During their public conversation at a conference, Petraeus asked al-Sharaa: "I faced immense difficulties in Iraq. How will you deal with the challenges in Syria?" The former al-Qaida commander could not suppress a smile. "My mission in Syria is tougher than yours was in Iraq. You had the option of leaving. Our options are far more limited," he replied.

Even before his visit to the US, al-Sharaa appeared on CBS's "60 Minutes," moving from a defensive posture to lightly taunting the West. The ease with which he spoke was telling. From his perspective, it is the international community that failed Syria and now owes its support in reconstruction. He used the platform to list his achievements: the fight against the Islamic State, the expulsion of pro-Iranian militias, the removal of Hezbollah, and the release of Bashar Assad's political prisoners. In his telling, it is the world, not him, that must answer the hard questions.

His message resonated quickly. In New York, he was warmly received, including by French President Emmanuel Macron, long a self-styled champion of human rights. The enthusiastic welcome proves that beyond the cross-continental campaign run by Qatar and Turkey on al-Sharaa's behalf, Western interests were at play.

For European leaders, the pressing issue is the millions of Syrian refugees who could potentially return home once the civil war ends. The massacres carried out against Druze and Alawites seem to trouble them far less. Just last week in western Syria, Alawites reported an attack by Islamist groups aligned with al-Sharaa's rule.

Israel, meanwhile, has become the prime target of Arab leaders' denunciations. Not since Yasser Arafat's infamous UN appearance with a pistol on his hip, or Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's bizarre lecture on "democracy," has the General Assembly seen such hypocrisy. Today's authoritarian rulers, unbound by any constraints, still stand at the podium and lecture Israel about not being a democracy.

Jordan's King Abdullah, who keeps his own half-brother under house arrest, accused Israel of waging a "campaign against al-Aqsa," echoing Hamas propaganda. The emir of Qatar, who maintains only a sham parliament in his own country, protested Israel's targeted killings of senior leaders of the terrorist group he hosts and indulges in Doha. Al-Sharaa himself joined the chorus, attacking Israel's "aggressive policies" as though he were an elected leader rather than a warlord who seized power by force.

Yet, Israel's own confused policy cannot be ignored. On the one hand, it has opened channels of dialogue with al-Sharaa, lending him legitimacy. According to Syrian sources, negotiations between Damascus and Jerusalem center on the 1974 disengagement agreement and the scope of an Israeli withdrawal from territory captured since the collapse of the Assad regime. Another dispute involves the use of Syrian airspace. On the other hand, Israel maintains close ties with the Druze in Sweida, which could clash with any understandings reached with the Syrian government.

Al-Sharaa's rise offers a lesson: consistent policy and a focused campaign can work wonders for a leader with a closet full of skeletons.

Israel's justified war against the terrorist organizations in Gaza has been exploited by adversaries on the international stage. But Israel appeared to have abandoned this diplomatic battle before it even began.

Only now, after two years, was an Israeli "public diplomacy system" established, and even then there is no civilian Arabic-language spokesperson. Ministers compete with one another for the most inflammatory soundbite.

Under these conditions, it is no surprise that dictators with blood on their hands get to reinvent themselves as human rights lecturers.

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Major diplomatic progress between Israel and Damascus looks set to materialize within the coming month. US Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Shaibani in Paris on Tuesday. US Special Envoy Tom Barak mediated the meeting while also conferring with Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif.

Tarif exposed the dire situation facing the Druze population in southern Syria and asked the Americans to create and monitor a humanitarian corridor to As-Suwayda – seeking not just to aid those affected but to safeguard the community's members. The discussion was viewed as an extraordinary diplomatic maneuver. Tarif has strong connections with Syria's separatist faction, led by Hikmat al-Hijri, which promotes the concept of Druze independence from Ahmed al-Sharaa's central authority, even as the Trump administration ostensibly fosters closer ties with Damascus.

Yet countering the Druze separatist aspirations, Syria is developing an alternative narrative centered on preserving the nation's territorial integrity. Remarkably, Syrian media outlets disclosed Foreign Minister Shaibani's encounter "with an Israeli delegation," whereas previously such meetings would have been denied or ignored entirely. The key to understanding the developing accord between Israel and Syria lies in grasping al-Sharaa's evolution.

