WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump brushed off criticisms that he is too focused on foreign policy on Monday, arguing that the president of the United States has an obligation to &#8220;watch over the world&#8221; or risk being dragged into world wars.
&#8220;I have to view the presidency as a worldwide situation, not locally,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;We could have a world that&#8217;s on fire, where wars come to our shores very easily if you had a bad president. &#8220;When you&#8217;re president, you really have to watch over the world because you&#8217;re going to be dragged into it otherwise. You&#8217;re going to be dragged into a world war.&#8221;
Trump was responding to a question about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a longtime ally of Trump, who argued in a Monday morning Truth Social post that Trump should focus on domestic policy, rather than foreign policy.
&#8220;I would really like to see nonstop meetings at the WH on domestic policy not foreign policy and foreign country’s leaders,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Start by hauling in the health insurance company’s executives and let’s start formulating our Republican plan to save America from Obamacare and ACA tax credits that have skyrocketed the cost of health insurance!&#8221;
The president paused a moment before addressing Greene&#8217;s criticisms, as he spoke to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump: &#8220;I have to view the presidency as a worldwide situation, not locally. We could have a world that&#8217;s on fire, where wars come to our shores very easily if you had a bad president&#8230;when you&#8217;re president, you really have to watch over the world because you&#8217;re going… <a href="https://t.co/qDbqsFzSrC">pic.twitter.com/qDbqsFzSrC</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1987991495958310971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
&#8220;I don&#8217;t know what happened to Marjorie,&#8221; he said. &#8220;She&#8217;s a nice woman, but I don&#8217;t know what happened, she&#8217;s lost her way, I think.&#8221;
He pointed out that he passed the &#8220;Great Big Beautiful Bill&#8221; that includes the &#8220;biggest tax cuts in the history of our country.&#8221;
The president suggested that Greene is &#8220;catering to the other side&#8221; with such remarks, saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m surprised at her&#8230; when somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesn&#8217;t know.&#8221;
If China had refused to give magnets, the president explained, there would not be a &#8220;car made in the entire world,&#8221; because magnets are so important. He suggested that most people don&#8217;t understand the immense importance of magnets to the economy, and pointed out that he had warned China he would impose a 158% tariff if they did not cooperate with the U.S.
&#8220;China called up immediately and said we will make peace,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We made peace. We made a great deal&#8230;China is paying tariffs to the United States, not the United States paying tariffs to China, which has always been the way it was&#8230; so when somebody makes a statement about &#8216;he&#8217;s devoting time to the world,&#8217; well, the world is the United States. Because if the world is in trouble, or if the world is ripping us off&#8230;our country is doing very poorly.&#8221;
&#8220;So you know, it&#8217;s easy to say don’t worry about the world, but the world is turning out to be our biggest customer,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;The world was on fire. And we could have been in that fire very easily if you didn’t have a president that knew what he was doing.&#8221;
Trump also shared that his Monday meeting with Syria&#8217;s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, which Greene specifically criticized, went well, calling the Syrian president a &#8220;very strong leader&#8221; who comes from a &#8220;very tough place.&#8221;
&#8220;Tough guy,&#8221; Trump said of al-Sharaa. &#8220;I like him&#8230; we&#8217;ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that&#8217;s part of the Middle East. We have peace now in the Middle East. First time that anyone can remember that ever… If you look back at Syria for years, they had the doctors, the lawyers, and they had so many of the great intellects, and it&#8217;s an amazing place with great people. And we want to see Syria be successful like the rest of the Middle East. So I have confidence that he&#8217;ll be able to do the job.”
He told reporters that they can expect to see an announcement on Syria.
&#8220;We want to see Syria become a country that&#8217;s very successful,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And I think this leader can do it. I really do. I think this leader can do it. And people said he&#8217;s had a rough past. We all have rough pasts, but he has had a rough past.&#8221;
&#8220;He gets along very well with Turkey, with President Erdogan he’s a great leader,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;Erdogan is a great leader. And very much in favor of what&#8217;s happening in Syria. We have to make Syria work. Syria is a big part of the Middle East, and I will tell you, I think it is working really well. We&#8217;re working also with Israel on, you know, getting along with Syria, getting along with everybody, and that&#8217;s working amazingly.”
The White House didn&#8217;t immediately respond to the Daily Wire&#8217;s requests for comment on calls for Trump to pressure al-Sharaa to end the blockade on humanitarian aid to religious minorities in southern Syria. The Daily Wire first <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ahead-of-meeting-with-syrias-al-shaara-faith-leaders-implore-trump-to-speak-out-for-persecuted-religious-groups?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ahead+Of+Meeting+With+Syria%E2%80%99s+Al-Shaara%2C+Faith+Leaders+Implore+Trump+To+Speak+Out+For+Persecuted+Religious+Groups">reported on Saturday</a> that dozens of American faith leaders were calling on Trump to &#8220;address directly the massacre of Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites in Syria, notably in the greater Suwayda area.&#8221;
“These religious minorities face ongoing violence, death, displacement, starvation, and water and medical deprivation, all while innocent women and children are held hostage by ISIS terrorists,&#8221; the faith leaders wrote.
Trump has been hailed for his successes in foreign policy, with many suggesting he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to negotiate peace deals around the world.

