What does Syria’s recent conflict tell us about al-Sharaa’s presidency?
What does a recent conflict in the Al-Suwayda province of Syria tell us about President al-Sharaa’s leadership?
In July, a brutal highway hijacking in southern Syria sparked tit-for-tat clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters.
During the week-long violence, over a thousand people were killed and more than 125,000 displaced. Syrian government forces and Israel also entered the conflict.
The latest hostilities come less than a year after Syrians celebrated the end of dictatorship and the promise of renewal. The resurgence of sectarian violence raises urgent questions about interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s leadership and whether his government can truly unify a fractured nation.
What does Syria’s recent conflict tell us about al-Sharaa’s presidency?
Contributors: Dr Rim Turkmani, Research Fellow at Director of Syria Conflict Research Programme (CRP); Makram Rabah, Assistant professor of history at the American University of Beirut; Dr Rahaf Aldoughli, Middle East and North African Studies at Lancaster University; Dr Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security at the Royal United Services Institute.
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Technical Producer: Richard Hannaford
Editor: Tara McDermott
Image credit Reuters via ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Images
Last on
Featured
-
.
Broadcasts
- Thu 7 Aug 2025 07:06GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service
- Thu 7 Aug 2025 14:06GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service
- Thu 7 Aug 2025 17:06GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 7 Aug 2025 21:06GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sat 9 Aug 2025 18:06GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service News Internet
- Sun 10 Aug 2025 00:06GMTÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service
Featured in...
The Middle East—The Inquiry
What are the region's biggest issues, and who will shape its future?
Podcast
-
The Inquiry
The Inquiry explores the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world