2026.7.4 France Faces Appeal Over Girls Held in Syria Camp
A French lawyer has filed an appeal before the administrative judiciary in Paris against an implicit decision by the French Foreign Ministry refusing to repatriate two French girls held in Roj camp in al-Hasakah governorate (northeastern Syria), after their mother died in April, according to Agence France-Presse.
The agency said the appeal targets an undeclared administrative decision issued after the Foreign Ministry failed to respond to repeated requests submitted by lawyer Marie Dosé to repatriate the two girls, aged 10 and 12, who have been living in the camp since December 2018.
According to the text of the appeal reviewed by the agency, the older girl was born in France, while the two sisters remained with their mother inside the camp until her death in April, prompting the lawyer to demand their repatriation on the grounds that they had become orphans.
The lawyer said the two girls are in a “state of extreme vulnerability,” arguing that the Foreign Ministry’s failure to respond to the repatriation requests effectively constitutes an implicit decision of refusal.
She added that the appeal filed this week is based on the argument that “the absence of a response constitutes an absence of reasoning for the refusal decision,” saying this violates a 2022 ruling by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights, which addressed states’ procedures in handling requests to repatriate their nationals held in northeastern Syria.
The French Foreign Ministry did not issue an immediate comment on the case, according to Agence France-Presse.
Lawyer: France Had Repatriated Orphans
Lawyer Marie Dosé views the case as different from previous files, explaining that French authorities had routinely repatriated orphaned children even during years when they refused to carry out broad repatriations from the camps.
She said, “The problem is that France has always repatriated orphans, even in 2019 when it refused any repatriation,” adding that other countries have continued in recent months to take back women and children from the camps, including Turkey, Indonesia, and Australia.
She considered that the political developments Syria witnessed after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024 changed the circumstances on which Paris had previously relied.
She added, “We are no longer at all in a geopolitical situation where everything is in the hands of the Kurds and in a lawless zone. There are now diplomatic relations with Syria.”
Hundreds of French Nationals Left for Syria and Iraq
Data from France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, issued at the start of this year, states that 1,490 people have left France since 2012 for the Iraqi-Syrian region, including 417 adult women.
According to the same data, 395 adults have so far returned to France, including 176 women, in addition to 361 minors, 325 of whom are still underage, while 36 others have reached adulthood.
France’s most recent repatriation operation dates back to mid-September 2025 and included ten children and three women aged between 18 and 34, according to the agency.
Syrian Calls for Repatriation
The case comes as the Syrian government continues to call on foreign countries to take back their nationals present in al-Hol and Roj camps in the northeast of the country.
Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, called during a Security Council session on June 24 on all concerned states to assume their responsibilities toward their citizens in the two camps, urging cooperation to find lasting solutions and speed up their return to their countries.
Olabi described al-Hol and Roj as “camps of hell,” saying that thousands of women and children of multiple nationalities had been deprived for years of basic services, including healthcare and education.
The Syrian government announced in February the closure of al-Hol camp after transferring its residents to Aq Burhan camp in rural Aleppo, while the file of Roj camp remained under review.
Previous Plans to Evacuate Roj Camp
On February 21, Sheikhmous Ahmed, co-chair of the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees Affairs in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), said Roj camp would be evacuated soon.
He explained at the time that the camp housed about 730 foreign families from 42 countries, alongside 15 Iraqi families and 11 Syrian families, with a total of nearly 2,225 people.
He added that the camp remained under the administration of the Autonomous Administration and the protection of the Asayish forces, noting that there was a decision to evacuate it at a later stage.
Return of Australians Reignited Debate
The case also coincided with ongoing repatriations by some countries from Roj camp, as Australia recently took back a group of 13 people, including four women and nine children, who had been living in the camp in northeastern al-Hasakah.
No charges were brought against members of the group upon their arrival, according to the Australian Federal Police, but authorities later arrested two women, a mother and her daughter, in Melbourne and charged them with offenses related to detaining and enslaving a woman during their presence in Syria in 2014.
Authorities also arrested a third woman in Sydney and charged her with offenses related to entering a prohibited conflict zone and joining a listed terrorist organization, a step that revived political and security debate inside Australia over how to deal with returnees from camps in northeastern Syria.
An Assad family relative convicted of participating in a narcotics and weapons trafficking conspiracy was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, marking another high-profile US prosecution tied to the former Assad regime.
Antoine Kassis, 59, a dual Lebanese-Syrian national, received a 30-year sentence on July 2 for conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and a concurrent 20-year sentence for conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the US Department of Justice and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
The sentencing follows Kassis’ conviction on charges stemming from a scheme to exchange military-grade weapons linked to the Assad regime for hundreds of kilograms of cocaine supplied by Colombia’s National Liberation Army, or ELN, which the US has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
Weapons-for-Cocaine Plot Detailed
According to court records cited by the Justice Department, Kassis used his access to senior Assad regime officials to facilitate the trafficking operation. Prosecutors said he identified himself as a cousin of Bashar al-Assad and claimed he worked directly with Maher Assad and other senior military officials during the negotiations.
Authorities said the conspiracy began in 2024 and centered on a $14 million deal involving 500 kilograms of cocaine in exchange for military equipment that included rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and sniper rifles. The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) said the arrangement involved weapons diverted from Assad regime stockpiles.
The Justice Department revealed Kassis traveled from Lebanon to Kenya to meet an ELN weapons inspector before signing an agreement to ship what appeared to be a container of fruit from Colombia to Syria’s Port of Latakia. Investigators said the shipment was intended to conceal the cocaine, which Kassis planned to distribute across the Middle East.
International Cooperation Led to Arrest
Federal prosecutors said Kassis laundered drug proceeds through a Colombian co-conspirator’s organization. Evidence presented during the trial showed the network moved nearly $100 million in less than 18 months on behalf of organizations that included the Sinaloa Cartel and Hamas, according to the Justice Department.
Kenyan authorities arrested Kassis before extraditing him to the US in May 2025. The investigation involved the DEA’s Special Operations Division and law enforcement agencies in multiple countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, according to the DEA.
