP hasn't endorsed him every time he's run....
left the decision to Trump, whose administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government.

"The president agreed to say hello to the Syrian President while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow," the White House said before Trump’s remarks.

The comments marked a striking change in tone from Trump and put him at odds with Israel, which has been deeply skeptical of Sharaa’s turban past and cautioned against swift recognition of the new government.

Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaeda gunnies battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. He still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq, and the US once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaeda.

In 2011, Sharaa came back to his home country, where he led the branch of al-Qaeda that was known as the Nusra Front. He later changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and cut links with al-Qaeda.

Syria has had fraught relations with Washington since the days of the Cold War, when Damascus maintained close links with the Soviet Union and later became Iran’s closest ally in the Arab world.

London-based Syrian analyst Ibrahim Hamidi said Trump’s meeting with Sharaa marks a "strategic shift" in the country, with Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
forced to leave and Russia, which also backed Assad and now gives him sanctuary, weakened.

"The Syrian-American meetings in Riyadh open the gate for the two sides to start discussing disagreements and issues between them with an atmosphere of dialogue," said Hamidi, editor-in-chief of the Arabic magazine Al Majalla. "This is important."

Link

International-UN-NGOs

Syria’s Sharaa skips Iraq summit after firestorm over invitation to Gaza-focused gathering

2025-05-13

[IsraelTimes] Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will not attend the Arab League Summit in Baghdad this weekend, Syrian state media says, after Iraq’s invitation spurred controversy over the rebel-turned-leader’s potential return to a country where he fought and was jailed.

Syria’s delegation to Saturday’s summit will be headed by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, state-owned Ekhbariya TV reports, without providing a reason for Sharaa’s absence. The summit is expected to focus on Gaza reconstruction and the Palestinian issue.

Sharaa’s decision highlights Syria’s mixed results establishing ties across the region after former President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster last year. Sharaa has made rapid inroads with Sunni-majority Gulf Arab states Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but has tread more carefully with others where Iran has had strong influence, like Shi’ite-majority Iraq.

Sharaa fought with Al Qaeda in Iraq after the U.S-led invasion in 2003. He was imprisoned there for more than five years, then released for lack of evidence in 2011, according to a senior Iraqi security official.

He then opened Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, breaking away in 2016 to form what became Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group that ousted Assad.

Iraq’s prime minister invited Sharaa last month to the summit, prompting criticism from mainly Shi’ite Muslim factions who accuse Sharaa of orchestrating attacks against Shi’ites during his years in Iraq.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Report: Body of US journalist Austin Tice, missing since 2012, found in Syria

2025-05-12

[IsraelTimes] The Al Jazeera news network reports that a joint US-Qatari search team, with the assistance of Syrian security forces, has uncovered the remains of missing US journalist Austin Tice in the Aleppo region of Syria.

The report, which cites an unnamed official Syrian source, says two other bodies were also found at the site.

Tice has been missing since 2012 after traveling to Syria to document the early days of the Syrian civil war. He disappeared near Damascus and has not been heard from since, other than in a video weeks later, in which he was blindfolded and held by armed men.

Al Jazeera reports that a former Islamic State operative revealed the location of the burial site to the search team.

Had he retired or switched allegiance to the Hayat Tahrir al Sham strong horse?

oEfforts to locate Tice have stepped up since the regime of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad fell to Islamist insurgents in December. Assad’s government had previously denied that it was holding him.

In response to the reports, Hostage Aid Worldwide, which has been leading the search for Tice on behalf of his family, urges the public and the media to “refrain from speculation” as to his whereabouts and condition.

“We would like to clarify that only the Tice family will issue official comments or statements regarding any ongoing developments,” it says. “These statements will be made either directly by the family or through Hostage Aid, and only once information has been verified and confirmed.”