US-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP-INDIA

Trump Responds To Critics Of Foreign Policy, Says He Must ‘Watch Over The World’

Donald Trump

Marjorie Taylor Green

Oval Office

Syria

Amid a record-breaking shutdown, the Senate advances a deal to fund the government, a man opens fire on ICE agents in Chicago, and in a historic move, the President of Syria is set to visit the White House.
It’s Monday, November 10, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251110-member-exclusive">the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Dems Fracture Over Shutdown</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-998175" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Shutdown-Stalemate-Ends-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Shutdown-Stalemate-Ends-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Shutdown-Stalemate-Ends-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Shutdown-Stalemate-Ends-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Shutdown-Stalemate-Ends-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Shutdown-Stalemate-Ends.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: With the record-breaking shutdown leading to thousands of cancelled flights and government employees missing paychecks, cracks began to form over the weekend among Senate Democrats.
On Sunday night, the Senate took a major step toward ending the government shutdown with a procedural vote. The vote was to break the 60-vote filibuster threshold to proceed to the legislation necessary to reopen the government until the end of January.
As it stands, the deal would allow a separate vote on Obamacare subsidies in December, which deviates from the original push by Democrats to pass a continuing resolution with a stipulation in the bill that the subsidies would continue.
Dems in turmoil: The vote set off fireworks within the Democratic Party, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and many other lawmakers sounded off against the move by moderate Democrats to make strides toward reopening without including the Obamacare subsidies in the spending bill. 
What’s next: The government is not reopened yet; the legislation still needs to make it through the Republican-majority House to reach President Donald Trump’s desk. Trump’s been leaning heavily into the issue, calling for the end of the filibuster as a nuclear option. 
View from the Oval: Trump has called on GOP lawmakers to abolish the Senate filibuster, which would allow them to pass a bill with a simple majority and end the shutdown themselves. 
“I am totally in favor of terminating the filibuster, and we would be back to work within 10 minutes after that vote took place, and lots of other good things would happen,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/NewsTreason/status/1986874156164476998">said</a> on Friday.
Trump went on to make clear that eliminating the filibuster is not just about forcing a budget vote and ending the shutdown. The president says it would also empower Republicans to codify his agenda, ensuring GOP success in the midterms next November. In a social media post over the weekend, he claimed Democrats were “cracking like dogs on the Shutdown because they are deathly afraid that I am making progress with the Republicans on TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER!” 
But at the moment, in a rare sign of pushback against the White House, plenty of Senate Republicans are standing firm in their refusal to kill the filibuster.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">ICE Targeted In Chicago</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-998173" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Agents-Under-Fire-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Agents-Under-Fire-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Agents-Under-Fire-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Agents-Under-Fire-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Agents-Under-Fire-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Agents-Under-Fire.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: Border Patrol agents were fired upon in Chicago over the weekend as federal officers continue to be targeted for carrying out immigration enforcement operations.
The Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-violence-must-end-man-opens-fire-on-border-patrol-agents-in-chicago-chaos-erupts">said</a> Saturday that Border Patrol agents were working in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood “when an unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene.” Law enforcement has not yet nabbed a suspect.
The agents then had a run-in with agitators who “threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol’s vehicles.” Reports and videos that circulated online showed people yelling obscenities at agents, walking around with whistles, and getting in their way. Chicago police were brought in to assist the agents and clear the scene. At least a few arrests were made during the chaos.
Chicago PD’s appearance is a change from last month, when ICE agents were surrounded by a hostile crowd and local officers were reportedly told to stand down. Those ICE agents were left to deal with the mob alone.
According to Homeland Security, “This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction.” The department further noted that threats have increased over the past two months.
National Guard: Citing violence like in Chicago, Trump has attempted to send National Guard troops into some jurisdictions, but has been blocked by the courts. Despite that, there have been some sightings of National Guardsmen around Chicago, however.
The situation is the same in Portland, where protests have happened regularly outside ICE facilities. The latest court ruling came on Friday, when a federal judge in Oregon permanently <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-permanently-bars-trump-deploying-national-guard-troops-portland-rcna236421" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banned</a> the president from stationing National Guard troops in Portland. That order could, however, be overturned by the Supreme Court.
Hawaii bust: Meanwhile, immigration agents have continued mass raids to sweep up illegal aliens. In Hawaii, immigration officers <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/1987581709945340097">arrested</a> dozens, including two suspected Tren de Aragua members, in a raid on the island of Kauai, according to the Kauai County Facebook page. 
According to <a href="https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/11/07/immigration-raid-targets-cleaning-company-employees-months-after-wage-settlement/">Hawaii News Now</a>, all those arrested were employees at Hawaii Care and Cleaning. The same company, back in January, agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the Department of Labor.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump To Meet with Syrian President</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-998183" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Al-Sharaa-Meeting-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Al-Sharaa-Meeting-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Al-Sharaa-Meeting-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Al-Sharaa-Meeting-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Al-Sharaa-Meeting-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/Trump-Al-Sharaa-Meeting.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump is set to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday. Ahead of the meeting, faith leaders sent a letter to Trump asking him to continue his defense of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities. 
Morning Wire spoke to Victoria Coates, former deputy national security advisor to Trump and a foreign policy expert at The Heritage Foundation, for more on the scheduled meeting between Syria’s leader and the U.S. president. (The following interview has been edited.)
Morning Wire: The visit comes just after the U.S. lifted sanctions on al-Sharaa and removed a global terror designation on him. Why did the Trump administration feel this was appropriate?
Coates: Well, while not really rising to the heights of a country like North Korea or Iran, Syria has been historically one of the most sanctioned countries on the planet for good reason. Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad committed egregious hostilities against his own people, which earned him the Caesar Act, an act of Congress that sanctions those things. Al-Sharaa was specifically sanctioned for his participation in ISIS, which remains, obviously, a special designated terrorist group and a foreign terrorist organization, as well as Al Qaeda, which remains in the same camp. Those designations remain on those groups, but they&#8217;re loosening the sanctions on [al-Sharaa] personally, which is why he could come to New York in September and Washington now.
Morning Wire: Do you see any progress on protecting Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and the Middle East more broadly?
Coates: Well, hopefully, yes. When I was in the Middle East, when this all went down in Syria a little more than a year ago, there was enormous concern from the Israelis about the Druze population in southern Syria, from the Emiratis and other Gulf allies about what might happen. And so Syria, a little bit like Lebanon, is kind of a made-up country – with apologies to any Syrians who may be listening – in that it is an amalgamation of these different groups. And you do have a dominant Muslim majority, but the others have been endangered historically. I think that is very well taken from the faith leaders and hopefully the president will be very strong on this and convince al-Sharaa this is a priority for the United States.