SETF said Kassis is the second individual affiliated with the Assad regime to be convicted in the US. In March 2026, former Syrian Brig. Gen. Samir Othman al-Sheikh was found guilty of torture and defrauding US immigration authorities. Sheikh has not yet been sentenced.
Hasakah, July 3 (SANA) The Internal Security Forces on Friday arrested former Major General Ali Saleh Diab, a prominent officer within the military and security apparatus of the deposed regime, during a specialized security operation based on precise tracking and monitoring.
The Ministry of Interior clarified via its official Telegram channel that security records indicate Diab served as the head of the Military Security Branch in the city of Qamishli within Hasakah province for ten years, between 2008 and 2018.
His name is linked to the commission of systematic violations and crimes, and he was known to be a close associate of the top security agency chiefs during that era.
The ministry stated that investigations point to Diab’s responsibility for the tracking and arrest of large numbers of young men in Hasakah and Qamishli, who were subsequently handed over to the notorious Palestine Branch and Sednaya Prison.
This operation comes within the framework of the efforts by the Ministry of Interior and relevant authorities to pursue and hold accountable officials of the deposed regime involved in committing crimes and violations against the Syrian people, based on applying the principle of non-impunity, achieving transitional justice, and guaranteeing the rights of victims and their families.
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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Mourners filed through Damascus on Friday, a day after an explosive device set off in a cafe in the Syrian capital killed 10 people.
The funeral procession in the normally bustling Midan neighborhood carried the coffins of three of the victims. Another 21 were wounded in the explosion at a popular cafe near the capital’s main judicial complex, which was often frequented by lawyers.
Syria’s Health Ministry raised the death toll Friday from nine to 10. Officials have promised to arrest those behind the attack, but no updates were announced in the investigation. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bahaa Qabbani said his brother, Fathi Qabbani, a married father of one son, worked at a shop near the site of the explosion and was passing by the cafe at the moment of the blast. He was killed.
Qabbani called the perpetrators of the attack “a group of terrorists who are against the homeland,” and called on security forces to “take hold of the country with an iron fist.”
Although there is so far no indication who carried out the attack, many were quick to blame loyalists of former President Bashar Assad, who was ousted in an insurgent offensive in December 2024. During the funeral procession, some mourners chanted, “The people want remnants of the former regime to be executed.”
Also Friday, Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported that three members of security forces were wounded in an attack on a checkpoint at the entrance to the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. It said that a man on a motorcycle threw two hand grenades at the checkpoint guards and tried to throw a third one, but it exploded in his hand, killing him.
Another person was arrested in connection with the attack, SANA reported.
Since overthrowing the Assad dynasty, Syria’s new rulers have struggled to exert control across the country and to check extremist groups.
Deadly attacks blamed on the Islamic State group have targeted religious minorities, including a suicide attack on a church in a Damascus suburb and a bomb set off in a mosque in a predominantly Alawite area in the city of Homs.
2026.7.3 Explosive device goes off in cafe in Syria’s capital, killing at least 9 people
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An explosive device was detonated Thursday in a popular cafe in the Syrian capital of Damascus, killing at least nine people, Syria’s Health Ministry said.
The explosion near the main courthouse complex left 20 others wounded, the ministry said as reported by Syria’s state-run Al-Ikhbariya network.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. Security forces rushed to the cafe and cordoned off the area as they investigate the attack.
Syria’s Interior Ministry said in a statement that the explosive was a “crude improvised explosive device weighing approximately one kilogram equipped with metal shrapnel.” It said investigators were reviewing security camera footage, collecting forensic evidence and interviewing witnesses.
“The perpetrators of this terrorist act and those behind it will be brought to justice, and no one involved will escape accountability,” it said.
A video circulating on social media showed several wounded people lying on the ground, with police officers nearby. Ambulances later rushed to the scene treating people on site and taking the more severely wounded to hospitals in the Syrian capital.
The cafe is near the Syrian capital’s main judicial complex and was frequented by lawyers who worked in the neighborhood.
Jalal Aljanani, who owns a restaurant next door, ran toward the cafe when he heard the explosion and was horrified by the sight of the bodies on the floor.
“We carried the victims to the cars until the traffic police arrived,” he told The Associated Press, his shirt covered in blood. “Many of them had suffered severe impact injuries, and almost all of them were bleeding.”
Since overthrowing the Assad dynasty and taking power in a lightning insurgency in December 2024, Syria’s new rulers have cracked down on militants from the extremist Islamic State group in an attempt to thwart attacks in and around the capital.
During the uprising-turned war in Syria that began in 2011, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al Sham group, formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, but since coming to power has vowed to protect Syrians of all backgrounds, especially religious and ethnic minorities.
Al-Sharaa has reasserted the government’s full authority across the vast majority of the country, wresting control back from extremist groups or Kurdish-led forces. However, he still contends with security concerns as he tries to stabilize the country.
Security agencies frequently announce that they have raided IS cells and thwarted attacks reportedly targeting minorities and busy commercial areas. However, several incidents such as a suicide bombing in a church in July 2025 have raised concerns among many Syrians. x1200
2026.7.2 Nine killed, 20 injured in Damascus café bombing, Interior Ministry says
Damascus, July 2 (SANA) Nine people were killed and 20 others injured after a bombing that targeted a café in al-Nasr Street near the Justice Palace in central Damascus on Thursday , according to the Syrian Interior Ministry.
In a statement, the ministry said preliminary investigations indicate the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device containing approximately one kilogram of explosive material and packed with metal fragments, resulting in multiple casualties and significant damage at the scene.
Security forces immediately cordoned off the area, while engineering units and police K9 teams conducted searches to ensure no additional threats remained.
Forensic investigators have begun collecting evidence, reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses as part of efforts to determine the circumstances of the attack and identify those responsible.
The Interior Ministry said investigations are ongoing and urged the public to rely on official statements for updates and avoid spreading unverified information.
The ministry extended its condolences to the families of the victims, wished the injured a speedy recovery, and pledged to bring those responsible to justice.
