Yesterday: Pro-government protesters in Tartous attempt to tear down the statue of anti-colonial resistance leader Sheikh Saleh al-Ali.

The Impending Purge: Joulani’s Regime Wages a Systematic Campaign of Violence Against Syrian Minorities


The transfer of power in Syria to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Ahmed al-Joulani, in late 2024, marked the beginning of an intensive and systematic period of brutality targeting the country’s Alawite and Shia minorities. These groups, long associated with the former Assad regime, now face a government-led campaign of retribution and attacks by tribal militias, particularly in Alawite areas characterized by extreme poverty.

It must be noted here that this "association" with the regime was mostly confined to the ruling elite, as the vast majority of Alawites live in abject poverty and lead very simple lives. This contradicts the claims that they all enjoyed influence or benefited from the former regime. This harsh reality makes them doubly vulnerable to attacks in the coastal and rural areas, such as Homs, Latakia, and Tartous, threatening their historic presence.

Systematic Persecution and Documented Atrocities:

The Joulani regime, which claims fear of the influence of Shia groups allied with Iran and Hezbollah, has launched brutal campaigns based on accusations of allegiance to the former government and foreign-backed forces.

This systematic aggression is characterized by several documented atrocities:

* Mass Killings and Displacement: The violence, particularly concentrated in areas with poor Alawite communities, has resulted in dozens of deaths and mass displacement. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has provided details on the scale of these attacks, highlighting that state-backed tribal militias are the primary perpetrators.

* Targeting Cultural Heritage: The regime’s hostile stance extends to authentic Syrian heritage linked to minority groups. Footage has shown pro-government demonstrators in Tartous attempting to demolish the statue of Sheikh Saleh al-Ali, a historic symbol of Syrian resistance to imperialism, clearly indicating the targeting of minority cultural figures. This follows reports that Joulani's militias have also stormed Shia shrines, such as the shrines of Sayyida Zeinab and Ruqayyah.

* Ethnic Cleansing and Refugee Crisis: These acts constitute campaigns of mass killings, arbitrary arrests, and ethnic cleansing. Consequently, thousands of Alawites have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in Lebanon, relying on essential humanitarian aid from organizations such as the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Lebanese Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Risk of Regional Contagion and the Disparity in International Response

The brutal acts committed against minorities threaten to plunge Syria into a deeper, long-lasting sectarian battlefield. This violence threatens to spread across the entire region, destroying the lives of many innocent people and entrenching sectarian conflict throughout the Levant.

A stark comparison can be made between the fate of the Alawites and what happened to other components in the region. For example, when the Druze minority faced pressure from extremist groups, there was effective regional and international intervention: Israel stepped in, and France played a role in intervention and pressure, which ultimately led to Joulani withdrawing his militias from the area. This sharp contrast in response highlights the appalling inaction that allowed the campaign against the Alawites and Shia to continue.
The Joulani regime is already threatening neighboring Lebanon with similar campaigns against its Shia population. This threat is compounded by the alleged geopolitical coordination: the regime is accused of working in tacit coordination with Israel, which views Iran-allied Shia factions, such as Hezbollah, as existential threats.

The Israeli army publishes footage of air force strikes targeting resistance fighters in Beit Jinn, in the Damascus countryside.

Beit Jinn Breaks the Silence of the Southern Front: The First Direct Clash with Israel Near the Golan in Decades

At dawn today, the village of Beit Jinn in southern Syria witnessed fierce clashes between an Israeli special forces unit and local gunmen, in an operation that Israel said was aimed at arresting wanted members of the “Islamic Group.”

According to the Israeli account, 13 soldiers were wounded during the ambush, including 3 in serious condition, after a force from the 55th Paratroopers Brigade came under heavy fire while exiting one of the houses. The troops were forced to abandon a Hummer armored vehicle, which was later bombed by the Israeli air force after being evacuated.

Channel 12 in Hebrew reported that the operation had been “prepared for weeks,” and that Israeli aircraft were unable to intervene due to the proximity of the clashes on the ground.

On the Syrian side, local sources reported 9 martyrs so far, with a family trapped under the rubble as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the area.

Israeli sites describe the operation as “successful,” while Syrian sources consider that the Israeli army suffered a “field setback” deep inside Syrian territory, where the forces penetrated 11 kilometers.

The incident raises tensions in southern Syria and marks the first direct confrontation in decades in an area long considered “quiet,” opening the door to the emergence of a new front against Israel in the Golan.

Syria… When the Land Refuses to Submit Once Again

For a full century, Syria has known exactly what it means for a foreign occupier to set foot on its soil. When Yusuf al-Azma confronted the French at Maysalun, he wasn’t defending the borders of a state as much as he was protecting the dignity of Syrians. The Battle of Maysalun did not triumph militarily, but it was the first clear declaration that this people — no matter how defeated, divided, or starved — will not allow a stranger to lay his hand on their land. From yesterday’s Frenchmen, to today’s Israelis, and through every intrusive militia in between… Syrian soil has refused to become a prize.

And today, after years of fragmentation, successive occupations, and the rise of new butchers like al-Joulani and those like him, Syria repeats the same message: the land is not for sale. And the people — no matter how silent — do not die from within.



What happened in Beit Jinn? And why does it matter?

An Israeli force, heavily armed, stormed the occupied village of Beit Jinn to carry out a kidnapping operation targeting two brothers from the town. The occupation forces assumed that the “new Syria” — torn, weakened, ruled by competing militias — would swallow the humiliation.