MRN_251110_V1

Morning Brief: Dems Crack Over Shutdown, ICE Attacked In Chicago, & Trump Set For Historic Sitdown

Morning Wire: Dems Fracture Over Shutdown, ICE Targeted In Chicago, And Trump Meets Syria Prez

Border Patrol

Chuck Schumer

Department of Homeland Security

Government Shutdown

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Media

Morning Wire

Politics

White House

WASHINGTON — Ahead of President Donald Trump&#8217;s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, dozens of American faith leaders are urging the president to pressure Syria to end its blockade on humanitarian aid to religious minorities in southern Syria.
&#8220;We urge you to address directly the massacre of Christians, Kurds, Druze, and Alawites in Syria, notably in the greater Suwayda area,&#8221; the leaders wrote in a Friday letter first obtained by The Daily Wire. &#8220;These religious minorities face ongoing violence, death, displacement, starvation, and water and medical deprivation, all while innocent women and children are held hostage by ISIS terrorists.&#8221;
The letter comes as the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-completely-wipe-out-the-islamic-terrorists-killing-nigerian-christians?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Threatens+To+%E2%80%98Completely+Wipe+Out+The+Islamic+Terrorists%E2%80%99+Killing+Nigerian+Christians">draws widespread praise</a> for speaking out in defense of persecuted Christians in Nigeria, earning accolades from even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nicki-minaj-gushes-over-trump-using-her-music-in-white-house-tiktok-pretty-incredible">singer Nicki Minaj</a> for his warnings to the Nigerian government and his vow to blow Islamic militants to pieces if they continue slaughtering Christians.
&#8220;President Trump&#8217;s bold actions have already saved countless lives, but the forgotten minorities of Syria cannot wait,&#8221; Dede Laugesen, the president of Save the Persecuted Christians, the group that organized the plea to Trump, told The Daily Wire. &#8220;This letter is a clarion call for immediate intervention to secure a humanitarian corridor that upholds the dignity and rights of the vulnerable. We stand with him in this fight, as he was ordained for such a time as this.&#8221;
Laugesen refers to the growing humanitarian crisis in Syria, where Islamic militants are targeting religious minorities, specifically Druze, Christians, and Alawites. Druze and Alawites are both monotheistic religious groups that branched off from Islam in the Middle East, and are considered heretics by Islamic militants. In Suwayda, which is currently blockaded by Syrian government security forces, the population is majority Druze with smaller groups of Christians.
<div id="attachment_997799" style="width: 872px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ahead-of-meeting-with-syrias-al-shaara-faith-leaders-implore-trump-to-speak-out-for-persecuted-religious-groups/sectarian-clashes-between-druze-and-tribes-in-sweida-syria-2" rel="attachment wp-att-997799"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997799" class="wp-image-997799 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2228625298-862x576.jpg" alt="" width="862" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2228625298-862x576.jpg 862w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2228625298-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2228625298-768x513.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2228625298.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px" /></a>Syrian security forces fighters deploy through the streets of Sweida, Syria, on July 20, 2025. (Photo by Mohammad Daher/NurPhoto via Getty Images)</div>
Skirmishes between the Sunni Muslim group, the Bedouins, and Druze militias have escalated into massive bloodshed. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/world/middleeast/syria-massacre-druse.html">Reporting from The New York Times found</a> that Sunni fighters are often working with government forces, and in a number of cases documented on video, government forces appear to be involved in horrific slaughter. Videos show the fighters and government forces forcing families to jump from balconies to their deaths, and executing groups of Druze men via firing squad.
The Supreme Druze Religious Council submitted a formal appeal to the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-872074">according to the Jerusalem Post</a>, calling for an immediate investigation into the acts of violence committed against the Druze, citing acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, including torture, executions, sexual violence, and war crimes.
That appeal specifically names al-Sharaa and says he bears direct responsibility for overseeing and even condoning these attacks, hiding the government&#8217;s role in the violence through hybrid warfare tactics, disguising forces as jihadists, and misrepresenting operations as counterterrorism campaigns,&#8221; according to the Jerusalem Post.