The former jihadist aligned with al-Qaida has transformed into an internationally recognized leader. TIME magazine named al-Sharaa among its 100 most influential figures globally for 2025, while Presidents Macron and Trump have offered praise and diplomatic embraces. This matters significantly, as international legitimacy serves as a crucial instrument for securing domestic acceptance. Al-Sharaa understands his tenuous grip on a Syrian state fractured and depleted by 14 years of civil conflict. Consequently, global recognition paired with economic assistance could bolster his domestic political standing, deliver stability and security, and enable him to bridge Syria's internal societal divisions.

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International investment flows reflect this pragmatic embrace. Al-Sharaa's government signed $14 billion in development agreements this month, encompassing Damascus airport modernization, commercial complexes, infrastructure rehabilitation, and subway construction. Qatar and Turkey lead the investment surge, joined surprisingly by the UAE. Trump administration representative Tom Barrack provided a ceremonial endorsement at signing ceremonies, symbolizing broader Western acceptance.

"We Are Brothers Initiative" coordinators Aya Achimeir and Shiri Fein-Grossman draw explicit parallels to the October 7 attacks. "Current events mirror our October 7 experience – massacres, kidnappings, sexual violence, and international silence. With 50 hostages still captive after 675+ days, we cannot remain passive. This represents identical methodology and evil. Jews understand unanswered cries for help. Druze communities won't face abandonment – we share brotherhood beyond battlefield solidarity."

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Documentation provided to Israel Hayom reveals bookstore proprietors affiliated with Islamist networks celebrating their newfound ability to distribute these materials, which remained prohibited throughout Assad's tenure. While Assad's regime did support terrorist organizations, this support stemmed from different motivations, particularly alignment with Iranian geopolitical interests.

During one mosque sermon in Homs, a preacher declared, "Numerous enemies surround us. Internally, we face minorities, separatists, remnants from Assad's regime, and individuals who despise Muslim leadership. Externally, our adversaries are equally abundant. They seek to prevent us from achieving freedom and dignity, attempting to maintain tyrannical rule, imprisonment, exile, and resource exploitation. Our singular option remains steadfast unity, patience, and solidarity with our state and leadership. The greatest threat we confront is internal disorder. Defiance of leadership directives and excessive criticism foster rebellion and state delegitimization, ultimately enabling coups and destructive civil unrest."

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According to a diplomatic source, Israel agreed to allow Syrian regime interior forces to enter the area to maintain order. It remains unclear at this stage what type of force is involved and the scope of the entry.

The tribal fighters were recruited after the Council of Sheikhs of the Bedouin tribes last night called for general mobilization and went into battle against Druze militias in the southern Sweida province. The tribal militias succeeded in capturing at least three large Druze villages, and fighters began setting fire to houses belonging to Druze residents. Thousands of civilians fled the battle zone, northwest of Sweida city.

So far, no Israeli involvement in the developing fighting in the south has been recorded, and it remains unclear whether Israel will assist its Druze allies as it did against the Syrian regime. Damascus denied reports that regime forces would advance back into the Sweida area to enforce order and said they were abiding by ceasefire terms.

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Since the outbreak of the Arab Spring in Syria in 2011, the country's Druze minority has faced existential threats, particularly from Sunni jihadist organizations such as Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra - al-Qaida's affiliate and the Islamic State's branch in Syria. These groups, which consider Druze to be heretics, were not content merely with fighting Bashar Assad's regime but aimed to "purify" their controlled territories of religious minorities.

The Druze, comprising roughly 3–5% of Syria's population (some 700,000 people), are concentrated in Jabal al-Druze in the Suwayda province in the south. Even before the civil war, the area suffered from neglect and lack of governance, and during the 14 years of conflict, it became a strategic weak spot in the Assad regime's defenses - vulnerable to jihadist terror and territorial encroachment. Between 2013 and 2018, jihadist forces significantly expanded their presence in southern Syria, at times operating dangerously close to major Druze population centers and even the Israeli border.

