Bashan Times

On July 19, 2025, the last Druze to ever call himself Syrian was murdered in cold blood by jihadist terrorists for the simple crime of being Druze. The blood that was spilled has drawn the line between a past of oppression and a future of independence. 🇸🇨

BREAKING: Israeli forces opened heavy fire toward the outskirts of Jamla village in the western Daraa countryside after taking up positions in the area.

Syria’s new military partnership with Saudi Arabia has raised questions about Damascus’ priorities as security concerns remain unresolved in Sweida. Under an agreement signed during Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh, Syria will provide military training and expertise to Saudi forces confronting Yemen’s Houthis. Reuters reports that dozens of Syrian military personnel have already traveled to the kingdom, although Damascus has described reports of deployments as premature. The agreement comes more than a year after the July 2025 massacres in Sweida, where government-linked forces participated in deadly attacks against Druze civilians. Much of the province remains outside Damascus’ control, with local Druze authorities demanding accountability, credible security guarantees and protection against renewed violence. The Syrian government’s expanding military partnerships abroad contrast sharply with its failure to rebuild trust among communities at home. If Damascus can offer military expertise to defend Saudi Arabia, why has it still failed to guarantee the safety of its own Druze citizens? Regional alliances may strengthen Syria’s international standing, but they cannot substitute for justice, accountability and genuine reconciliation in Sweida.

BREAKING: Israeli forces targeted the outskirts of Mazraat Beit Jinn with three artillery shells.

BREAKING: Israeli reconnaissance aircraft flew over Damascus and its countryside throughout the night.

BREAKING: The Syrian regime is studying moving its defence ministry to Hama and other ministries and state institutions out of the capital to cities in the north under Israeli pressure, in what would amount to a concession that Damascus can no longer be defended.

BREAKING: Israeli forces fired an artillery shell near Tal Ahmar Al-Sharqi in southern Quneitra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

🇮🇱 Reports say Israeli forces are now just 7 kilometres from the city of Qatana in the Damascus countryside, following aerial reconnaissance of the area in recent weeks.

Breaking News: Reports say Israeli forces are now just 7 kilometres from the city of Qatana in the Damascus countryside, following aerial reconnaissance of the area in recent weeks.

Breaking News: Israeli artillery fired three shells at the Hamriya hill near Taranja in the northern Quneitra countryside and shelled the outskirts of al-Samadaniya al-Gharbiya.

Footage of Israeli military helicopters airdropping humanitarian aid to residents of Sweida as the blockade imposed by the Syrian regime on the province continues.

Breaking News: An Israeli military force consisting of five vehicles reportedly advanced toward the village of Maariya in western Daraa, deploying along its outskirts opposite the village of Koya, as Israeli surveillance drones flew over the nearby village of Jamla.

Wonder if the terrorist has been to Daraa recently…

A Jordanian security officer was killed and others injured in a terrorist attack on Al-Madina Al-Munawara Street in Amman, with authorities arresting the terrorist attacker. Sources told Al-Mamlaka TV that preliminary findings point to terrorism, while investigations continue. The attack comes less than two weeks after a terrorist assault on Hamoud Church in Karak killed nine people and injured dozens.

Breaking News: Israeli forces raided the village of Al-Hurriya in northern Quneitra with nine military vehicles, according to Syrian state television.

Sham TV’s correspondent in Damascus reported that several residents received notifications on their mobile phones prompting them to automatically switch their devices to Israeli time.

Thousands of students in Sweida are being denied the opportunity to continue their education as a political and security standoff between Damascus and local Druze authorities remains unresolved. According to local education officials, ninth- and tenth-grade classes are effectively unavailable in much of the province, leaving eighth grade as the highest accessible level of schooling. Of approximately 13,700 students eligible for critical examinations in 2026, only a small fraction managed to sit them. The crisis follows the July 2025 massacres, when Syrian regime-linked forces participated in deadly attacks against Druze civilians, leaving families deeply distrustful of Damascus. Syrian authorities insist that official examinations take place under government supervision, while local Druze authorities and parents have raised security concerns about sending children into regime-controlled areas. With no agreement in sight, an entire generation risks losing years of education, university opportunities and professional prospects. For Sweida’s children, the consequences of the conflict are no longer confined to security and displacement. Their futures are now at stake.

Heavy Israeli fire around the town of Abdin in western Daraa, amid reports of widespread displacement of residents toward Sahnaya in the Damascus countryside over recent days.

Asaad al-Shaibani has appointed Druze activist Moznah Alatrach as an adviser for peace affairs, just over a year after jihadists, backed by Syrian regime forces participated in deadly sectarian violence against her own community in Sweida. Alatrach, born in Sweida in 1987, is a media personality and civil society activist who claims descent from Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, the Druze leader who spearheaded the Great Syrian Revolt against French rule. Her decision to join the very regime whose forces were implicated in atrocities against Druze civilians raises serious questions about what Damascus intends to achieve through her appointment. In December 2025, Alatrach was among activists demanding the withdrawal of government forces from Sweida, accountability for abuses, and the right to self-determination. Now, she has accepted a position within that same regime’s Foreign Ministry. For a community still mourning its dead, searching for its missing, and demanding justice, appointing a Druze adviser for peace is no substitute for accountability. Damascus has yet to explain her responsibilities or demonstrate how this appointment will address the crimes committed in Sweida.