Link

The Grand Turk

On the brink of a collision: Erdogan and Netanyahu are waiting for Trump to reconcile them

2025-05-09

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Kamran Gasanov

[REGNUM] The curtailment of Iran's presence in Syria brought Israel great relief, since the loss of Damascus deprived Tehran of both access to Hezbollah in bordering Lebanon and a powerful trump card to put pressure on Tel Aviv.

However, after the change of power in Damascus in December 2024, Iran was replaced by an equally formidable adversary: Türkiye.

Possibly not equally formidable, though they certainly would like to be. What say you, O Rantburg experts?

It was at this time that the Israeli Defense Doctrine Review Committee became concerned about a possible change in the intentions of neighboring countries and advised preparing for a clash with Turkey.

The commission members believe that it is capable of unleashing a proxy war against the Jewish state through the Palestinian movement Hamas and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)* group.

Israel has had reasons to worry since the war in the Gaza Strip escalated. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not only began accusing the Israeli leadership of genocide and imposed an economic embargo, but also began openly threatening to create an “Islamic coalition” and send in troops.

The rise to power in Damascus of HTS* and Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose main ally was Ankara, brought Turkey and Syria closer together. Now the Turkish military is settling in Syrian military bases and modernizing them, including the Tiyas (T4) base, where the Israelis used to bomb Iranian formations stationed there.

Israel does not like the fact that Turkish air defenses can restrict the freedom of movement of its aircraft, and in general the emergence of another Islamist regime in addition to Hamas and Hezbollah is alarming Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing ministers.

In the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the strengthening of Syria with the help of Turkey deprives Israel of the advantage that arose in early December 2024.

Netanyahu has made it clear several times that no military presence – neither Syrian nor, especially, Turkish – south of Damascus (the provinces of Daraa, Quneitra and As-Suwayda) is permissible.

Israel needs a buffer zone, to achieve which it began to support the Syrian Druze in their confrontation with the forces of Al-Sharaa.

Israel's determination has been demonstrated at least three times.

The first time was during the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, when the IDF occupied a buffer zone in the Golan Heights.

The second time was in early April, when Israeli airstrikes hit military targets in Homs, Hama and Damascus, including the T4 base.

And the third time was from April 30 to May 2, when targets near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital, as well as in Latakia, Hama and Daraa were bombed. These strikes were linked to support for the Druze, and Netanyahu sent a “clear signal” to al-Sharaa that his troops were not allowed to advance south.

All three operations were harshly criticized by Ankara, which accused Israel of violating the integrity of Syria and occupying it.

President Erdogan has criticized Israel of many harsh things over the past two decades, none of which were true. The real accusation is that the uppity Jewish state dares to consider itself equal, dares to resist being properly conquered as Allah assuredly must have intended.

Despite Turkey's desire to materialize its influence in Syria and Israel's fear of getting another front in addition to Gaza, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran, neither Tel Aviv nor Ankara needs an open conflict.

In April, US President Donald Trump tried to act as a mediator between Erdogan and Netanyahu, calling on the latter to show prudence.

After Netanyahu's visit to Washington, the Israeli army did bomb the future Turkish bases, but a week later, on April 10, representatives of the Turkish and Israeli defense ministries held a meeting in Baku.

They made no progress, but the very fact of negotiations gave hope for some kind of mutual understanding and de-escalation.

Moreover, Netanyahu was supposed to arrive in Baku for a five-day visit in the first week of May. Erdogan was also supposed to arrive there.

There were rumors that Azerbaijan, as an ally of both Turkey and Israel, would be able to organize a meeting between their leaders. However, just days before the trip, Turkey refused to provide airspace for Netanyahu's plane to fly over. The Israeli prime minister himself postponed the trip, formally due to events in Gaza and Syria.

According to sources of The Associated Press, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to expand the military operation in Gaza with a full occupation of the Palestinian enclave. And for this purpose, tens of thousands of reservists were called up to the army. And in Syria, the Israelis carried out more airstrikes, allegedly to protect the oppressed Druze.