The signers of Friday&#8217;s letter, including Dr. Ben Carson, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, senior advisor for religious freedom at the National Association of Christian Lawmakers Matthew Faraci, Laugesen, former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, and others, praise Trump for his leadership combatting Christian persecution in Nigeria and for designating Nigeria a &#8220;Country of Particular Concern,&#8221; writing: &#8220;You are the only major world leader fighting for religious freedom, and we need you once again to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.&#8221;
The faith leaders urge the president to &#8220;secure President al-Sharaa&#8217;s commitment to opening a secure humanitarian corridor from Hader to Suwayda in southern Syria,&#8221; particularly in light of the approaching winter season. They praise Trump for &#8220;urgently rushing humanitarian aid to southern Syria,&#8221; and they note that opening the corridor will &#8220;enable safe and secure aid delivery and civilian evacuation, signaling the new government&#8217;s commitment to minority rights and stability.&#8221;
&#8220;Your advocacy for the persecuted inspires us,&#8221; they conclude. &#8220;We stand ready to support your efforts and pray for fruitful discussions. As Ambassador Mike Huckabee once wrote to you, &#8216;You were ordained for such a time as this.'&#8221;
Suwayda, filled with Christians and Druze who reportedly lack water, food, and medicine, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-872279">has been partially blockaded</a> by Syrian government security forces since July.
The Treasury Department removed Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations on al-Sharaa on Friday, a day after the United Nations removed sanctions on him, and just days before Trump will meet with al-Sharaa this week, as the United States seeks to help al-Sharaa rebuild Syria.
&#8220;These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,&#8221; State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a Friday statement, adding that Syria&#8217;s regime has been working to &#8220;fulfill its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons, and promoting regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_997791" style="width: 881px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ahead-of-meeting-with-syrias-al-shaara-faith-leaders-implore-trump-to-speak-out-for-persecuted-religious-groups/donald-trump-ahmed-al-shara-meeting-in-riyadh-4" rel="attachment wp-att-997791"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-997791" class="wp-image-997791 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2214391060-871x576.jpg" alt="" width="871" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2214391060-871x576.jpg 871w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2214391060-300x198.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2214391060-768x508.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/GettyImages-2214391060.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px" /></a>US President Donald Trump (C) meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara (L) along with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) during the first leg of his three-country Middle East tour in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Bandar Al-Jaloud/Saudi Royal Court/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)</div>
The United States formerly viewed al-Sharaa as a terrorist and had placed a $10 million bounty on him, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-lifts-sanctions-syrian-leader-ahead-meeting-trump/story?id=127314383">ABC News reports</a>. The Syrian president was also under UN sanctions as the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly linked to al-Qaeda, which the United States <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/07/revoking-the-foreign-terrorist-organization-designation-of-hayat-tahrir-al-sham">removed from its list of foreign terror groups in July</a>. At the time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move was &#8220;an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria.&#8221;
Matthew Faraci stresses that while President Trump is giving Syria the opportunity for a fresh start, he&#8217;s also &#8220;made it clear that such a fresh start must include religious freedom protections.&#8221;
&#8220;So far, President al-Shaara has not kept his end of that deal, and Syria’s human rights catastrophe is getting worse,&#8221; Faraci warned. &#8220;The faith leaders joining this letter know that Trump is brilliant at playing peacemaker, and are absolutely confident in his ability to get this fixed and get Syria on track.”

