23.06.25 – 29.06.25
Church bombing in Damascus
Contrary to the declaration of the transitional government of Syria, The Mar Elias Church bombing was claimed by a group Saraya Ansar Al-Sunnah. This islamist organization is composed of ex-members of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham who left the group, after perceiving it to be lenient towards Shia Muslims and Alawites. In previous Telegram communiques, the group claimed attacks in Homs, the Syrian coast, the rural Hama and recently threatened the Druze-majority region of Suwayda as well as religious minorities like Alawites or Shia communities.
The international community reacted to this attack making multiple declarations and expressing condolences. In his declaration, the UN Special Envoy for Syria emphasized the need for rejecting terrorism, and urged for an investigation and concrete steps to prevent such violence.
The Armenian community of Heseke, the Syrian Democratic Council and the SDF issued statements condemning the terrorist attack. SDF also called for a transparent investigation aiming to clarify the origins of the two bombers and refuted the unfounded accusation of the Damascus Government’s Interior Ministry stating that both of the islamist militants escaped from Al-Hol.
Iran-Israel war
In answer to the US strike on the three Iranian nuclear facilities, the IRGC launched an air attack on the Al-Udeid US Air Base in Qatar. The missiles were intercepted, no casualties was reported.
On Wednesday, Trump stated that the US bunker-busting strikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities “ended the war”. He added that Washington expects Iran to give up on any ambitions regarding nuclear armament. It is very likely that the Iranian government will reject the request.
Iran’s enrichment capabilities are severely impacted; but, the enriched uranium stockpile remains a long term threat. After the Israeli – US campaign targeting Iran nuclear facilities and nuclear scientists, it remains unclear if Iran still has the structures and the necessary personnel to keep on with its project of nuclear armament.
An Israeli official stated that Israel is ready to resume operations against Iran if necessary.
Israel – Syria relation normalization
Syrian and Israeli officials are engaging in direct talks. Meetings of both representatives also happened. The Israeli National Security Council chief stated that one of the common interest on the agenda of the two countries is connected to Iranian influence on Syria and its presence in the country. He added that if the normalization of the relations between Syria and Israel kept moving forward, the Jewish state might consider to withdraw IDF from the Golan heights.
On Friday and Saturday, IDF carried out small limited incursions in villages close to the Israeli-Syrian borders. They searched the villages and pulled back 2 hours later. Those incursions are the most significant military operations of IDF on Syrian territory in the last months.
U.S. envoy reaffirms support for Syrian government
On Thursday, the US Special Envoy to Syria reaffirmed the commitment of the US to “protect Syria from Iranian-backed groups”. He added, “our priority in Syria is prosperity and security, and we do not interfere with the form of governance.”
Assassination attempt on Al-Sharaa
The media reported that the Syrian army, in cooperation with the Turkish intelligence, thwarted an assassination attempt on Al-Sharaa. Allegedly, the attack would have been prevented by the arrest of a member of an ISIS cell of Daraa, one day before the visit of the Syrian president in the city in March. A source from the Syrian Ministry of Information denied the report.
The US Special Envoy to Syria expressed concerns regarding the recurrent attempts of assassination on Al-Sharaa. He added that the threat is not limited to ISIS and jihadist factions but may also come from groups that once supported Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham and are not satisfied by the politics lead by the ex-HTS leader since he came to power.