Latest news with #Alawite
The National
11 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Assad-era general asks Iran for funds to launch anti-Israel front in Syria
A top military figure under Syria's former president Bashar Al Assad has contacted Tehran for financial support to rebuild Iran's influence in the country and strengthen its position as it comes under attack by Israel, a Syrian security official and former regime operatives has told The National. Iran is unlikely to divert resources from its current war effort but re-establishing a proxy presence in Syria could help it strategically in future, the sources said. The proposal to Tehran came from Ghiath Dalla, a brigadier general in elite Fourth Division, the praetorian guard of the former Iran-backed regime and the military unit closest to Iran, within the past 10 days. He is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars to create a militia drawn from former members of Mr Al Assad's now disbanded army that would fight Syria's new government led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham and launch attacks on Israeli targets, the sources said. Mr Dalla, like most of his peers and the deposed president, is from the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, that dominated Sunni-majority Syria after a coup in 1963. He is among thousands of Alawite security personnel who have been on the run after the Assad regime fell to HTS-led rebel forces on December 8. Hundreds of Alawite officers, including Mr Dalla, are believed to have fled to Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah group still wields significant influence, despite heavy losses in its war with Israel last year. 'He thinks that the [Israel-Iran] war is a golden chance to unite the Alawites and form a resistance force supported by Iran,' said the security official, who requested anonymity. Mr Dalla commanded the 42nd Armoured Brigade, regarded as among the best-equipped and best-trained formations in the former military. During the 2011-2024 civil war it operated in southern Syria, from where proxy groups backed by Iran launched rocket attacks on Israel in the final year of the Assad regime. 'The south has remnants of Iranian proxies whom Dalla can re-activate to resume the attacks,' the security official said. The official said the seizure by authorities of Grad rockets at a warehouse in the southern Deraa province this week, and a rocket attack on June 3 on an Israeli-occupied area of the Golan Heights by a splinter Hezbollah group, were signs of the potential for destabilisation that could be boosted by Iranian money. The official, who was a rebel fighting the regime in the northern province of Idlib, said the threat from Mr Dalla and his followers could not be underestimated. 'We were like him, hiding in the woods of Idlib, bereft of support. Once support [from Arab countries and Turkey] started coming, the game changed quickly,' he said, referring to the early years of the civil war. The official would not be drawn on whom Mr Dalla has been in contact with in Iran, citing ongoing intelligence gathering. The contact was made directly, not through Hezbollah, he said. A prominent figure in the Alawite community said Mr Dalla's obvious recruiting pool comprises at least 100,000 former Alawite security personnel. Many of them, associated with atrocities under the former regime, have sought refuge in the Alawite Mountains in Syria's coastal region, the ancestral homeland of the minority sect. However, widespread killings of Alawites in the area by pro-government forces have raised fears that the community might not survive under the new government led by HTS, a group once affiliated with Al Qaeda. An estimated 1,300 Alawite civilians were killed over two days in March after gunmen from the sect resisted, mainly through ambushes, an HTS-led incursion into the Alawite Mountains. The security operation was aimed at cleansing the coastal provinces of regime remnants, according to the government. Mr Dalla's loyalists, called the Military Council for the Liberation of Syria, led the ultimately failed resistance. The Alawite figure said Mr Dalla and his men, who are believed to number several thousand, still have an underground arsenal consisting mainly of light weapons but also significant amounts of medium weaponry, such anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks. 'He has been depleted cash-wise. But he is counting on the spreading fears that the Alawites have no home and the only path is resistance to create an Alawite province.' He said many Alawites still see a future in acquiescing to the new order and do not want to be associated with Iran, and added that he himself had declined requests for money by insurgents associated with Mr Dalla. A former Syrian intelligence operative, who is also Alawite, said Mr Dalla was trying to fill the leadership vacuum in the community created by the fall of Mr Al Assad, who fled to Moscow. Unlike the former regime, Mr Dalla is, in the main, not viewed as corrupt. He is also religious, unlike the secular Assads, which would make him more trustworthy to Iran. In contrast to the Assads, who have 'sacrificed the Alawites' for their own survival, Mr Dalla is a more ideological figure who believes that the only way for the community to survive is a long-term fight supported by Iran to a break away from Syria, the former intelligence operative said. Observers are split on how much advantage a Iran would have had in the war with Israel had the Assad regime survived the civil war. After Israeli attacks on Syrian security personnel and military infrastructure in 2023-2024, signs emerged that Mr Al Assad viewed his alliance with Iran as too costly for the regime. It remains an open question whether the former president was willing, or able, to stop Iran from using Syria as a conduit for weapons and supplies to Hezbollah, once considered Tehran's first line of defence against Israel. The Israeli military had already largely destroyed Syrian air defences by the time Mr Al Assad was ousted, giving its air force freedom to operate over Syria. However, Iran would be striking at Israel from short range with missiles and drones launched from Syria, instead of relying solely on long-distance attacks, had the former regime remained, a former member of Mr Al Assad's military said. 'It would have made a difference had they not lost Syria,' the source said. 'But nowhere near enough to gain a decisive advantage'.