But the people of the town did what no one expected:
They opened fire.
They did not wait for a decision from Joulani’s government.
They no longer asked whether there was a “state” or “institutions.”
They acted in a manner befitting a land that knows the meaning of occupation.

Six Israeli soldiers and officers were injured, three of them critically. The invading Humvee burned inside the town itself — a scene Syria had not witnessed in years.

The occupation’s response was madness: indiscriminate shelling, a massacre, twelve martyrs — among them a young man preparing to walk into his wedding hall.

But one thing became clear:
Syria — despite the ruin — has not surrendered.



The significance of this event: beyond the fire and smoke

This is not a mere local clash.
It is the first armed act of resistance from inside occupied Syrian territory since Israel seized large parts of the south following the collapse of the Syrian state.

More importantly:
The people acted outside the “Joulani system,” outside factional calculations, and outside the imposed balance of power on the ground.

This means that the occupation — with all its strength — has failed to turn Syrians into a people stripped of will.

It signals that nations, not militias, determine the future of occupation.



What does this mean for Joulani’s government?

Joulani’s government, built essentially on the bargain of “security in exchange for authority,” now faces its worst nightmare:
a resistance created by ordinary people, not armed factions.

This event threatens Joulani’s existence on three levels:

1. The collapse of the illusion of control

If the people of a small village can fire on an occupying force, it means Joulani’s authority is superficial — he does not truly control the land he claims to rule.

2. The fall of the “stability” narrative

Joulani built his legitimacy on being the “guardian of the borders.”
But what remains of that legitimacy when Israeli units enter a Syrian village and conduct kidnappings without any official response?

3. A direct threat to his regional and international ties

Joulani has tried to present himself as a tacit ally to the West against what he calls “terrorism.”
But any popular movement against occupation exposes him as nothing more than a tool — not a statesman.

In short: Beit Jinn is a political earthquake for Joulani.



What does it mean for the Axis of Resistance?

After the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and Syria’s fall to occupation and extremist factions, it seemed as if the Axis of Resistance was living its final moments.
But what happened in Beit Jinn reveals three new truths:

1. Resistance can rise from the ashes

It does not need to be an institution, a party, or an army.
It can begin with a village… and expand.

Trapped in the Maze: Gaza’s Underground War and the Fate of the Missing

The air is thick with dust and the metallic smell of diesel. A faint tremor shakes the clay walls—muted echoes of the bombardment raging above. In the darkness, lit only by a salvaged lamp, a young fighter coughs, his lungs strained after moving through these tunnels with purpose. Beside him, an elderly woman clutches a small, dirty photo of her grandson, displaced from the surface and now confined to this underground artery. They are not allies, but prisoners of war together beneath the earth. Water drips from the ceiling, marking the passage of time—a slow, painful clock measuring their dwindling hope and uncertain future.

This is the hidden theater of Gaza’s war (2023–2025):

A vast underground labyrinth where both freedom fighters and civilians are trapped—not only by military siege, but by the collapse of the very infrastructure meant to protect or sustain them.

Our investigation delves into the origins of the “Gaza Metro,” the fate of those now lost within it, and the urgent legal and humanitarian risks of their captivity.



Quick Facts: The Hidden War Below

• Tunnel network estimates: Reports suggest 350–450 miles of tunnels with more than 5,700 shafts.
• Historical origins: Tunnels linking Gaza and Egypt date back to the early 1980s, primarily for smuggling.
• Major incident: The August–September 2025 assault on Gaza City saw deep incursions into the densest tunnel networks.
• Civilian conditions: By July 2025, over 320,000 children under five in Gaza faced acute malnutrition. Underground conditions are presumed far worse.
• IHL principle: The principle of distinction requires attacks to target only military objectives, not civilians or civilian objects.
• ICRC demand: The International Committee of the Red Cross repeatedly called for unconditional release of hostages and access to all detainees.




Origins and Purpose of the Tunnel Networks

The Gaza tunnel system—often called the “Gaza Metro” by Israeli sources—is not a single structure but an evolving mix of utilitarian and military engineering. Its roots lie in the early 1980s, after Rafah was split by the Philadelphi Route. Local families built sophisticated cross-border tunnels to smuggle goods and bypass Israeli blockades.

After Hamas’s rise in the early 2000s, especially post-2007, the network expanded dramatically and was repurposed:

• Military tunnels: Dug 18–25 meters deep, designed for weapons storage, command centers, training, and covert movement of Hamas fighters and other factions. Equipped with electricity, ventilation, and communications.
• Civilian/utilitarian tunnels: Smaller, shallower tunnels used by civilians for temporary shelter or limited access to goods, especially along the Egyptian border. However, military shafts were often placed inside civilian sites—homes, mosques, schools—complicating IHL analysis and civilian protection.


It is publicly documented that Hamas’s military wing built massive underground networks to counter Israeli air superiority and enable clandestine operations.



Role in the Gaza War (2023–2025)

The tunnels became central to both Hamas’s strategy and the Israeli Defense Forces’ (IDF) response.

• Military utility: The network gave Hamas “road-like capabilities” for maneuvering, supporting both offensive raids and defensive withdrawals. Concealed movement was critical for ambushes against Israeli forces.
• Civilian refuge: With over 90% of Gaza’s population displaced and infrastructure systematically destroyed, tunnels may have been the only immediate refuge for civilians fleeing bombardment—though proximity to military sites exposed them to grave danger.




Timeline of Key Incidents

• 7 October 2023: Hamas’s initial attack on Israel used tunnels leading into Israeli communities, enabling infiltration and hostage-taking.
• Oct–Nov 2023: IDF’s first ground invasion focused on locating and destroying tunnel infrastructure.