Syria

| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

In northern Syria, the first elections since the fall of Assad were followed by renewed violence. Kurdish authorities say that government troops have imposed a siege, while attacks on checkpoints were reported in Damascus. A witness in Aleppo spoke to AsiaNews about a “terrible night” with people “holed up in their homes.” The understanding for the control of Rojava is at an impasse, while voting was not held in Kurdish areas and Suwayda governorate.

by Fady Noun

According to UNHCR, in just under nine months, over 200,000 have chosen to return. Some for the first time since 2011. For the authorities in Beirut, the departures “lighten” the Land of the Cedars from a “substantial demographic burden”. But there is also a counter-exodus: from Alawites fleeing the coast to Christians who dream of leaving after the attack on the church in Damascus.

| 04/09/2025
| LEBANON - SYRIA
by Sabdra Awad

Sandra Awad, former Caritas director and now a UNICEF collaborator, has reported on the devastation of the war in recent years. Today she recalls that, despite violence and critical issues, the community plays a ‘fundamental role’ in spreading ‘the spirit of forgiveness’ and ‘healing sectarian divisions.’ She launches an appeal: ‘Free yourselves from the chains of fear.’

| 14/08/2025
| SYRIA
by Dario Salvi

According to the Jordanian scholar, the Netanyahu government's ultimate goal ‘goes beyond’ defeating Hamas and redrawing borders. The West Bank becomes an ‘opportunity to be exploited’ with a view to annexation. The weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the international community, the new paradigm of the Abraham Accords. Among the nations of the region, ‘more tactics than alliances’.

| 12/08/2025
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

The vote is scheduled for mid-September to signal a return to normalcy, but a third of parliamentarians will still be appointed by al-Sharaa, there are no political parties, and the current constitution does not provide for autonomy for certain provinces. The issues in Rojava, the Kurdish-majority region, and the southern governorate of Suwayda, home to the Druze. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has denounced abuses against Alawite women.

| 29/07/2025
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

In a week of clashes between Druze, Bedouins and government forces, over a thousand civilians and combatants were killed, including Christian families and the Druze evangelical pastor Khalid Mezheri. The Latin Church and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate are calling for urgent intervention by the international community and denouncing the role of militias that still escape Damascus' control and external interference. L'Œuvre d'Orient reports hundreds of displaced persons without food or water. Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo Hanna Jallouf: ‘Only dialogue can save Syria.’

| 22/07/2025
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
by Fady Noun

The fighting is over thanks largely to the intervention of US Secretary of State Rubio. The interim Syrian president has "transferred" responsibility for maintaining security to the Druze. He reiterated his desire to avoid "open war" with Israel. The provisional toll from the fighting stands at 350 dead. For Jumblatt, “Israel has no protégés, only instruments”.

 

| 17/07/2025
| LEBANON – SYRIA – ISRAEL
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