The fragile Turkish-Israeli normalization has stalled almost before it began. Erdogan has accused Israel of provoking a new intra-Syrian conflict and said he is watching to see “what steps it will take or plans to take with respect to Turkey.”

A new large-scale operation in Gaza, fraught with a humanitarian catastrophe (as the UN warned), the deportation of Palestinians and the occupation of the enclave, will further aggravate the situation between Turkey and Israel.

That’s because Turkey wants Hamas to win and Israel to be conquered.

The degree of tension creates a situation in which the level of confrontation between the two countries could be comparable to what recently happened between Israel and Iran.

But Trump, a good friend of Erdogan and Netanyahu, may well let off some steam in the region. He will visit the Gulf states in the second week of May. On his way there or back, he may call on both the Israeli prime minister and the Turkish president.

Trump recently had another phone call with Erdogan and agreed to promote stability in Gaza, Syria and Ukraine. Trump does not want his regional allies to quarrel.

Calm relations between Israel and Turkey, coupled with rapprochement with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will strengthen the hand of US Special Envoy Steven Witkoff in negotiations with Iran.

So Trump will continue to try to reconcile the two rivals. Israel is awaiting his visit and at the same time fearing the reaction to the new operation in Gaza. According to media reports, it will not begin until the head of the White House's Middle East tour. And on May 12, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will arrive in Israel .

Trump has already proven that he can persuade and pressure Netanyahu during the Hamas-Israel deal. He also has something to pressure Turkey with - the F35 deal, sanctions and tariffs.

But judging by the dialogue with Netanyahu in the US, where Trump demanded prudence from him, the American needs Ankara more than Tel Aviv. And that is why he recently decided to reduce the American military presence in Deir ez-Zor. And thus helped Erdogan take another step towards “zeroing out” the theoretically possible Kurdish autonomy.

As for Russia, despite the overthrow of Assad, the initiative and advantages in the region have not yet been lost. Russia has entered into direct dialogue with Damascus and held a meeting at the level of representatives of the special services in Baku in April. Al-Sharaa is in no hurry to curtail the Russian military presence.

Moscow is also consulting with Turkey, while maintaining dialogue with both Palestine and Israel. Russia's strong point is also its support for Iran.

I’m not sure that’s exactly a strong point — Russia used to support Syria, and look where that got everyone.

The Iranian Foreign Minister and the Sultan of Oman (the country mediating the US-Iran negotiations) visited Moscow after another round of Iranian-American talks.

The current American leadership is more inclined to cooperate with Russia than to push it out of the Middle East.

So a potential reconciliation between Turkey and Israel with Trump's participation, which has yet to be achieved, will not necessarily have any negative consequences for Russia.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

'Al-Sharaa's grip is weak': IDF doubts Syria's control as Golan buffer zone expand

2025-05-06

[Ynet] An Israeli paratrooper from the 202nd Battalion swings open the yellow gate at the Quneitra crossing, the only passage point between Israel and Syria. He steps forward without a helmet—a sign of the relatively low threat level. Eight yards ahead, a fellow soldier opens the inner gray gate with the press of a button.

Once a symbol of Syrian sovereignty, the crossing has faded. The Syrian flag that flew above the checkpoint just months ago is now tattered, and a portrait of Hafez al-Assad—the late president who negotiated a 1974 ceasefire with Israel—lies in fragments across the abandoned border post.

Roughly 50 miles east, Israeli helicopters recently delivered supplies to Druze communities in As-Suwayda, and more than 20 wounded Druze have crossed into Israel for treatment. But at the border, the gunfire remains distant for now.

Six months after Israeli forces entered the Syrian side of the Golan Heights without a fight, the Israel Defense Forces has tripled its deployment in the area. After an initial period of calm, two diverging realities have taken shape.

In the north, about 12 to 18 miles from the border, the IDF has permitted the interim Syrian government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa to deploy local police in villages such as Khan Arnabeh, Jubata al-Khashab, and New Quneitra. The move has brought stability, and Israeli soldiers now pass through these communities en route to nine new IDF outposts constructed in Syrian territory.