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Moscow

Ahead Of Meeting With Syria’s Al-Shaara, Faith Leaders Implore Trump To Speak Out For Persecuted Religious Groups

Christians

Druze

It is, in fact, possible to win wars.
I have spent my entire life watching the United States and the West lose wars, or at least not win wars. Initial victory, followed by gradual defeat or bizarre interventionism without the full force, weight, and commitment necessary to carry it through.
What President Trump is demonstrating, however, along with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel, is that it is, in fact, possible to win wars.
Let’s recall the timeline here.
On October 7, 2023, the genocidal terror group Hamas invaded Israel&#8217;s borders and killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly Jewish, and abducted 250 Israelis and took them back to their terror tunnel hellholes. In those tunnels, Hamas amassed a vast arsenal of rockets, grenades, and small arms over the course of 20 years with the support and funding from nations in the region, including Iran, Qatar, and Turkey.
There was also a serious possibility that Hezbollah was going to enter the war on the same day. In fact, Hezbollah started attacking with small rockets in the beginning and then gradually escalated. And, according to the military experts, Hezbollah was similarly genocidal and was a far better armed Iranian terror proxy based in Lebanon.
Israel also faced down a continuing terror threat from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Judea and Samaria, the so-called West Bank. Syria was being used as a thoroughfare for Iranian arms for Hezbollah. The Houthis in Yemen were another Iranian-backed terror threat. And, of course, the Iranian government wasn&#8217;t merely spreading terrorism, they were also fast-tracking a nuclear weapons program.
That&#8217;s where things stood two years ago.
Now, two years later, the Middle East has turned completely upside down.
Israel has completely decimated Hamas, killing its entire top leadership from Gaza all the way to Iran. Israel has destroyed Hezbollah&#8217;s efficacy and killed its terror master, Hassan Nasrallah. Its attacks on Hezbollah were so effective that the Assad regime in Syria completely collapsed.
Judea and Samaria have been quieted by the work of the IDF during this time. Iranian proxies in Iraq went silent as well thanks to the Israeli Air Force. The Houthis in Yemen are sort of the one remaining outstanding enemy, and they&#8217;ve been thoroughly bombed. They are a nuisance, but they&#8217;re not an existential threat to Israel. And Iran&#8217;s nuclear program, the greatest existential threat to Israel, has been set back years, if not decades, thanks to the courage of the Israeli Air Force, and, of course, a timely, brave intervention from President Trump that led to an amazing mission flown by the United States Air Force.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2295-the-trump-effect-how-to-win-a-war?elementPosition=4&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
And now President Trump has brokered an amazing deal, one that seemed unthinkable not long ago. The release of the final 20 live Israeli hostages all at once, along with all the remaining bodies released. Israel maintains a secure posture in the Gaza Strip itself as a transitional plan toward a future without Hamas, supported by regional allies, including countries that one moment ago were sending cash and weapons into for Hamas to use, like Qatar and Turkey.
The possibility of future Abraham Accords with countries like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are now on the table.
So, here is the question for the West: How is it that this war was won?
Because it&#8217;s hard to win wars.
Well, the answer is the conventional wisdom was stupid — and it has been stupid for decades.
And the decision makers here are ”out-of-the-box” thinkers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is someone who truly understands the nature of the Middle East and Middle Eastern history. But President Trump is the real difference maker here, because President Trump decided that America would no longer just go along with the 80-year-old slogans promoted by the Arabists at the State Department. 
The conventional wisdom was that military action does not guarantee security in the Middle East. That is a lie. It was always a lie. It was always catastrophically wrong.
