30.06.25 – 06.07.25
Syria’s people’s assembly
On the 13th of June, Ahmed Al-Sharaa established the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections. The goal of this committee is to develop the process of forming Syria’s Assembly. It will be responsible for creating legislation and supervising the executive bodies. The Supreme committee is composed of 11 members, all appointed by Al-Sharaa. It held “consultation sessions” in different place in Syria but did not yet visit provinces with a Druze or Kurdish majority. The assembly will be constituted of 150 representatives. Al-Sharaa will elect a third of them. The rest will be selected among subcommittee members, who are appointed by the members of the supreme committee.
In Aleppo, criticisms and concerns have been expressed regarding the representation of women in the people’s assembly, the vagueness of the People’s Assembly’s powers and the subcommittee members’ ability to nominate themselves for the assembly. It is still unclear how the Druze community will react to this “people’s assembly”. The SDC published a statement objecting against a centralized government advocating for a federal system in Syria.
Iran-backed militias in Syria
The fall of the Assad regime severely damaged the influence of the Islamic republic on Syria.
Iranian-backed militias in Syria did not make any actions during the 12 day war between Iran and Israel. Smaller groups are still operating in Syria, but their force remains limited and they, until now, failed to oppose the new government. Moreover, those groups are constantly targeted by GSS operations on the Iran-Iraq border.
It is likely that the necessity for the Iranian government to stabilize its position within its own country will reduce the ability for the Islamic republic to invest resources in its proxy forces.
Trump lifts most sanctions on Syria
On Monday, Donald Trump announced that the US lifts most sanctions previously imposed on Syria. In the executive order, the US president also directed the US State Department to review HTS’ status on the foreign terrorist organizations list.
This removal of the sanctions will permit Syria to improve its economy, however, it is not expected to significantly improve the political or security situation.
Alawite women and girls targeted in Syria: Thirty-Three abductions
After the fall of the Assad regime, the Alawite community has been going through different forms of persecutions. In march, thousands of civilians that were massacred in Latakia, Tartus, Homs and Hama. Today, in the same region, abductions targeting Alawite women and girls are happening in broad daylight. 33 Cases have been documented until now. The kidnappers act openly under the eyes of all, abduct women of the age of 17 to 35 years old and request a ransom from their families.
The families of the abducted girls and women face the denial of the Tartus governorate: their media officer recently claimed that the disappearances were due to “family disputes” or “personal reasons”. In March, a committee has been created to investigate the targeted violence on Alawite communities. The committee did not make any statement regarding the abductions.