But in the south, near the road to Daraa, tensions are rising. The more religiously conservative Sunni population, many of whom supported the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...

…most recently called Hayat Tahrir al Sham until they conquered Bashir al Assad’s Syria…

during Syria’s civil war, has resisted disarmament. Two weeks ago, militants in the town of Nawa opened fire on Israeli paratroopers from the 890th Battalion using heavy machine guns from balconies. The soldiers escaped injury.

"We called in Zik drones and eliminated seven militants who posed an immediate threat," said a senior commander. "We could have neutralized 100, but we chose restraint. We didn’t want to go there."

Farther east, near the old Syrian military ridgelines 11 to 12 miles from the border, Israeli forces have chosen not to take control. The IDF occasionally fires warning shots at unidentified figures approaching the abandoned posts. Al-Sharaa’s forces are not allowed to operate in this area, despite outreach from Damascus.

"His regime is still fragile and lacks real control over much of Syria," a senior Israeli officer said. "The Alawite coast remains loyal to Assad, Turkish and Kurdish forces dominate the north, and Bedouin tribes hold sway in the southeast. This southwestern corner is not a high priority for Damascus."

Israeli defense officials recently met with Western diplomats who visited Damascus to assess al-Sharaa’s control. "You walk into government buildings and find 50 empty offices," one European official said. "Only three or four rooms are actually staffed."

Israeli intelligence estimates that al-Sharaa commands around 60,000 lightly armed fighters, most operating from pickup trucks. The IDF believes Turkey is interested in helping establish a formal army under al-Sharaa but has held back due to financial concerns, especially after Israeli operations destroyed major Assad-era weapons depots.

Turkey has been on the brink of financial collapse since the 1990s, despite infusions of cash from various sources and donors. Setting up and training a proper army from scratch is an expensive proposition — especially if Israel chooses to be annoyed.

Iranian forces have withdrawn from the Syrian Golan—a shift Israel welcomed—while Russia still maintains a limited military presence along the coast and in the northeastern city of Qamishli. Israeli officials have also met with Turkish counterparts to discuss coordination.

The IDF has quietly strengthened ties with Druze leaders on both sides of the border. Last month, senior officers met with some 60 Druze sheikhs from Israel and Syria. A proposal to allow Syrian Druze to work in the Israeli Golan has stalled, reportedly due to bureaucratic and insurance issues.

On the ground, Israeli soldiers are adjusting to the new reality. In calmer northern areas, most now travel by vehicle, often without helmets. Still, a fast-moving convoy of pickup trucks from deep inside Syria could reach Kibbutz Ein Zivan in just five minutes by air, warned Lt. Col. G., operations officer for the IDF’s Golan Division.

From the roof of the old Quneitra police station—a grim Soviet-style relic—Israeli soldiers now overlook new bases, reinforced shelters, and permanent infrastructure built at a cost of tens of millions of shekels. Food is trucked in from kitchens on the Israeli side of the border.

At the edge of the frontier, IDF engineers are constructing a 56-mile defensive line of trenches and embankments. About 20 percent of the project is complete. During a patrol near the Syrian village of Qahtania, soldiers encountered three smiling children. One wore a shirt bearing symbols of "New Syria" and the image of Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Nearby, three motorcycles seized from Syrians who approached too close to Israeli positions are parked outside an outpost flying the red flags of the Paratroopers Brigade. The riders may have been scouting troop movements.

"Intelligence remains a challenge," said Lt. Col. G. "We make one or two arrests a month, but if we get actionable intel, we act immediately—with arrests or force, if needed."

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Invested the treasury in hotels. Investments in Antalya did not save the Syrian militant

2025-04-30

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Tsukanov

[REGNUM] Recently, Issama Buidani, the leader of the Syrian group Jaysh al-Islam,

…in Rantburg’s archives spelt Jaish al Islam, which used to be known as Liwa al-Islam…

was arrested in the United Arab Emirates. The militant did not expect such a turn of events.

