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Members of Syrian security forces ride on a back of a truck after Syrian troops entered the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria July 15, 2025.
What’s behind Syria’s surging sectarian violence?
The latest round of deadly sectarian violence in Syria started off small. Last Sunday, a Bedouin tribe reportedly robbed and attacked a Druze man at a checkpoint in southern Syria, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The incident quickly escalated into a battle that has left more than 350 people dead and drawn in not only Syrian government forces, but also Israel, which intervened forcefully under the pretext of protecting the Druze.
The clashes add to a series of sectarian flare-ups since the fall of the Assad dictatorship seven months ago. In March, forces aligned with the government massacred nearly 1,500 Alawites in response to a failed rebellion by Assad loyalists within the community, and in April, dozens were killed when the Druze clashed with security forces near Damascus.
Violence of this kind has destabilized an already fragile post-war Syria, raising fresh doubts about the transitional government’s ability to maintain control and safeguard the rights of minority communities. Interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former jihadist who has restyled himself as a statesman since leading the militia coalition that overthrew Assad, has promised to unify and rebuild Syria after a brutal 14-year civil war and decades of dictatorship.
So, what are Syria’s main ethno-sectarian fault lines? Arabs make up the majority of the population, which is about 75% Sunni Muslim.
But there are tensions with several powerful minority groups. They include the Druze, an Israel-friendly community in the South which practices an offshoot of Islam considered heretical by Sunni fundamentalists, and the Alawites, the sect that the Assad family belonged to and conspicuously elevated throughout the dictatorship.
Tensions also persist between Arabs and the Kurds, who operate a semi-autonomous government in northeastern Syria. Although the Kurds have agreed to merge with the new Syrian army, they remain deeply skeptical of al-Sharaa – particularly because of his recent overtures to Turkey, a long-standing opponent of armed Kurdish groups.
Lastly, there are fears of persecution among Syria’s ancient but shrinking Christian population – which came to a head last month when a suicide bombing left dozens dead at a church in Damascus.
The fact that al-Sharaa, a veteran of Al-Qaeda, overthrew the Assad regime atop a coalition of Sunni extremist militias has put all minority groups on edge, fearful of the intentions of a new government that is led largely by Islamists and former jihadists not known for their tolerance of ethnoreligious diversity.
What’s standing in the way of peace? For one thing, Syria’s newly formed army remains fragmented, with many fighters drawn from Islamist extremist groups. Lacking cohesion and a clear chain of command, al-Sharaa can’t rely on the military to effectively control the country.
In fact, the military itself has been part of the problem. Syrian troops were seen to be helping the Bedouins in the recent flareup, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human rights.
“There isn't a well disciplined national army that could take control of all the Syrian territories.” says Ibrahim al-Assil, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “Whenever there is an erupting cycle of violence…they just go and they start fighting, they start looting, and killing as well.”
But there’s also a question about the intentions of a government that often seems to be exacerbating precisely the tensions it claims to be concerned about.
“Whenever there are clashes and confrontations, the authorities in Damascus and Ahmad al-Sharaa try to utilize that as a ploy to gain political achievements,” adds al-Assil. “[While] people could argue if the government was behind that eruption of violence or not, it has certainly used this to gain more power.”
And external actors aren’t helping. Israel, which insists on the demilitarization of Southern Syria, has repeatedly attacked government troops and facilities there under the pretext of defending the Druze. On Wednesday, the IDF escalated tensions further, striking the Syrian defense ministry in Damascus. Al-Sharaa has since redoubled his pledge to protect the Druze amid a fragile ceasefire in the area, but also said Syria is “not afraid of war.”
At the same time, Iran – having lost a key ally in Assad – may also be seeking opportunities to reestablish a foothold in the country.
“Iran is trying to find a way to regain some influence inside Syria and any force or any group that challenges the authority in Damascus creates an opportunity for Iran to find a way back,” says al-Assil.
Can the “new Syria” survive these tensions? “It shows a huge challenge for Ahmad al-Sharaa and the legitimacy of the government inside Damascus,” al-Assil says. “Most countries, including the West, do want to see Damascus consolidating inside Syria. They do want to see territorial integrity in Syria.”
But the failure of the Syrian government to stabilize the country could also open the door for more regional interference, complicating things further.
“Violence and fragmentation won’t stay inside Syria,” al-Assil warns. “Most likely, it will spill over to the region.”
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on Syria’s defense ministry, according to Al Jazeera TV, in Damascus, Syria, on July 16, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Israel hits Syria’s military HQ, Trump rings up trade wins, Cuban minister resigns over denial
Israel strikes Damascus as feud escalates
Israel struck Syria’s military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday and continued to bomb areas of southern Syria where the Israel-backed Druze minority group is clashing with Bedouin tribes whom Israel says are being supported by the Syrian regime. The escalation risks further undermining Syria’s fragile post-Assad stability. Meanwhile, Israel also launched its deadliest strike on Lebanon since last year’s ceasefire, killing five Hezbollah fighters as it tries to pressure the militant group to disarm. For more on whether that could ever happen, see here.
Trump’s trade policy gathers some momentum
US President Donald Trump’s efforts to strike trade deals may finally be gathering momentum. The White House on Tuesday announced a deal with Indonesia, its first since Trump sent letters to several major trade partners threatening higher tariffs by Aug. 1. US-China tensions also appear to be easing slightly after Washington rescinded its export restrictions on AI chips. Meanwhile in Canada, Washington’s second-biggest trade partner, Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged that he’ll have to accept some US tariffs in order to reach a deal with Trump, a sign that he too may be ready to strike a trade pact.
Cuban minister resigns after denying existence of beggars
Ignorance is strength, as the slogan from George Orwell’s “1984” goes, and beggars don’t exist – at least not according to Cuban Labor Minister Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera. Her comments sparked a rare public backlash, forcing her to resign. Communist-led Cuba has been suffering from an especially painful economic crisis recently, with frequent blackouts, rising levels of poverty and hunger, and even shortages of basic medicines. The pain is so bad that at least 10% of the island’s population has fled since 2022.
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa talks to attendees during a national dialogue in Damascus, Syria, February 25, 2025.
Israel turns the screws on Syria's new leader
Israel this week conducted a fresh wave of airstrikes on southern Syria, just a day after Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for an Israel-controlled “security zone” in the south of the country.
The context: Ever since jihadist militias led by al-Sharaa overthrew the Assad regime in December, Israel has moved aggressively to neutralize any new security threats from its old foe. Right after Assad fell, Israel struck dozens of Syrian military targets and sent IDF troops several miles into Syria to establish a “buffer zone.”
Netanyahu’s new policy escalates even further. It calls for the Israel-enforced demilitarization of the entire south of Syria. Turkey, which has explored security cooperation with Syria’s new regime, has condemned what it says is Israeli “expansionism.”
Adding to the intrigue, Netanyahu says he’s protecting the Druze, a religious minority in southern Syria. Local Druze leaders have so far responded coolly.
All of this puts al-Sharaa in a tough spot. He is trying to build a viable state in a fragmented country that has suffered decades of dictatorship and a dozen years of civil war. If he doesn’t respond to Israel, he risks looking weak. If he does, he risks a fight he is in no position to win. Advantage Israel?