In June 2015, Jabhat al-Nusra, led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani also known as Ahmed al-Sharaa., threatened to overrun the village of Hader in the Syrian Golan Heights. It was only the determined resistance of local Druze residents, aided by Assad-aligned militias, that prevented the jihadists from advancing.

Two years later, in November 2017, the Druze faced another wave of violence. After a series of attacks culminating in a car bombing that killed nine people, protests erupted in Israel. Tensions among Israeli Druze communities were so high that IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis issued a statement declaring that "the IDF is prepared to assist the residents of the village and will prevent harm or occupation of Hader out of commitment to the Druze community."

Yet the warning proved short-lived. In July 2018, Islamic State carried out a series of coordinated attacks in Suwayda and nearby villages, killing more than 250 people, most of them Druze civilians, and kidnapping dozens of women and children. "We are ready to act, financially or otherwise," said Rafiq Halabi, head of the Daliyat al-Karmel local council, at a protest rally. The spiritual leader of Israel's Druze community, Mowafaq Tarif, declared the Islamic State attacks to be "a brutal ethnic massacre."

The charm offensive led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new ruler, and his efforts to project stability have now suffered a major blow. The ongoing clashes between jihadists and the Druze reveal a harsh truth: Syria's new regime lacks control and cannot contain the armed Islamist factions whose motivations are religious rather than political or diplomatic.

Just as jihadist elements affiliated with al-Sharaa's regime massacred Alawites in March and, in late June, killed 20 Christians in a suicide bombing at Mar Elias Church in Damascus, it now appears to be the Druze community's turn.

al-Sharaa's Syria is spiraling into chaos. A growing number of domestic extremist groups and foreign actors - Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia among them - are increasingly involved. In the absence of strong central leadership, there is a high likelihood of the country sliding into another civil war.

For Israel, this means a need not only for tactical readiness, responding to sporadic terror threats and attacks on Syrian Druze, but for strategic preparation. The emerging scenario involves escalating disorder and the risk of a renewed Syrian civil war, this time without a clear central authority like Assad. Israel must tread carefully to avoid clashes with al-Sharaa's ally, Turkey, or a war of attrition against radical Islamist factions in Syria. A comprehensive strategic posture will require building broad international understandings, particularly with the US, which only recently embraced al-Sharaa.

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According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the victims included 27 Druze, among them two children, and 10 Bedouins. Syria's Interior Ministry reported "more than 30 dead and nearly 100 wounded." The Damascus–As-Suwayda highway was closed in the wake of the fighting.

Video: Armed Druze fighters during the exchange of fire in As-Suwayda, Syria // Arab Networks

The Interior Ministry announced overnight that Syrian security forces would begin a "direct intervention in the area to resolve the conflict, stop the clashes, restore security, pursue those responsible, and bring them to justice." Syria's Defense Ministry, quoted by the official SANA news agency, said the delay in responding was due to an "institutional vacuum."

The Observatory said al-Sharaa's forces were fighting alongside Bedouin militias against the Druze. Footage purportedly from the area shows armed Druze men capturing and beating members of al-Sharaa's forces. Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a vocal opponent of the regime, issued a statement Monday morning calling for "urgent protection from the international community" and rejecting the entry of Syrian security forces into the region.

The current flare-up comes amid reports of warming ties between Israel and al-Sharaa's regime, which enjoys significant backing from the White House. Two days ago, reports from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, indicated that Israeli and Syrian officials had met to discuss a possible renewed implementation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.

According to Syrian reports, the current violence began when a Druze youth was stopped, robbed, and left wounded by armed men on the road from As-Suwayda to Damascus. In retaliation, Druze residents captured individuals from Bedouin tribes, leading to full-scale clashes.

Fighting between the sides was concentrated in the Makwas neighborhood east of As-Suwayda, a predominantly Bedouin area. Simultaneously, Bedouin gunmen launched attacks on Druze villages on the western and northern outskirts of the city.

Eyewitnesses reported explosions in several neighborhoods of As-Suwayda and at least one house on fire. Local leaders were reportedly mediating to calm tensions and negotiate the release of hostages held by both sides.