By the time of his arrest, the field commander had already retired and was trying to start a new life as a Turkish citizen and philanthropist. However, the change of name and citizenship did not save him from falling under the surveillance of French law enforcement.

CHANGE OF OWNER
For much of the time since its formation in 2013, Jaysh al-Islam has been under the secret "care" of Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh invested heavily in arming and training the militants and even hired dozens of Pakistani instructors to teach them mine-making and ammunition manufacturing.

Thanks to Saudi aid, the rebels were able to acquire several tanks and heavy artillery, as well as dozens of upgraded sniper rifles.

The well-equipped group not only served as the spearhead of resistance against government forces, but was also used to contain proxy groups sponsored by Turkey.

However, Saudi support ended after the 2017 ouster of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, whose people had been directing operations in Syria through the National Council for Political and Security Affairs.

His successor, Mohammed bin Salman, chose to distance himself from dubious groups and placed his bets on supporting the legitimate government.

Left without an external sponsor – and furthermore pressed by government forces – supporters of Jaysh al-Islam began a gradual drift towards Turkey and Qatar and by 2018 were positioning themselves as members of a united “pro-Turkish front.”

True, relations with yesterday's rivals (and now allies) remained strained. Jaysh al-Islam was unable to establish contact with most of the forces of the pro-Turkish proxy network, and also entered into conflict with one of its "poles" - the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham* (HTS*) group.

There were constant clashes between them until the offensive on Damascus began in 2024.

FEATURED IN THE REPORTS
With the establishment of a transitional government led by former HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Jaysh al-Islam found itself out of work.

Its representatives did not get into high offices, but found themselves under the close attention of the "new security forces." Especially after the wave of ethnic and religious cleansing and pogroms that swept across the country in the first months after the change of power.

And although many of al-Sharaa’s former allies “distinguished themselves” in this direction, it was representatives of Jaysh al-Islam who appeared in reports on major Western television channels.

In addition, by that time the group already had a trail of mass murders and reprisals against foreign (mainly French) citizens, which made it a target of interest for the EU intelligence services.

In light of this, most of the group's functionaries preferred to lie low, so as not to fall into the hands of Interpol and not to become a bargaining chip in the struggle for spheres of influence in the new Syria.

IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO EXPEL
One of the leaders of Jaysh al-Islam, Issam Buydani, suddenly showed up in Turkey some time ago, already under the name Issam Beydatiuglu. With local citizenship and the status of a philanthropist.

According to Turkish publications, the former jihadist received his passport for investments in local resorts, spending at least 400 thousand dollars on these purposes.

A number of observers believe that Buidani, in one way or another, “poured” part of the “treasury” of “Jaysh al-Islam,” which amounted to tens of millions of dollars, into the country’s economy.

The news of the appearance of such a peculiar benefactor caused indignation among a part of Turkish society.

Turhan Çomez, a representative of the opposition Good Party of Balikesire, said that flirting with terrorists will not lead to anything good, and their investments only damage Turkey's image.

Some of Chomez's supporters went even further and launched an information campaign against Buidani on social media.

In their publications, they accused him of committing serious crimes in his homeland and called him a “field philanthropist,” hinting at his rebel past and the not entirely legal origin of the money he invested.

However, the opposition's information campaign had zero effect in practice. Buidani was not stripped of his Turkish citizenship and remained free.

Even a request to Interpol initiated by France did not help: Turkish security officials considered their colleagues’ arguments about Budayni’s participation in mass murders and extrajudicial executions in Syria “insufficiently substantiated” and dragged out a bureaucratic game that was expected to take more than one month.

THE FRENCH CONNECTION
However, Buidani was unable to escape justice - a few days after the uproar, he moved to the UAE, where he was detained by Dubai authorities at the request of France.