In fact, every time Israel has provided for its own security, it was not through a peace deal. It was a peace deal after a victory. 
Military action is the only guarantor of support and security in the Middle East. It was military action that removed every supporting pillar beneath Hamas&#8217;s feet.
The conventional wisdom said the United States ought to play a weird, neutral role between Israel and its genocidal enemies. You saw this from Joe Biden. Kamala Harris talks like this all the time. Bill Clinton tried it until he realized that Yasser Arafat was totally uninterested in peace. 
But this was the conventional wisdom. Was that, sure, Israel was a strong ally of the United States, but America had to play honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians. And it turns out that that was not just wrong, it was idiotically wrong.
The Trump administration openly supported the IDF.
They openly provided the weapons. 
They openly provided the rhetorical support for Israel to win. And it was that that led to Hamas giving up the ghost and to Hamas, his allies, realizing that actually Israel was not going to be forced to simply accept the risk of its own survival. 
The conventional wisdom said that if you threaten to kill terror leaders abroad, that&#8217;d be conflagrationist and terrible. That, too, was wrong. 
Israel killed terror masters in Iran itself. Israel killed Ismail Haniya, the political leader of Hamas. And of course, it was the strike in Qatar that actually led to Qatar and Turkey deciding to press for Hamas’s ouster. 
Israel then hit inside Qatar in an attempted strike on Hamas&#8217;s leadership. They missed, but the message was made clear: Israel would be willing to do it again. 
And then the president essentially said, “Okay, you know what? We&#8217;ll come in. We&#8217;ll give a security guarantee to Qatar so this doesn&#8217;t happen again. But we need you to end this war. We need you to work with Turkey to stop all of this.”
It was a carrots-and-sticks approach led by President Trump.
President Trump understands the Middle East better than all the so-called experts.
And, by the way, he understands the Middle East far better than the supposed neocons, the total interventionists pushing for ”Democracy in the Middle East.” Trump is not one of those.
He also understands it better than the isolationists in his own party who wanted to reject Trump&#8217;s tempered and rational ”Peace through Strength” in favor of what might be called “Cowardice through Catastrophism,” the idea that World War III is lurking behind every corner — despite the fact that President Trump is the most rational purveyor of American force in modern American history. There was no shot that World War III would break out over one B-2 sortie over Iran. That was not going to happen because Trump was backing the IDF&#8217;s capacity to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That was not going to happen. The catastrophism was nonsense and it was nonsense from the beginning.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu, who soldiered through withering criticism both at home and abroad, of course, for the great crime of seeking victory over those who would destroy his country, deserves credit here.
Huge credit, obviously, as Jared Kushner says, to the Israeli people who mobilized in an unprecedented way to defend their nation and their civilization, we&#8217;re talking about 45-year-old guys leaving four kids at home and their business to go fight in Gaza in the “Sherut Miluim,” the Israeli Army Reserve Service.
And of course, huge props to the American people who provided Israel the support it needed to win, both in terms of material and mostly by making the right decision and electing Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. So, thank you to all the voters of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
It turns out that victory over genocidal enemies is indeed possible. What it requires is a smart strategy that bucks the conventional wisdom, a desire and willingness to win, and the perspicacity to dismiss people who promote either a starry-eyed millenarianism, in which every nation is going to break out into democracy someday, or a benighted conventional wisdom that fails every single time it&#8217;s tried.