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Damascus Countryside, July 1 (SANA) Syria’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in coordination with the Internal Security Command in Damascus Countryside, foiled an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of narcotics from Lebanese territory into the Nabk farms area following precise surveillance and security monitoring.
According to the DEA, the operation resulted in the arrest of one suspect and the seizure of 832,000 Captagon pills.
Authorities confirmed that the necessary legal report was filed and the detainee, along with the confiscated substances, was referred to the competent judiciary to complete the legal proceedings.
2026.6.27 High Profile Defendants Face Accountability in Syria’s Transitional Justice Procedures
Syria’s transitional justice process reached a significant milestone this week as courts in Damascus opened proceedings against some of the most prominent figures associated with the former Assad regime. The trials of former Grand Mufti Ahmad Badruddin Hassoun and Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, Wassim al-Assad, mark a new phase in efforts to hold former regime officials and supporters accountable after decades of impunity.
The Fourth Criminal Court at the Palace of Justice in Damascus convened its first session June 25 in the case against Hassoun, who served as Syria’s Grand Mufti under Bashar al-Assad. According to the indictment read in court, Hassoun faces charges including complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and incitement to murder during Syria’s conflict.
The hearing was attended by the attorney general and representatives from local and international human rights organizations, while the Ministry of Justice broadcast portions of the proceedings live on its official Facebook page.
Prosecutors Detail Allegations Against Former Mufti
The prosecution argues Hassoun used his position as Syria’s highest religious authority to provide religious and political legitimacy for the actions of the Assad regime, its allies and affiliated militias. Court documents allege he encouraged violence against civilians, praised military commanders accused of war crimes and publicly supported Russian and Iranian intervention in Syria.
Judge Fakhruddin al-Arian, who presided over the session alongside Judges Abdulhamid al-Hamoud and Hussam Abdurahman, stated that Hassoun’s repeated public statements allegedly encouraged attacks against civilian areas opposed to the government while providing justification for crimes committed during the conflict.
Attorney General Hassan al-Turba argued the case was “not for an ordinary person,” but for someone who occupied a prominent religious office and, according to prosecutors, used that position to legitimize violence rather than promote peace.
Among the allegations presented in court were claims that Hassoun lectured military officers in support of the regime, threatened civilians in the lilberated areas and maintained close relationships with senior security officials, including former intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk. The court adjourned the proceedings until July 16, when defense arguments and witness testimony are expected to continue.
Parallel Cases Target Former Regime Figures
One day earlier, the same court opened proceedings against Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of the Assad who has long been associated with allegations of Captagon trafficking and organized criminal activity during the Assad era.
According to SANA, Wassim faces charges related to drug trafficking, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other criminal offenses allegedly committed under Assad’s regime. Witness testimony began during the opening session.
Syrian authorities arrested Wassim June 21, 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to investigate individuals accused of crimes committed before the Assad’s fall.
The cases against Hassoun and Wassim are part of a broader series of prosecutions now underway before the Fourth Criminal Court. Proceedings have also continued against former Political Security chief Atef Najib and informant Abdulnasir Baraq.
A Test of Syria’s Judicial Transition
Syrian authorities describe the prosecutions as part of the country’s transitional justice framework following the fall of the Assad in 2024. Attorney General al-Turba said the objective is ensuring accountability for those accused of crimes against the Syrian people while protecting the rights of victims and their families through judicial proceedings.
The charges against Hassoun also demonstrate a key legal principle emphasized by the court. Judges noted war crimes and crimes against humanity are not subject to statutes of limitation and cannot be erased through amnesty because of their gravity under international law.
For many Syrians, the proceedings represent one of the first public tests of whether institutions that once protected powerful regime figures can now deliver justice through an independent legal process after decades in which senior officials and influential allies largely operated without fear of prosecution.
2026.6.25 Najib Trial Advances Amid Transitional Justice Efforts
Syria’s transitional justice process took another step forward as the trial of Atef Najib, a former security official and prominent figure under Assad’s regime in Daraa, resumed before the Fourth Criminal Court for Transitional Justice in Damascus.
Speaking to Levant24, lawyer Jassim al-Mousleh described proceedings as an important test of Syria’s commitment to the rule of law. He emphasized transitional justice should not serve as an act of public revenge or a political instrument but as a responsibility entrusted to state institutions and the judiciary.
Mousleh said Syrians should support the legal process and allow justice to proceed through fair trials rather than retribution. He pointed to President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s references to the arrest of Amjad Yusuf as an indication of the government’s commitment to accountability through lawful judicial mechanisms intended to promote reconciliation and prevent renewed conflict.
Witnesses Describe Alleged Abuses
During its fourth session on Tuesday, the court heard testimony from 13 witnesses, including a protected witness identified as “One.” According to Radif Mustafa, director of accountability at the National Commission, the hearing focused exclusively on prosecution witnesses and was attended by representatives from international and human rights organizations.
Witnesses presented testimony and evidence concerning alleged human rights violations committed under Najib’s authority. The allegations included arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, systematic torture and abuses against children, who reportedly represented a significant portion of detainees in the cases under review.
One witness described physical and sexual abuse inside a security branch in Daraa. Najib rejected the allegations and challenged the witness accounts. The court later adjourned proceedings until July 14, when additional prosecution witnesses are expected to testify.
Charges Tied to the Daraa revolution
Najib, a cousin of Bashar al-Assad and the former head of Political Security in Daraa province, faces charges that prosecutors say amount to war crimes. They accuse him of direct and command responsibility for systematic crimes against civilians, including murder, torture, arbitrary detention and the suppression of peaceful demonstrations.
The indictment alleges Najib oversaw the use of live ammunition and excessive force against protesters and bears responsibility for the Omari Mosque massacre, an event widely associated with the early stages of the Syrian revolution. Prosecutors also accuse him of participating in coordinated efforts with other security, military and political officials to carry out widespread abuses.
