Walid Al Nofal

A photo of Syrian Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Wais shaking hands with Judge Ammar Bilal—the former chief prosecutor at the Assad regime’s infamous Counter-Terrorism Court—ignited a firestorm on Syrian social media last week. 

It took years for Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri to move from outward support for the Assad regime to cautious criticism and finally open opposition. With the new authorities in Damascus, he is taking an adversarial stance from the start.

Three weeks on, little tangible progress has been made towards implementing the SDF-Damascus agreement, which faces a range of internal and external challenges.

Celebrations planned to mark the 14th anniversary of the Syrian revolution in Daraa province turned to mourning in the wake of the most violent Israeli strikes on the province since the fall of the regime. 

Factions in Syria’s southern Suwayda province are split on whether to merge with Damascus. One side—aligned with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri—is opposed, while the other—including the powerful Men of Dignity—calls for opening to Damascus and joining its institutions.

A tense calm hangs over Jableh, while sectarian tensions remain following extrajudicial killings and property destruction during confrontations between pro-Assad fighters and government forces in the diverse coastal city. 

After two days of bloodshed that killed hundreds, Syria’s Ministry of Defense halted military operations on the coast against forces loyal to the deposed Assad regime on Saturday pending the removal of “unaffiliated forces” from the area.

Israeli forces continue to solidify their presence within Syrian territory, cutting off farmers and herders from their livelihoods and carrying out airstrikes and raids on former regime military sites. 

Syria’s Ministry of Defense is meeting with military factions in Syria’s southern Daraa province—including the 8th Brigade—as it works to integrate them into a new army.

Syrian markets are experiencing instability in the prices of basic goods as the black market exchange rate of the pound fluctuates sharply, while the Central Bank of Syria takes a hands-off approach.