Saba Yemen
2 days ago
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Event by Ministry of Interior's Security, Police Sector to commemorate Day of Wilayah
Sana'a - Saba: The Ministry of Interior's Security and Police Sector organized a speech event to commemorate the Day of Wilayah of Imam Ali (peace be upon him). The event was attended by a number of security leaders and the head of the Central Agency for Control and Accountability, Ali Al-Imad. The Director General of Criminal Investigations, Brigadier General Ahsan Al-Hijazi, emphasized the importance of drawing inspiration from the values and principles of Imam Ali's life. He emphasized that commemorating the Day of Wilayah represents a faith-based moment to renew loyalty and correct the path in the face of false cultures. For his part, cultural activist Khaled Al-Qarouti explained that the Day of Wilayah is an extension of steadfastness in the Muhammadan approach and a renewal of loyalty to Imam Ali, especially in light of the nation's current challenges. He considered the victories of the Resistance Axis to be the fruit of adherence to the Alawite approach. The event included a review of the life of Imam Ali and his defense of Islam. It also included a poem and a lyrical operetta. The event was attended by a number of directors of security departments at the Ministry of Interior, including Brigadier General Hassan Al Hadi, Brigadier General Mohammed Al Muhaqri, Brigadier General Ahmed Al Banous, Brigadier General Hussein Al Makhidi, Brigadier General Akram Amer, Brigadier General Youssef Al Shami, and Colonel Ali Al Mutawakel, in addition to other security leaders. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Kurdish integration offers hope for Syria's reconstruction
On March 10, a historic agreement was signed between Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, a Kurdish-led coalition), General Mazloum Abdi, to integrate the autonomous Kurdish institutions of Northeast Syria into the state. Three months later, General Michael Kurilla, who leads the US Central Command for the Middle East, delivered a positive assessment, telling the US House Armed Services Committee in Washington on June 10 that integration was going well despite some friction points. Kurilla added that Turkey, engaged militarily against Kurdish forces since 2016, was now playing a constructive role. The March 10 agreement brought a glimmer of hope in the face of the immense security and economic challenges confronting Damascus authorities since the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024; it also spared Sharaa from international opprobrium following massacres carried out by his own forces against the Alawite minority in early March. The renewed unity of Syria, splintered by Druze and Kurdish autonomy demands, will depend on the success of this process, which must conclude by year's end. US pressure proved decisive in bringing about the agreement. Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, the prospect of a US withdrawal from Syria has loomed. Kurdish forces, strategic US partners in the fight against the Islamic State group (IS) since 2014, would no longer enjoy American protection from Turkish threats; Turkey views the SDF as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as a terrorist organization. Patience and openness The Trump administration decided on a gradual disengagement, which began in mid-May. The plan called for reducing troops from 2,000 to 1,000 and retaining only one of the eight bases in Northeast Syria. Washington, which has drawn closer to Syria since the meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa in Riyadh on May 14 and the announcement of the lifting of US sanctions on the country, is demanding the return of Damascus's sovereignty over its entire territory.
