Militiamen in Sweida, in southern Syria, during the clashes of July 2025. (Credit: Abdulaziz Ketaz/AFP)
Throughout August, Ahmad al-Sharaa scored a string of political and diplomatic victories, including the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had ruled over the northeast part of Syria, the removal of Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, and Washington’s intervention to contain Israeli strikes on Syrian territory. The interim president feels stronger than ever. He intends to capitalize on this momentum to resolve what Damascus now considers its “last domestic file,” namely bringing Sweida, a Druze province controlled by a separatist militia, back under his control.To that end, Damascus intends to use the same approach it employed with the SDF. In its view, the combination of military force and political concessions that enabled the powerful Kurdish militia and its proto-state, the Autonomous...
Throughout August, Ahmad al-Sharaa scored a string of political and diplomatic victories, including the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had ruled over the northeast part of Syria, the removal of Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, and Washington’s intervention to contain Israeli strikes on Syrian territory. The interim president feels stronger than ever. He intends to capitalize on this momentum to resolve what Damascus now considers its “last domestic file,” namely bringing Sweida, a Druze province controlled by a separatist militia, back under his control.To that end, Damascus intends to use the same approach it employed with the SDF. In its view, the combination of military force and political concessions that enabled the powerful Kurdish militia and its proto-state, the Autonomous...