The Emirates' decision to detain Bouydani and hand him over to the French was part of a larger law enforcement effort.

Paris is preparing for a major trial aimed at investigating war crimes during the Syrian civil war, while trying to identify and arrest every dubious warlord it can get its hands on.

And the leadership of Jaysh al-Islam, whose hands were stained with the blood of citizens of the Fifth Republic, was among the first to come under attack.

Just a day after Buidani’s arrest, Islam Alloush, who occupied a fairly high position in the group’s hierarchy in the mid-2010s, was arrested in Marseille, France.

New arrests of yesterday's jihadists on the territory of third countries cannot be ruled out.

Official Damascus did not comment on the detention of the leader of Jaysh al-Islam, but it is highly likely that it assessed it positively. The UAE essentially freed the transitional government from the need to deal with its long-standing enemy on its own.

The ordinary militants remaining in Syria after the arrest of the “heavyweights” Buidani and Alloush are unlikely to decide to flee abroad (so as not to attract unnecessary attention from French law enforcement), which means they will be ready to fulfill any demands of the new authorities - if only they do not extradite them.

Türkiye also did not object, achieving several goals thanks to the arrest of the leader of Jaysh al-Islam.

On the one hand, it formally fulfilled its obligations to the field commander by granting him citizenship of the country, and on the other hand, it got rid of a dubious partner with the help of others.

Guarantees of Buidani's future freedom were probably not included in the deal.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria's dangerous 'new face': Don't fall for Ahmed al-Sharaa's 'peace' scam

2025-04-27

[IsraelNationalNews] The fall of Bashar al-Assad was supposed to signal the beginning of a new era in Syria. After years of civil war, mass slaughter, and regional chaos, many hoped that Assad’s downfall would allow for a genuine peace to emerge — a Syria rebuilt, reformed, and reintegrated into the global community.

But in the Middle East, hope is often the first casualty.

The reality on the ground tells a darker story. Assad may be gone, but the forces that sustained him have not disappeared. The Alawite sect, once his iron fist over Syria, remains intact, battered but dangerous, operating from the shadows. And in Assad’s place has emerged a new strongman: Ahmed al-Sharaa, a man Western policymakers are already dangerously close to misreading.

Sharaa presents himself as a pragmatist. He speaks the right language: peace with Israel, joining the Abraham Accords, removing foreign fighters, rebuilding Syria’s shattered economy. It is a tantalizing message, especially for an exhausted United States eager to disentangle from endless Middle Eastern entanglements, and for an Israel that prefers a quiet northern front to a chaotic one. Sharaa tells American congressmen and Israeli envoys what they want to hear — and they are tempted to believe him.

But belief in Sharaa’s promises is a mistake that could cost Israel dearly.

Ahmed al-Sharaa is no moderate. He is not a Gorbachev seeking glasnost. He is the polished product of a radical Islamist movement that cut its teeth on the battlefields of Syria’s civil war. His organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was once Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. Though it rebranded and distanced itself from direct ties to al-Qaeda years ago, the underlying ideology — Islamist supremacism, militant opportunism — remains embedded in its DNA.

What Sharaa has mastered is not moderation, but marketing. He understands that in the post-Assad vacuum, survival depends not on brute force alone but on international legitimacy. He knows that Syria’s economy, decimated by war and international sanctions, cannot recover without foreign investment, aid, and a lifting of economic isolation. He knows that waving the banner of peace — however insincere — is his ticket to that relief.

This is not the first time the world has been tempted by promises of Syrian moderation. Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad both played this game expertly, promising cooperation when convenient, only to revert to terror and repression once their immediate goals were achieved. The Alawite regime survived not by embracing reform, but by weaponizing diplomacy, playing enemies against each other, and using periods of false peace to strengthen their grip.

Sharaa, for all his fresh image, is drawing from the same playbook.