Shafaq News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Alawite teen killed at checkpoint as sectarian violence surges in Syria
Shafaq News/ An 18-year-old Alawite man was shot dead at an armed group checkpoint in the town of Shin, west of Homs, on Wednesday, as Syria faces a sharp rise in sectarian killings and abductions following the collapse of al-Assad regime. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the teenager was riding to work with a companion on a motorcycle when they were stopped by gunmen affiliated with pro-government factions tied to the defense and interior ministries. The assailants questioned the pair about their sect before executing one and briefly detaining the other. The body remained at the scene for hours before their ID cards were found near the local police station. #المرصد_السوري تصاعد في حـ ـوادث الـ ـعـ ـنـ ـف الطائفي.. إعـ ـدام شابين أحدهما في #حمص والآخر في #حماة — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) June 11, 2025 The killing is one of several violent incidents reported in recent days. In rural Hama, a young shopkeeper was gunned down in his store in the village of Turkmen Musa by two masked men on a motorcycle. Despite a heavy security presence in the area, the attackers escaped, raising suspicions of insider involvement. #المرصد_السوري استمرارا لـ ـحـ ـوادث الـ ـعـ ـنـ ـف.. استشهاد مدني بـ ـرصـ ـاص عـ ـصـ ـابـ ـة مـ ـسـ ـلّـ ـحـ ـة في ريف #مصياف — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) June 11, 2025 Meanwhile, factions known as 'Hamzat' and 'Amshat' abducted three displaced Kurdish men from Afrin while they were traveling from Qamishli to Aleppo. The men were accused of links to the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration. They are originally from Jindires, Sharran, and Khirbat Sharran. #المرصد_السوري بحجة التعامل مع " #الإدارة_الذاتية".. القوة المشتركة تـ ـخـ ـتـ ـطـ ـف 3 مواطنين كرد في ريف #حلب — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) June 11, 2025 In a separate case, the same faction kidnapped a fourth Kurdish man from the village of Ali Baku in northern Aleppo. He had returned from Iraq to visit family when he was seized near Deir Hafer. His fate remains unknown.
Gulf Insider
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Nearly 8,000 Killed In Syria Within Six Months: Monitor
At least 7,670 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's government and the establishment of a new transitional authority, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has documented in a new report. According to the war monitor, the number includes more than 2,130 'extrajudicial executions' and 'identity-based killings.' It warned of a 'pattern of organized violence' across the country. The SOHR report documents 'the killing of 7,670 people across Syria from 8 December 2024 to 6 June 2025,' adding that among those killed are '5,784 civilians, including 306 children and 422 women.' SOHR warned that 'this grim toll is a result of ongoing violence and violations by local and external parties, alongside widespread security chaos,' which reflects 'the fragility of the security situation and the increasing danger to the most vulnerable constituents of society.' The over 2,130 executions were 'committed in brutal ways.' In March this year, Syrian government forces carried out a series of brutal massacres targeting Alawite civilians on the Syrian coast. Damascus said it would launch a probe, the results of which have not been made clear. SOHR says '1,726 liquidations' were recorded during the March massacres against Alawites. Unofficial estimates at the time said the number could be way higher, possibly several thousand. The killings were carried out in response to an armed uprising against security forces launched by elements of the former government's armed forces. The UK-based monitor went on to say that since the collapse of the Assad government, 1,886 non-civilian combatants have been killed, including 496 members of the Syrian Defense and Interior Ministries. Additionally, 627 members of various armed factions, many linked to the new authorities in Damascus, were also among those killed. Over 250 members of the US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have been killed as well, according to SOHR. SOHR notes that 75 percent of all the deaths are civilians. The new Syrian army is dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former Al-Qaeda branch with a history of war crimes and violent, sectarian ideology. Several other extremist factions, including notorious groups such as Jaish al-Islam, have been incorporated into Damascus's forces as well. Alawites continue to be targeted by Syria's military and groups under its command. In the last five days, at least 18 Alawites have been killed in a new wave of violence targeting the minority group. Meanwhile, the country faces a widespread Israeli occupation and regular bombardment. The new SOHR report comes as Syria is being pulled out of years of isolation – with the US, UK, and EU taking steps to lift the sanctions on the country, which had been imposed for 14 years. Julani's terror army is distributing flyers in rural villages of western Homs that say: 'We are coming to slaughter you, O Alawites. Leave your villages.' — Kevork Almassian (@KevorkAlmassian) June 9, 2025 The EU is set to provide Syria with nearly $200 million (€175 million) to boost reconstruction, the health sector, agriculture, and the country's economy, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica announced while visiting Damascus on 4 June. Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa – a former Al-Qaeda and ISIS chief who went by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani – has met with world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump.
