Al-Qaeda Affiliated Regime Forces Attack Druze and Christians
20th July 2025
In the wake of the terrorist attack that claimed 25 lives at the Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in the Syrian capital of Damascus on June 22nd, reports confirm that the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) forces and affiliated groups are escalating their campaign of persecution and violence against Christians, Druze, and other ethnoreligious minorities.
Currently, the Druze towns are being attacked by Islamists, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, or Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the former head of the Syrian al-Qaeda, who conquered Damascus last December.
The violence erupted in the predominantly Druze city in the province of Suwayda (also known as Sweida) on July 12, two days after a Druze merchant was reportedly abducted on the highway to Damascus. Suwayda is known for its Druze majority but also has a significant Christian population, primarily Greek Orthodox and some Catholic Christians.
It is the latest outbreak of deadly jihadist violence in the country since al-Qaeda-affiliated HTS forces—with the help of Turkey—overthrew Syria’s Assad regime.