His flirtation with normalization should be seen for what it is: an act of political desperation, not a sincere transformation. His regime faces internal instability, growing resentment from Syria’s Sunni majority, and the continued threat of insurgent groups. Economically, Syria is on life support, with entire sectors collapsed and basic services nonexistent. Joining the Abraham Accords, or at least talking about it, is a way to pry open the gates to international assistance — not a reflection of a real philosophical shift toward coexistence.

Israel, in particular, must approach Sharaa’s overtures with ice-cold skepticism. While he may speak of peace, Sharaa remains ideologically hostile to Israel’s existence. His Islamist backers still harbor deep-seated animosity toward the Jewish state. The Syrian people, after years of regime propaganda and a national narrative built around resistance to Israel, are not prepared for genuine normalization. Even if Sharaa were sincere, he would be politically incapable of delivering real peace.
Genuine peace - as distinct from submission to superior force - is, simply, not part of Arab Islamic "culture". Hell, history shows, it's not really a part of the rest of human cultures.
...The United States should be equally wary. The temptation to view Sharaa as a convenient partner for regional stability is strong, especially in a political climate where American voters want fewer foreign entanglements. But the lessons of the past two decades are clear: cosmetic moderation by authoritarian or Islamist leaders almost always conceals deeper currents of extremism and instability.

...For Israel, for the United States, and for anyone serious about regional stability, the correct posture is firm skepticism. Dialogue can occur, but without illusions. Military deterrence must be maintained. Economic pressure must remain until Sharaa proves, not with words but with irreversible actions, that he is willing to dismantle the Islamist and militant infrastructure that threatens the region.

A strong yes to every word.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

SDF, US-led coalition discuss future of Tishreen Dam

2025-04-20

[Rudaw] The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, met with a delegation from the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) at Tishreen Dam on Friday, according to Ronahi TV. The SDF is in talks with the Syrian government over control of the dam, which has been under attack by Turkish-backed militias for months.

In their meeting, which took place behind closed doors, Abdi and the Americans discussed the condition of the dam and a reported ceasefire, according to the TV station that is close to the SDF.

Tishreen Dam, located on the Euphrates River in northern Syria, has been the target of a military campaign launched in November by Turkey and the Syrian militias it backs seeking to gain control of the key location to gain easier access to other SDF-held areas.

Would reconciliation between the SDF and the Hayat Tahrir al Sham conquerors mean HTS would have to fight Turkey and its catspaws? How exciting.

Civilians from northeast Syria (Rojava) have staged frequent protests at the dam, condemning attacks on the site. More than 20 civilians have been killed in drone strikes during their demonstrations.

Ronahi TV reported that Abdi and Rohlat Afrin, commander of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), an all-woman Kurdish armed group operating under the SDF, delivered a speech to a crowd at the dam, thanking them for their efforts to stop the attacks and disclosing some details about their negotiations with Damascus.

Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria are currently in talks with the new government in Damascus regarding control of the strategically significant dam.

Abdi, in an interview with Al-Monitor this week, outlined the framework of the talks.

“There are two parts to the Tishreen accord. The first concerns the dam itself. We have agreed with Damascus for the administration and personnel of the dam to be preserved as is,” Abdi said, noting that the current staff will run the dam for the time being due to their experience.

On the military front, “Our sides are going to withdraw to our side, to the east, and hand over our positions to Damascus forces. We are currently positioned eight kilometers away from the dam,” he said, adding that Damascus’ forces will act as a buffer between SDF and Turkish-backed militias.

While the area surrounding the dam remains a hotspot of conflict, the dam itself has not come under direct attack for the past several weeks and workers have used this lull to carry out essential repairs to damage caused by previous strikes.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

UK repatriates 4 ISIS- linked nationals from Rojava

2025-04-19

[Rudaw] The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) announced on Wednesday the handover of four individuals affiliated with the Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) to a visiting UK delegation, during a meeting that also emphasized continued British support.

