HTS

UK removes terrorism designation for HTS, formerly led by Syria's Ahmed Al-Sharaa

HTS, a former al Qaeda affiliate, was proscribed in 2017, meaning that Britain designated it as a terrorist group, making it illegal to support or join it.

|ByREUTERS
Rebel fighters ride a vehicle, after rebels led by HTS have sought to capitalize on their swift takeover of Aleppo in the north and Hama in west-central Syria by pressing onwards to Homs, in Hama, Syria December 6, 2024.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, October 15, 2025.

Why Russia’s Putin and Syria’s Sharaa agreed to meet after a decade of war - analysis

Russia clearly wanted to pivot to work with Sharaa. It likely extended feelers long ago, recognizing HTS as a potential partner, even after a decade of fighting in Syria.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, attends an interview with Reuters in Shaddadi, Syria, June 13, 2025.

Syrian defense minister and SDF commander agree to immediate ceasefire, ministry says

The ceasefire applies to northern and north-eastern Syria.

|ByREUTERS
People stand next to a destroyed tank turret, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces, in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 25, 2025.

Sweida's Druze defy Damascus in a fight over self-determination, their fate in Syria

BEHIND THE LINES: The violence in Sweida may have subsided in recent weeks, but nothing has been resolved. It is almost certainly a matter of time until the next round. 

|ByJONATHAN SPYER

Is new Syrian faction Saraya al-Jawad local, proxy or propaganda? Experts weigh in

Experts say the group may be an independent local offshoot of coastal networks or a proxy for actors using a new label to disrupt regional security.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2025ByRIZIK ALABI/THE MEDIA LINE
A youth rides his bicygle next to a destroyed car following clashes between Syria's new authorities and supporters of deposed president Bashar al-Assad in the town of Jableh in the coastal province of Latakia on March 10, 2025.

Airstrikes, cautious diplomacy: Israel and Syria draw closer - opinion

Cautious diplomacy will continue to guide Israeli-Syrian relations.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2025ByNEVILLE TELLER
SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER Asaad al-Shaibani attends the Munich Security Conference earlier this year. Reportedly, he has met more than once with Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, the writer notes.

Sharaa's Islamist army fuels Syria's descent into sectarian slaughter

BEHIND THE LINES: In just eight months of Sunni Islamist rule in Syria, already three large-scale incidents of sectarian violence have taken place.

AUGUST 15, 2025ByJONATHAN SPYER
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa looks on as he attends the “Aleppo, Key to Victory” celebration marking Syria’s liberation, in Aleppo, Syria May 27, 2025.

Meeting between Dermer, Syrian FM on Druze humanitarian corridor postponed - report

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani are now likely to meet next week, sources told N12.

AUGUST 13, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer; illustrative.

Israeli, Syrian officials to meet in Azerbaijan to discuss situation in southern Syria - report

Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani are scheduled to attend the meeting, which will focus on the security situation in southern Syria.

JULY 30, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani speaks during a press conference in Damascus, May 20, 2025; illustrative.

US repatriates minor from Syrian displaced persons camp, reunites him with family

The State Department said on Tuesday that the United States repatriated a US citizen minor from a displaced persons camp in northeast Syria.

JULY 29, 2025ByREUTERS
Members of a group of Bedouin families who left Sweida, take a shelter at a school, in the village of El Sahoah in Deraa Governorate, Syria, July 28, 2025.

The forgotten slaughter of Syria’s Druze, and Israel’s moral response - opinion

The slaughter of the Druze in Syria may not trend. It may not lead the news. But it matters. And Israel's response shows what it means to refuse to let others suffer alone.

JULY 21, 2025ByJOHN SPENCER
A Druze boy holds a flag as he looks at the ceasefire line between Golan Heights and Syria, on the day of first visit by Druze delegation from Syria just after 1973 war in Israel, March 14, 2025.

Bodies and looted homes: Syria's Druze reeling after Sweida bloodshed

Residents from the Syrian-Druze city of Sweida described friends and neighbors being shot at close range in their homes or on the streets.

JULY 18, 2025ByREUTERS
A person reacts as casualties from recent clashes in Syria's Sweida province receive treatment at a field medical point, following renewed fighting between Bedouin fighters and Druze gunmen, despite an announced truce, in Deraa, Syria July 18, 2025.

Elderly Druze Sheikh dies after humiliation by Syrian HTS

Sources close to the Sheikh confirm his death after a viral video circulated the internet showing Shahine, 80, being publicly humiliated by members of HTS in al-Tha'la.

JULY 17, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Syrian security forces walk together along a street, after clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern Druze city of Sweida early on Wednesday, in Sweida, Syria July 16, 2025.

IDF prepares for days of battles in Sweida, carries out aerial strikes on 160 Syrian targets

After a number of strategic aerial attacks on Syrian soil, Israel won't send ground forces to protect Syrian-Druze.

JULY 16, 2025ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
IDF soldiers stand guard over Israeli-Druze at the border fence, July 16, 2025.

Chikli denounces Syria's Sharaa as 'barbaric terrorist murder who should be eliminated'

"We must not stand idly by in the face of the Islamo-Nazi terror regime of al-Qaeda operatives in suits," Chikli stated.

JULY 15, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Smoke rises while Syrian security forces sit in the back of a truck, as Syrian troops enter the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Tuesday following two days of clashes, in Sweida, Syria July 15, 2025.