Mustafa al-Baqour, the governor of As-Suwayda—who remains in office despite reports of his resignation in May after an armed assault on his office—urged residents "to exercise restraint and respond to national calls for reform."

This is the most serious confrontation since April and May, when unrest was sparked by a fake audio recording attributed to a Druze sheikh, allegedly containing insults against the Prophet Muhammad. That incident left dozens dead in clashes between al-Sharaa's forces and Druze fighters. During that round of violence, Israel also intervened directly, pledging to ensure the safety of the Druze community and striking near the presidential palace in Damascus.

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According to two sources who spoke with the Arab outlet Al-Joumhuriya, Syria's interim president al-Sharaa – also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani – held a meeting with the Israel's National Security Council chief in Emirati capital. One source called the encounter a pivotal step in the ongoing Syrian-Israeli dialogue, some six months after the toppling of the Bashar Assad regime. The sources – a Syrian with knowledge of the negotiations and a regional diplomat – verified that this was not their first meeting.

Two weeks ago, Israel Hayom revealed that Hanegbi told Knesset members in a confidential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee session that Israel maintains direct communication – beyond just indirect channels – with Syria's leadership, including al-Sharaa. On matters of security and diplomatic coordination, Hanegbi confirmed he personally manages these efforts, amid talks of possible ties between Israel and Syria. He also highlighted Syria and Lebanon as leading contenders for normalization with Israel.

In his comments about Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani), Hanegbi was addressing lawmakers concern about a potential Israeli withdrawal from the Syrian buffer zone currently under IDF control. Hanegbi indicated flexibility, stating, "If normalization occurs, we will consider this option."

Hanegbi identified Syria and Lebanon as prime candidates for normalization agreements with Israel, building on the Abraham Accords model. His testimony confirms recent international media reports regarding direct Israeli-Syrian communications while exposing the scope of discussions that encompass both military and political spheres.

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Al-Shara made the comments during a meeting in April with a delegation of American businesspeople led by Jewish-American entrepreneur Jonathan Bass, published in the Jewish Journal. The group traveled to Damascus with the aim of jumpstarting economic ties between the two nations and encouraging American investment in Syria's war-ravaged economy. The meeting was seen as a potential stepping stone toward restoring diplomatic relations between Syria and the US, and to lifting a significant portion of American sanctions on Syria.

"I want to be clear," al-Shara said in reference to Israel. "The era of endless mutual bombings must come to an end. No country can thrive when its skies are filled with fear. The reality is that we have common enemies, and we can play a major role in regional security."

"Peace must be earned through mutual respect, not fear. We will engage where there is honesty and a clear path to coexistence — and walk away from anything less," the Syrian president said regarding possible negotiations with Israel.

Al-Shara also addressed the issue of Syria's Druze population, saying they are not political pawns.

"Syria's Druze are not pawns," he said. "They are citizens — deeply rooted, historically loyal, and deserving of every protection under the law. Their safety is non-negotiable," al-Shara told Bass.

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During his visit, his first since taking up the post, Barrack raised the American flag above the ambassador's residence for the first time since the US Embassy was closed in 2012. He emphasized the rapidly expanding ties between Washington and Damascus following Trump's surprise announcement lifting sanctions and his meeting with Syria's new leader.

Video: US flag raised in Damascus. // Reuters

"Syria and Israel is a solvable problem. But it starts with a dialogue," Barrack told a small group of reporters in the Syrian capital. "I'd say we need to start with just a non-aggression agreement, talk about boundaries and borders," he added.

Barrack also announced that Syria would no longer be designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the US, stating the issue was "gone with the Assad regime being finished." However, he noted that Congress has a six-month review period. "America's intent and the president's vision is that we have to give this young government a chance by not interfering, not demanding, by not giving conditions, by not imposing our culture on your culture," said Barrack.

Interim President al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, a former al-Qaida commander, is rapidly steering the country away from its decades-long alignment with Iran and Russia under the Assad dynasty, which maintained volatile relations with the West for over fifty years.

Syria has long been a frontline state in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Israel has held the Golan Heights since the 1967 Six-Day War and seized additional Syrian territory near the border after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, citing concerns about the jihadist roots of Syria's new rulers.

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