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The Trump Effect: How To Win A War

Ben Shapiro

Benjamin Netanyahu

Hamas

Hezbollah

Iran

Israel

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Jews

Middle East

Opinion

Peace Deal

President Trump

Trump peace plan

ATMEH, Syria (Reuters) -A pre-dawn U.S. military raid in northwestern Syria early on Wednesday targeted and killed a senior member of the Islamic State group, a U.S. official told Reuters.
It was the second known raid in northern Syria by U.S. troops since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December. The Islamist-led government that replaced him has pledged to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State and is part of an anti-ISIS alliance that includes the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group.
The U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the raid killed a senior ISIS member who was seen as a candidate to be the leader of ISIS in Syria.
No U.S. troops were killed or injured in the raid, the official added.
A Syrian security source and Syria&#8217;s state-owned Al-Ikhbariya said the target was killed as he tried to escape.
Another Syrian source said the target was an Iraqi national and was married to a French national. It was not immediately clear what happened to his wife.
The Pentagon did not immediately have any public comment on the reports.
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The operation began at around 2 a.m. (1100 GMT), according to the Syrian security sources and neighbours in the town of Atmeh, in Idlib province.
Helicopters and drones provided air cover, one Syrian security source and residents said. Local Syrian forces set up a cordon around the neighbourhood, but U.S. forces conducted the actual raid, the second security source said.
Abdelqader al-Sheikh, a neighbour, said he was up late with his son and heard a noise in the yard next door.
&#8220;I called out, &#8216;Who are you?&#8217; and they started speaking to me in English, telling me to put my hands up,&#8221; Sheikh told Reuters.
He said the armed forces stayed on the roofs of surrounding houses for the next two hours and that he could hear someone nearby speaking Arabic in an Iraqi accent.
In July, the Pentagon said its forces had conducted a raid in Aleppo province resulting in the death of a senior Islamic State leader and his two adult Islamic State-affiliated sons.
Idlib has been a hiding spot for senior Islamic State figures for years. U.S. forces killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the village of Barisha in Idlib province in 2019 and his successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi, in Atmeh in 2022.
(Reporting by Karam al-Masri in Atmeh, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Idrees AliWriting by Maya GebeilyEditing by Frances Kerry, Rod Nickel)

A building, where according to Syrian security forces and residents, U.S. forces took part in a pre-dawn raid that targeted a member of the Islamic State group, a U.S. official and a Syrian security source said, stands in Atmeh

U.S. Troops Take Down Senior ISIS Terrorist In Syria, Official Says

ISIS

Terrorism

World

This month, I journeyed to the Middle East, where I met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif. I spoke with leaders about the importance of bringing peace to the troubled region.
In a region too often defined by conflict and mistrust, my mission overall was simple: listen, engage, and explore a path toward stability that protects all ethnicities and religions while advancing America’s security interests.
But the most important part of my trip came in Damascus, where I met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani.
I have long advocated for a Syria that looks towards the future and not the past. For me, it’s personal.
When I took my oath of office, I did so using the family Bible of Kayla Mueller, who was abducted by terrorists in 2013 while leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Kayla’s parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, joined me and my family that day.
In recent months, I’ve coordinated with American partners to follow new intelligence about the possible location of Kayla’s remains. I won’t stop fighting until we bring her home — and I won’t stop fighting until we bring stability to Syria.
Lasting peace in the Middle East is possible, and I believe that peace between the region’s peoples is the ultimate safeguard for both American and global security.
We’ve made progress. Recently, American forces and local partners successfully targeted ISIS leadership in al-Bab.
But what Syria needs most is time, space, and a framework for peace that guarantees equal rights, fair representation, and a constitutional system that breaks from the failures of the past.
That is where President Donald Trump’s game-changing Abraham Accords come in. The first round of agreements reshaped the geopolitical map, bringing Israel together with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in a coalition for peace, trade, and security.
Abraham Accords 2.0 is the natural next step, one that would expand this circle to include Arab nations, Israel, and potentially a post-conflict Syria, fostering an alliance that isolates Iran and its terror proxies, defeats ISIS, and opens the door to unprecedented regional cooperation.
The purpose of my meetings was not just fact-finding. With my military background and seat in Congress, I am uniquely positioned to bridge cultural divides, open dialogue with communities often overlooked in Washington, and help President Trump build the trust and political will necessary for these historic agreements.
Just as President Trump defied the skeptics with the original Abraham Accords, we can defy them again. We can bring in nations once considered impossible partners, tie security cooperation to economic growth, and create a durable framework for peace that ensures every community, Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Christians, and Muslims all have a place in the region’s future.
My office has always welcomed diverse voices and perspectives from across the Middle East. I didn’t visit the Middle East to dictate how people live or to push another era of nation-building. I went to offer support and foster hope, just as President Trump did with Kosovo-Serbia normalization, peace agreements in Africa and Asia, the first Abraham Accords, and the most recent peace signing between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
These successes prove that President Trump’s brand of diplomacy works.
This is only the beginning. Working alongside Ambassador Tom Barrack and other key partners, I will continue to advance a vision for the Levant and the broader Middle East that promotes stability for every community and strengthens America’s security posture.
The voters who sent me to Washington made it clear: they want an end to endless wars and a real strategy for peace. With America First diplomacy and the leadership of President Trump, Abraham Accords 2.0 can become a reality and with it, lasting peace in the Middle East.
If there was ever a moment to turn the page and secure a future where peace is possible for Arabs, Jews, Kurds, Christians, and Muslims alike, it is now.
America First diplomacy does not mean America Alone. We have a lot of work to do, and I look forward to seeing the day when lasting peace in the Middle East is achieved. By working together, we can make this dream a reality.
Abe Hamadeh represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Abe Hamadeh