Throughout previous hearings, Najib has denied all charges. He argues other security agencies arrested the schoolchildren, whose anti-government graffiti in March 2011, helped spark demonstrations in Daraa. He has also blamed Military Security and Air Force Intelligence for opening fire on protesters claiming disagreements among senior officials influenced the government’s response to the protests.
Expanding Accountability Measures
Najib’s case is part of a broader transitional justice initiative aimed at uncovering the truth, delivering justice for victims and addressing impunity while maintaining fair trial standards. The National Commission announced upcoming trials involving other former officials, including Wassim al-Assad, a relative of Assad, and Ahmad Hassoun, the former grand mufti. Together, these proceedings reflect a wider effort to pursue accountability through legal institutions while emphasizing due process and national reconciliation in post-conflict Syria.
2026.6.14 Syria dismantles drug trafficking network in joint operation with Iraq
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syria’s Ministry of Interior on Sunday announced the dismantling of an organized international drug trafficking network and the arrest of several of its members during a joint operation with Iraq.
In a statement, the ministry said that Syria’s Anti-Narcotics Department, working alongside Iraqi authorities, conducted a series of coordinated and simultaneous operations in the governorates of Homs and Deir ez-Zor.
The operation resulted in the dismantling of an organized international drug trafficking network, the arrest of a number of its members, and the seizure of 800,000 captagon pills and 60 kilograms of hashish that were prepared for smuggling and distribution, the statement said.
The ministry added that the operation reflects the high level of coordination and intelligence cooperation between the relevant agencies in both countries.
No further details were provided regarding the identities of those arrested or the intended destination of the seized narcotics.
Damacus-The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Sunday the arrest of criminal Abdulilah Ismail al-Hamad, who was involved in war crimes, drug trafficking and other abuses committed during the rule of the deposed regime.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry on its Telegram channel, investigations found that al-Hamad lead a military formation affiliated with the Al-Quds Brigade militia and participated in military operations in several Syrian provinces.
Investigators also linked al-Hamad to security facilities involved in kidnappings, drug trafficking and the torture of civilians, including cases that resulted in deaths, the statement said.
The arrest followed an intelligence-led operation involving surveillance and monitoring that prevented the suspect from evading capture.
The Ministry said legal procedures are continuing and that the case will be referred to the judiciary.
Damascus-Syrian authorities have dismantled an international drug-trafficking network and seized 800,000 captagon pills and 60 kilograms of cannabis in coordinated operations in Homs and Deir Ezzor provinces, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry said the operations were carried out by Syria’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in coordination with Iraq’s General Directorate for Narcotics Affairs and Psychotropic Substances as part of efforts to combat organized crime and cross-border smuggling.
Several suspects were arrested during the raids, according to a ministry statement posted on Telegram.
The ministry said the drugs were intended for smuggling and distribution.
It described the operation as the result of close coordination and intelligence-sharing between Syrian and Iraqi authorities aimed at disrupting international trafficking networks and supply routes.
The operation follows a similar crackdown announced in April. On April 26, Syria’s DEA, working with Iraqi anti-narcotics authorities, conducted coordinated raids in Damascus Countryside and Homs targeting what officials described as an international trafficking network with regional links. According to the Interior Ministry, authorities seized 1.73 million captagon pills and arrested eight suspects, including a woman.
Daraa-Syrian security forces, in coordination with the Counter-Terrorism Directorate, have arrested Raafat Anwar Al-Amoudi, a wanted suspect accused of working for the deposed regime’s Popular Committees militia in Daraa Province.
The Ministry of Interior said Saturday preliminary investigations indicate that al-Amoudi was involved in the arrest and enforced disappearance of a number of Daraa residents through direct coordination with deposed security agencies.
Investigators also found that Amoudi worked for former Military Security Branch chief Brigadier General Wafiq Nasser and operated under the supervision of assistant officer Osama Abu Jaafar.
According to the ministry, evidence revealed close cooperation between al-Amoudi and the Air Force Intelligence branch led by Colonel Qusai Mihoub. Authorities said he allegedly handed over individuals to security services and later blackmailed their families, demanding large sums of money in exchange for false promises of securing their release.
Authorities continue to investigate the case to uncover all related circumstances before referring the suspect to the judiciary for legal proceedings.
Damascus – Syria’s Interior Ministry announced on Friday the arrest of a deposed regime senior intelligence official involved in violations committed against the Syrian people.
The ministry said Qais Hassan al-Abd al-Rajab, a former brigadier general who served as deputy director of the General Intelligence Directorate (State Security), was arrested by the Counterterrorism Directorate following extensive efforts to track his movements.
According to a statement posted on the ministry’s Telegram channel, al-Abd al-Rajab is involved in violations committed against residents of the Damascus countryside areas of Hajar al-Aswad, Daraya and Moadamiyat al-Sham, as well as a number of towns and villages in Daraa province.
The ministry said authorities had monitored attempts by al-Abd al-Rajab to evade arrest before he was taken into custody.
Investigations are ongoing, and legal procedures are being completed ahead of referring the case to the judiciary, the statement said.
In earlier remarks, Interior Minister Anas Khattab said the Counterterrorism Directorate, in coordination with internal security commands across the provinces, continues to pursue individuals accused of crimes and violations in order to bring them before the courts.
He said security agencies are carrying out surveillance, intelligence-gathering and enforcement operations as part of efforts to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law.
The arrest comes as Syrian authorities continue broader efforts aimed at pursuing former officials and others involved in crimes and violations, as part of measures focused on accountability, transitional justice and the protection of victims’ rights.
2026.6.9 Syrian security forces arrest 235 ISIS suspects in three months
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Ministry of Interior on Tuesday announced that security forces arrested 235 individuals suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (ISIS) over the past three months.
In a statement, the ministry said security operations also led to the dismantling of seven ISIS-affiliated cells across several governorates.
According to the ministry, those detained include 198 Syrians and 37 foreign nationals. The operations were carried out in the governorates of Hama, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Homs, and Damascus.
The ministry added that security forces seized 120 pieces of equipment during the raids, including 25 weapons, six vehicles, 22 explosive-related devices, and 67 electronic devices.
It noted that the security campaign began in March and targeted ISIS-linked cells in the town of Abu Kamal and surrounding areas, extending to the al-Busayrah countryside in Deir ez-Zor Governorate.
The Interior Ministry said it would continue pursuing activities linked to extremist organizations or any actions that threaten security and stability, in coordination with relevant security agencies.
2026.6.8 Seven years on, Abdul Baset al-Sarout remains defining icon of the Syrian revolution
Damascus – Syrians on Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of the death of Syrian revolution figure Abdul Baset al-Sarout, whose life and sacrifice continue to embody the spirit of resistance, resilience and unwavering commitment that defined a pivotal chapter of the country’s modern history.
Al-Sarout, a former goalkeeper for Al-Karamah Club and Syria’s youth national team, rose from the stadiums to become one of the most powerful voices of the early protests in Homs, where his chants and public presence helped ignite demonstrations and sustain morale during the most violent stages of the uprising.
Those who accompanied him throughout the revolution said he remained a symbol of courage despite immense personal loss, including the killing of close family members and companions. They described him as a figure who never withdrew from the streets or the struggle, moving from peaceful protest to armed resistance while maintaining his influence among demonstrators.
Activists, journalists and former comrades said his impact extended far beyond the battlefield, shaping the identity and spirit of a generation that rallied around calls for change.
Born in 1991, al-Sarout was killed on June 8, 2019, at the age of 27. For many Syrians, his death remains a defining moment, and his legacy continues to stand as a symbol of sacrifice, defiance and hope.
2026.6.2 Austria tries former Syrian intelligence chief over torture allegations
QAMISHLI, Syria – A former Syrian intelligence chief who served in the northern city of Raqqa on Monday appeared before a court in Austria, facing charges of torture, sexual abuse, and other crimes allegedly committed against opponents of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the early years of the Syrian conflict.
The trial, which is expected to continue for a month, is among a limited number of cases in which European courts have exercised jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed by officials of the former Syrian government.
The main defendant, identified under Austrian privacy laws only as Khaled al-Halabi, headed the General Intelligence Directorate branch in Raqqa between 2011 and 2013, during a period marked by widespread anti-government protests and armed conflict.
Prosecutors accuse al-Halabi of overseeing torture and mistreatment of detainees held by Syrian intelligence services. A second defendant, a former senior police official in Raqqa known by the nickname “Angel of Death,” faces charges including serious bodily harm, aggravated coercion, and sexual assault.
If convicted, both men could face prison sentences of up to 10 years. The defendants pleaded not guilty and denied participating in torture or other abuses.
When questioned by the court, al-Halabi rejected allegations that violence was used against detainees under his authority. “Impossible. That would not be in my interest. It is also not how I was raised,” he told the presiding judge.
According to prosecutors, detainees were held in overcrowded cells and subjected to systematic abuse, including beatings and other forms of ill-treatment. Khaled al-Halabi denied witnessing or authorizing such practices and said detainees were not kept overnight at the intelligence facility.
He also denied any knowledge of the so-called “magic carpet,” a torture device reportedly used in Syrian detention centers.
Al-Halabi arrived in Austria in 2015 and was granted asylum after leaving Syria. During the hearing, he declined to confirm reports that intelligence agencies assisted his departure from the country, saying only that relatives had helped arrange his travel.
The case follows a series of war crimes prosecutions in Europe targeting former Syrian officials accused of human rights violations during Syria’s conflict, which began in 2011.
DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities said Tuesday that they had arrested a former air force chief of staff under Bashar Assad who was sanctioned by the European Union including for his role in chemical attacks.
Since Assad’s December 2024 overthrow, Syria’s new Islamist authorities have periodically announced the arrest of military and security officials involved in atrocities during Syria’s more than decade-long civil war.
Last month, authorities launched the first trials for such senior figures as part of their commitment to providing justice for victims and their families.
An interior ministry statement announced the arrest of Jayez Al-Moussa, “chief of staff for the air force during the era of the former regime” in a security operation.
Moussa served for more than four decades in Syria’s military under the Assad dynasty.
After the civil war erupted in 2011, he took control of the 20th division, which ran six military airports, before becoming air force chief of staff in early 2015.
For a time, he was responsible for coordinating with Russian forces, which intervened militarily in Syria’s conflict on Assad’s behalf later that year.
After retiring in 2016, Moussa was named governor of northeast Syria’s Hasakah province.
He hails from an Arab tribe in the eastern Deir Ezzor province and is known for his absolute loyalty to Assad and his calls to crush the former leader’s adversaries.
The EU added Moussa to its sanctions list in 2017, saying he was responsible “for the violent repression of the civilian population in Syria, including the use of chemical weapons attacks” during his tenure as air force chief.
Syrian authorities have recently announced the arrest of a number of Assad-era figures, including two former generals detained on Friday, one of whom is accused of involvement in a 2013 chemical attack on a Damascus suburb.
2026.5.11 Syrian teen arrested in Germany over suspected Daesh-inspired plot
BERLIN: A 17-year-old Syrian was arrested in Hamburg on suspicion of planning an attack likely inspired by Daesh, German prosecutors said Monday.
The teenager is suspected of wanting to try to kill “unbelievers” in a shopping center, bar or police station using explosives, Molotov cocktails or a knife, prosecutors said in a statement.
They added that a raid on a property used by the suspect had turned up fertilizer, a liquid barbecue lighter, a balaclava and a knife.
He was arrested on May 7 by a specialized Hamburg police unit.
Information from the German intelligence services and federal police was “crucial” to the investigation, the statement said.
Prosecutors have ordered a psychiatric evaluation of the suspect while the investigation continues.
The teenager is also suspected of “financing terrorism,” although it is not clear exactly what form this took.
Germany has been on high alert for attacks after several deadly incidents in recent years, some motivated by extremist ideology, others carried out by people found to have psychological problems.
2026.5.8 3 Australian women back from Syria face slavery and terrorism charges over alleged IS links
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Three Australian women were refused bail when they appeared in courts on Friday charged with slavery and terrorism offenses after they arrived home from Syria with another 10 others whom police allege are linked to the Islamic State group.
The four women and nine children, who have spent years in Roj camp in the Syrian desert, landed on two Qatar Airways flights from Doha on Thursday despite the Australian government warning they would face charges if they returned.
Kawsar Abbas, 53, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmed, 31, were charged in a Melbourne court in relation to allegations that their family bought a female Yazidi slave for $10,000, police said in a statement.
Their lawyers said they would apply for both women to be released on bail on Monday. Neither woman spoke during their brief court appearance. Bail was formally denied.
Abbas, her husband and children traveled in 2014 to Syria, which was then the center of IS’s co-called caliphate, police allege.
Abbas was complicit in buying the slave, who was kept in the family home, police allege.
The mother was charged with four crimes against humanity under Australian law, and the daughter was charged with two slavery crimes. Each charge carries a potential penalty of 25 years in prison.
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2026.4.30 Syria trial seen as first step on long road for Assad’s victims
The highly charged scenes in a Damascus court on Sunday, as the first official of the former Assad regime went on trial, were a stark reminder of the clamour for justice among the families of its countless victims. While some say it is a start, it has also raised concerns over the will of Syria’s new authorities to bring the many perpetrators to account.
“People want to hang Atef Najib!” the crowd chanted inside the Palace of Justice, where the former head of the Political Security intelligence agency in the southern city of Deraa faced charges of “crimes against the Syrian nation”.
There were also shouts of “Signs of victory have arrived from Houran”, a slogan sung during the uprising, referring to the region surrounding Deraa, where anti-government protests began in 2011 before spiralling into a civil war.
Families of the victims of the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad gathered in the courtroom, waiting for Najib – Assad’s first cousin – to be brought before the judges. This was the first trial in a court specially designed for such cases.
One mother sat on a bench quietly, tears rolling down her face, as others around her chanted “death and no humiliation”, another slogan used during the uprising, and “Syria for us and not for the Assad regime”. Another woman behind her wiped tears from her own face.
This was a moment when many families felt justice was prevailing, allowing their relatives killed under Assad to finally rest in peace.
Najib walked into the courtroom dressed in a black-and-white prison uniform. He took his place, standing behind bars as the families looked on.
He is being prosecuted for crimes committed against the people of Deraa in the uprising. It began there after security forces violently cracked down on protesters who took to the streets after several boys had been arrested and tortured for writing anti-government graffiti inspired by the “Arab Spring”.
Najib is reported to have met representatives of the boys’ families at the time and said: “Forget your children. If you want children, make more children. If you don’t know how, bring us your women and we will make them for you.”
Under Assad’s regime, human rights activists and protesters were prosecuted at the Palace of Justice, with many of them sentenced to death after unfair trials. Now, by a twist of fate, former officials are facing trial in the same place.
Nuha al-Masri, a 54-year-old lawyer from Deraa, was one of those who filed a case against Najib and was in court to see him.
Masri’s brother was killed when Najib ordered security forces to crush protests in March 2011.
“I felt that today we started to get justice. It tells everyone that no-one is exempt from justice. It was a dream to see a regime member behind bars,” she said.
But while Najib’s trial is a milestone for many families, there are those who criticise it as a show to appease the public.
Anwar al-Bunni is a Syrian human rights lawyer and head of the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research.
He played a key role in gathering evidence for the trial of former Syrian colonel Anwar Raslan in Germany in 2020-22. That trial, which was the world’s first criminal case brought over state-led torture in Syria, saw Raslan sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of crimes against humanity over the murder of 58 people and the torture of more than 4,000.
“Syrian law has no legislation [for prosecuting] war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he told the BBC. “They are ridiculing his [Najib’s] crimes and ridiculing the victims with this trial.”
“This should have been done when there is a law passed by the parliament for war crimes and conducted by a different body like the Commission for Transitional Justice, but not with this court with no experienced judges,” he added.
Zahra Barazi, vice-president of the National Commission for Transitional Justice set up in 2025 to deal with past abuses, said they were working closely with the ministry of justice on the case.
“We drafted a Transitional Justice law to ensure that in the future once the law is passed by the parliament, new charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes will be added to the charges,” she added. “The court itself is a specialised court with specialised Transitional Justice judges.”
Syria’s new Islamist government has arrested several members of the Assad regime. The most recent was Amjad Youssef, a key suspect in the Tadamon massacre in 2013, when 41 civilians were blindfolded, shot dead and thrown into a pit.
But there is still mounting criticism of the government’s approach to dealing with those from the former authorities accused of serious crimes.
For example, a former commander of a pro-Assad militia, Fadi Saqr, has been linked to the killings in Tadamon but is now working with the government’s civil peace commission, raising concerns among activists about accountability.
For victims of the former regime though, the opening of this trial has brought some of them closure, and hope that the path towards justice has finally begun.
2026.4.26 Syria’s first public trial of Assad-era officials opens in Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The first public trial in Syria of officials linked to the rule of former President Bashar Assad opened Sunday in Damascus.
Atef Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general who was head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province under Assad and who is also a cousin of the former president, appeared in the courtroom to face charges related to “crimes against the Syrian people,” state-run news agency SANA reported.
Najib was in that position in 2011, when teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured. The case became a catalyst for mass protests against the repressive policies of Assad’s security forces.
The protests were met by a brutal government crackdown and spiraled into a 14-year civil war that ended with Assad’s ouster in December 2024 in a lightning rebel offensive. Assad fled to Russia, while most members of his inner circle also escaped Syria.
Assad and his brother, Maher, former commander of the Syrian military’s 4th Armored Division — which Syrian opposition activists have accused of killings, torture, extortion and drug trafficking, in addition to running its own detention centers — were charged in absentia, along with a number of other former high-ranking security officials.
Najib was the only one of the defendants who was arrested and present in person in court Sunday for a preparatory session in the trial, which will continue next month.
Crowds gathered outside the courthouse to celebrate. Baraa Abdulrahman, a spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Justice, said the trial “is of great importance for the independence of the judiciary, for transparency and accountability.”
One of the plaintiffs, Ramez Abu Nabbout, said his brother, a father of three, was killed when security forces opened fire on protesters at Daraa’s Omari Mosque.
“He was a civilian and peaceful, but Atef Najib greeted peaceful (protesters) with gunfire,” he said. “Of course we hope Atef Najib will be quickly convicted and will get the most serious sentence, which is the death penalty.”
The government of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has faced criticism over delays in launching a promised transitional justice process. Syria is struggling to heal following 14 years of civil war that left an estimated half a million people dead, millions more displaced, and the country battered and divided.
Authorities now appear to be moving more aggressively to prosecute officials linked to Assad.
Syrian authorities on Friday arrested Amjad Yousef, a former intelligence officer who appeared in a video leaked four years ago that purportedly showed him and his comrades executing dozens of blindfolded and shackled prisoners in the Damascus suburb of Tadamon during the country’s civil war.
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2026.4.25 Syrian authorities arrest ex-intelligence officer tied to a leaked video of a massacre
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian authorities said Friday they have arrested a former intelligence officer who appeared in a video leaked four years ago that purportedly showed him and his comrades fatally shooting dozens of people during the country’s civil war.
Amjad Yousef was arrested in the central province of Hama, where he had been hiding, the Interior Ministry said, and posted a photo of him in a striped prison uniform.
Since insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in December 2024, dozens of members of his security agencies that were blamed for atrocities during the conflict have been arrested. Assad fled to Russia.
The conflict, which began with anti-government protests in March 2011 before turning into a civil war, left half a million people dead and over 1 million wounded.
Yousef was one of several Syrian security agents who authorities said appeared in a video leaked in 2022, in which dozens of blindfolded, bound men were shot and thrown into a trench.
U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack posted on X that the arrest was “a powerful step away from impunity toward accountability, exemplifying the new paradigm of justice emerging in post-Assad Syria: one rooted in the rule of law, national reconciliation, and the equal application of justice regardless of past affiliations.”
Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York the arrest is a major achievement and vowed, “We will not rest until we reach those higher in the chain of command.”
He called on the international community not to harbor perpetrators of crimes under the Assad regime. “Our message is very clear, you may run, but you will never escape justice,” Olabi said.
The 6 minute and 43 second clip shows members of Syria’s notorious Military Intelligence Branch 227 with a line of around 40 prisoners in an abandoned building in Tadamon, a suburb of Damascus near the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk. For much of the war, the district was a front line between government forces and opposition fighters.
The prisoners were blindfolded, with their arms tied behind their backs. One after another, the Branch 227 gunmen stand them at the edge of a trench filled with old tires, then push or kick the men in, shooting them as they fall.
In the video, the intelligence agents tell some of the prisoners that they are going to pass through a sniper’s alley and that they should run. The men tumble onto the bodies of those who went before them. As bodies pile up in the trench, some still move, and the gunmen shoot into the pile.
The gunmen later set the bodies on fire, presumably to erase evidence of the massacre.
Last year, security forces in Syria said that they arrested three people involved in the same killings.
The Interior Ministry said in its statement Friday that authorities will go after all those involved in the Tadamon shooting to bring them to justice.
In March 2023, the U.S. State Department banned entry into the U.S. of Yousef, his wife and immediate members of his family.x1200
2026.4.24 Key suspect in notorious Tadamon massacre during Syria civil war arrested
A key suspect in one of the most notorious killings of the Syrian civil war has been arrested, Syria’s interior minister has said.
Amjad Youssef was wanted over the mass killing of civilians in April 2013 in the Tadamon district of Damascus.
Footage emerged in 2022 showing Syrian soldiers leading victims, bound and blindfolded, to a pit before shooting them. The video became one of the most direct pieces of visual evidence of extrajudicial killings by then government forces.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said Youssef was the main perpetrator of the massacre and was taken into custody after a “well-executed” security operation.
Syria’s state news agency said he was detained in Hama province.
Footage published by the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) appeared to show Youssef after his arrest, sitting in a police car, his nose and forehead bloodied.
The killings at Tadamon attracted widespread attention after video, filmed by the perpetrators, showing it taking place was leaked nine years later.
In the film, victims are seen being led one by one to the pit and shot. It was one of several mass killings in Tadamon by government forces around that time.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), which has visited the site, said there was evidence that 288 were killed in Tadamon, 41 in the incident in April 2013.
It said 11 blindfolded victims shown in the video were shot at close range and pushed into a machine-dug grave.
It has called the area “a huge crime scene”.
HRW senior researcher Hiba Zayadin said the leaked video “filmed by the perpetrators themselves who laughed as they killed their victims, shows the [former] Syrian government’s callous disregard for people’s lives.
“This massacre is just one horrific incident in a pattern of state violence and apparent war crimes.”
The government at the time, led by President Bashar al-Assad, was toppled by rebels in December 2024. Assad’s forces had fought jihadist and rebel groups in the civil war which began in March 2011 when security forces cracked down violently on peaceful pro-democracy protests.
More than half a million people were killed in over 13 years of conflict which followed.
اعتقلت قوى الأمن العام التابعة لوزارة الداخلية، صانع المحتوى حسام اليونس من أبناء السويداء، خلال عودته من لبنان، مساء الخميس.
وبحسب مصادر إعلامية محلية، أوقفت قوات الأمن العام اليونس عند معبر “المتونة” أثناء عودته من لبنان، بسبب الحرب.
وبينت المصادر أنه جرى تحويله إلى بلدة المزرعة التي تتمركز فيها قوات الحكومة في ريف السويداء الغربي، دون تفاصيل إضافية.
يذكر أن اليونس من صناع المحتوى المعروفين في السويداء وكان قد أسس فريق إغاثي عقب أحداث السويداء في تموز الماضي، وقدم المساعدات لمئات العائلات، وغادر إلى لبنان منذ نحو شهر.
2026.3.10 Ex-Syrian intelligence officer appears in UK court charged with crimes against humanity
LONDON: A former member of Syria’s Air Force Intelligence attended a British court hearing via videolink on Tuesday charged with crimes against humanity and torture relating to the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Damascus in 2011.
Salem Michel Al-Salem, 58, who now lives in Britain, appeared virtually at the hearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court from his home. He was wearing a breathing apparatus mask and the court was told he suffered from degenerative motor neurone disease.
Al-Salem is charged with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity relating to deaths in April and July 2011 “as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population with knowledge of the attack”.
He is also accused of three charges of torture relating to incidents in 2011 and 2012, and one of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. He did not speak during the hearing and there was no indication as to how he would plead.
His lawyer Sean Caulfield told the court that Al-Salem was too unwell to confirm his name.
The seven charges were brought under a British law that allows the prosecution of serious international crimes committed abroad. The Crown Prosecution Service said it was the first time it had brought charges of murder as crimes against humanity.
In 2005, Afghan warlord Faryadi Zardad was convicted by a British court of torture that had taken place in Afghanistan.
Al-Salem, who has sought indefinite leave to remain in Britain, was a colonel in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence department with oversight of the Information Branch in the district of Jobar, to the east of central Damascus, British prosecutors say.
He is accused of leading a group tasked with quelling the demonstrations, which mostly occurred during Friday afternoon prayers. Prosecutors say he gave his men orders to open fire on protesters, which led to the deaths of some individuals.
Prosecutors say he was also present at, or took part in, the torture of men at the Information Branch building.
Al-Salem was first arrested in central England in December 2021. His lawyer had sought an order to withhold his name, arguing it could pose a risk to his safety. England’s Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring rejected the application but ordered that his address not be made public.
He will next appear on Friday at London’s Old Bailey court.
Deir Ezzor, Feb. 25 Syrian Internal Security Forces have arrested a member of ISIS in the northeastern province of Deir Ezzor following a security operation linked to a recent deadly attack on a member of the Defense Ministry.
Colonel Dirar al-Shamlan, head of Internal Security in Deir Ezzor, said the man was detained in the city of al-Mayadeen after an operation based on precise intelligence.
Al-Shamlan added that the man identified as Mahmoud Eid al-Ali was involved in an attack carried out by an ISIS cell that resulted in the martyrdom of a member of the Defense Ministry’s 86th Division two days ago.
The arrest followed the collection of evidence linking the man to the attack, the colonel said, adding that he admitted during preliminary questioning to being affiliated with ISIS and participating in the operation.
On Monday, an Internal Security checkpoint in the northeastern city of Raqqa was attacked by ISIS militants, martyring four personnel, authorities said.
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2026.2.23 Photos show filming of Ramadan TV drama series on the war-scarred streets of Syria’s Aleppo
ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — Ramadan in the Arab world is a month of fasting and prayer by day — and television by night. For decades, families have gathered after the iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daytime fast, to follow the season’s highly anticipated drama series, produced specially to air during the Islamic holy month.
In the week before Ramadan, a television crew in central Aleppo was busy preparing one of those productions, with a battered street in the historic city transformed into a scene from decades past.
Classic 1970s cars lined the curb. A horse-drawn cart rolled through the frame. A vendor in a red tarboush, a brimless cone-shaped hat, stood beside steaming pots of sahlep — a sweet, thickened milk drink flavored with spices and associated with winter evenings.
Just outside the camera’s view stood a stark reminder of Syria’s more recent history. Collapsed buildings and damaged facades testified to Aleppo’s role as a major battleground during the country’s civil war. However, with costumes, props and careful framing, the production temporarily carried the street back to what it portrays as a more innocent era.
The series being filmed — “Al-Souriyoun al-Aada,” or “The Syrian Enemies” — is based on a novel that was banned during the rule of former President Bashar Assad. The story examines painful chapters of Syria’s past, including the 1982 events in Hama, when government forces crushed an uprising led by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing or disappearing an estimated 10,000 to 40,000 people and leaving the city in ruins.
As filming continues into Ramadan, the production reflects both a cherished seasonal tradition and Syria’s complex, layered history.
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AP — Clashes broke out on Syria’s coast between protesters from the Alawite religious minority and counterdemonstrators on Sunday, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of others, health officials said.
The clashes came two days after a bombing at an Alawite mosque in the city of Homs killed eight people and wounded 18 others during prayers.
Thousands of protesters gathered in the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous, and elsewhere. Officials have said that preliminary investigations indicate that explosive devices were planted inside the mosque in Homs, but authorities haven’t publicly identified a suspect yet in Friday’s bombing. Funerals for the dead were held on Saturday.
A little-known group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, in which it indicated that the attack intended to target members of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam whom hard-line Islamists consider to be apostates.
Sunday’s demonstrations were called for by Ghazal Ghazal, an Alawite sheikh living outside of Syria who heads a group called the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora.
An Associated Press photographer in Latakia saw pro-government counterprotesters throw rocks at the Alawite demonstrators, while a group of protesters beat a counterdemonstrator who crossed to their side. Security forces tried to break up the two sides and fired into the air in an attempt to disperse them. Demonstrators were injured in the scuffles, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many.
Syria’s state-run television reported that two members of the security forces were wounded in the area of Tartous after someone threw a hand grenade at a police station, and cars belonging to security forces were set on fire in Latakia.
Later, state-run news agency SANA reported that a member of the security forces was killed by gunfire. Local health officials said that three people were killed and 60 others wounded.
The country has experienced several waves of sectarian clashes since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December 2024 that brought to an end nearly 14 years of civil war. Assad, an Alawite, fled the country to Russia.
In March, an ambush carried out by Assad’s supporters against security forces triggered days of violence that left hundreds of people dead, most of them Alawites. Since then, although the situation has calmed, Alawites have been targeted sporadically in sectarian attacks. They have also complained of discrimination against them in public employment since Assad’s fall and of young Alawite men detained without charges.
During the rein of the Assad dynasty, Alawites were overrepresented in government jobs and in the army and security forces.
Government officials condemned Friday’s attack and promised to hold perpetrators accountable, but haven’t yet announced any arrests.
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