"One British woman and three children affiliated with ISIS families were handed over in accordance with an official handover document signed by representatives of both the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) and the United Kingdom," the Kurdish-led administration said in a statement.

DAANES stated it would continue cooperating with the UK and all countries that have citizens and children in areas under its jurisdiction, particularly concerning the repatriation of ISIS-linked individuals.

The UK delegation was led by Mary Shockledge, head of the Syria office at the British Embassy in Beirut, and was received by Fanar al-Kaeet, co-chair of the DAANES Department of Foreign Relations.

Thousands of people with suspected ties to ISIS are currently held in the al-Hol and Roj camps in Hasaka province. The camps are held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the force that spearheaded the fight against ISIS in Syria.

Al-Hol is the larger of the two, currently housing 34,927 individuals linked to ISIS. These include 15,861 Syrians, 15,681 Iraqis, and 6,385 third-country nationals, according to official data obtained by Rudaw English from the camps’ supervisor.

The UK delegation also reaffirmed London’s commitment to the "long-term defeat of ISIS" through continued coordination with the US-led coalition, as well as ongoing humanitarian support.

"The UK remains at the forefront of humanitarian response efforts, with extensive humanitarian programs aimed at mitigating protection risks to civilians, improving conditions in camps, and building resilience," the statement said.

"The UK will continue working with both the new Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to support an inclusive political process," it added, quoting Shockledge, who also welcomed the recent political agreement between the SDF and Syria’s interim government.

On March 10, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a political agreement aimed at integrating the SDF into the Syrian state apparatus. The deal includes formal recognition of the Kurdish population as a core component of Syria, a nationwide ceasefire, and the return of displaced persons to their homes.

Will the Hayat Tahrir al Sham government (formerly Al Nusra, before that Al Qaeda in Iraq and Syria) next want to reintegrate ISIS personnel from the SDF prison camps into HTS ranks? That should be much easier, as they share the same root philosophy, having split a decade ago only on who would head the caliphate effort…

In a further sign of shifting UK policy toward Syria, the UK Treasury in early March lifted sanctions on Syria’s central bank and 23 other banking, commercial, and oil entities whose assets had been frozen for six years. It also pledged £200 million to provide food, healthcare, and education in Syria.

"We will continue to do all we can to help those in need," Shockledge said, according to the statement.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

SDF, Syrian forces begin joint oversight of Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo

2025-04-14

Hayat Tahrir al Sham is clearly better prepared to govern their caliphate than ISIS was, or Hamas is even after almost two decades. Interesting.

[Rudaw] Damascus-aligned forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday began to jointly manage security in Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods of northern Aleppo, marking a significant step in a wider deal to integrate the Kurdish-led force into Syria's state institutions.

The coordinated effort saw the two sides begin "removing barriers and checkpoints on the streets of the two [Kurdish majority] neighborhoods" of Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh, as well as "other neighborhoods across Aleppo," according to the SDF-affiliated Hawar News Agency.

The development follows a 14-point agreement signed in early April between the Syrian leadership and the SDF.

The deal covers a prisoner swap and outlines a framework for joint security oversight in Aleppo, including in Kurdish-majority neighborhoods that were previously under the control of the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

The YPG, which represents the backbone of the SDF, has begun withdrawing from the area in accordance with the deal. Two groups of YPG fighters, 400 on April 4 and another 500 on April 9, have reportedly exited the neighborhoods.

The deal has also facilitated the exchange of 243 detainees from both sides.

Notably, the April agreement builds on a landmark deal signed in early March between Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF chief Mazloum Abdi signed to "integrate all civil and military institutions in northeast Syria [Rojava] under the administration of the Syrian state, including border crossings, the [Qamishli International] Airport, and oil and gas fields."

The agreement emphasizes that "the Kurdish community is indigenous to the Syrian state, which ensures this community’s right to citizenship and all of its constitutional rights."

It further calls to implement a ceasefire across all Syrian territories and ensure the return of all displaced Syrians to their towns and villages.

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