Why Syria Needs The Abraham Accords 2.0

Abraham Accords

American forces killed a senior ISIS leader and two of his adult sons in Syria early Friday morning, the U.S. military announced. 
U.S. Central Command said that senior ISIS leader Dhiya’ Zawba Muslih al-Hardani was killed during a raid in al-Bab, Syria. All-Hardani “posed a threat” to American and coalition forces as well as the new Syrian government, CENTCOM said. 
“We will continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS terrorists wherever they operate. ISIS terrorists are not safe where they sleep, where they operate, and where they hide,” <a href="https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/4255485/centcom-forces-kill-senior-isis-leader-in-al-bab-syria/">said</a> CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla. “Alongside our partners and allies, U.S. Central Command is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS terrorists that threaten the region, our allies, and our homeland.”
Two of al-Hardani’s adult sons, Abdallah Dhiya and Abd al-Rahman Dhiya Zawba, were killed in the raid. CENTCOM said that both were affiliated with ISIS. Three women and three children present at the location were unharmed. 
There were no American casualties during the raid, which took place about 29 miles northwest of Aleppo.
In recent months, the Trump administration shifted American policy on Syria, dropping sanctions and moving to relax export restrictions. The move came as President Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-lauds-syrian-president-as-attractive-and-tough-after-vowing-to-remove-sanctions">been friendly</a> with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. 
During a May meeting with al-Sharaa, Trump called him a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.”
Al-Sharaa, who has portrayed himself as a moderate, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/syrias-jihadist-president-calls-for-peace-as-his-forces-slaughter-political-and-ethnic-minorities">previously been tied to</a> various terrorist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Al-Qaeda. Trump pushed him during their meeting to help the United States target ISIS.
In recent days, the Trump administration has also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rubio-calls-on-syrian-muslims-to-end-attacks-on-druze-rape-and-slaughter-must-end?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Rubio+Calls+On+Syrian+Muslims+To+End+Attacks+On+Druze%3A+‘Rape+And+Slaughter+…+Must+End’">pressed</a> al-Sharaa to crack down on terror groups attacking religious minorities in the country. 
U.S. forces have continued to target ISIS operatives throughout the Middle East. In March, an American strike <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/his-miserable-life-was-terminated-trump-announces-top-isis-leader-dead-after-u-s-strike">took out</a> Abu Khadijah, a top ISIS leader who was hiding in Iraq. Khadijah was the chief of global operations and the delegated committee emir for ISIS and, officially, the second-in-command for the Islamic terrorist organization.

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U.S. Forces Take Out Top ISIS Leader In Syria

Centcom

Trump Administration

U.S. Military

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (<a href="https://www.ifcj.org/?carousel=v3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IFCJ</a>), the largest philanthropic organization operating in Israel, is stepping up to assist the Druze community in Syria, who are currently facing persecution, kidnappings, and massacres by Islamic militants.
Violence broke out in the Druze-majority region of Suwayda on July 13, after Bedouin tribes and militants claiming allegiance to Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, launched attacks against the Druze community. Videos recorded by the attackers show the execution of civilians during the assault, including one of a 35-year-old American citizen, