Description: After a mysterious clip started to circulate the media platforms mostly used by the Druze ethnic minority in Syria, publicly shaming the Islamic religion, the HTS – led government has allegedly responded by violently persecuting members of the community in and around the capital Damascus. Israel quickly reacted and sent fighter jets which bombed targets close to the Presidential Palace in Damascus as a show of force and bolstering their support for the Druze minority in Syria. The country is in a state of recuperation as its led by a former terrorist organization affiliated with Al – Qaeda and has consistent problems integrating the numerous ethnic minorities into the socio – economic system, most of which are pertaining to armed militias which continuously destabilize the country.
Impact: Syria continues to be a multilateral geopolitical battlefront for various countries aiming at establishing dominance and dictating future developments and political and security outcomes in the country The US withdrawal from the northern parts of the country aggravated the security situation as a plethora of armed militias and extremist groups battled over power dominance in various regions. Turkey aims at establishing strategic ties with the new Syrian regime as information regarding military outposts and energy cooperation emerged after Erdogan bolstered political ties since Ahmed Al – Sharaa came to power. Israel is using the Druze as a pretext to enforce ground incursions and aerial attacks keeping the country in a revolving state of crisis and out of their threat and risk portfolio. The resurgence in violence signals a prolonged crisis and emphasizes the lack of territorial control the current regime exercises over the entirety of the country.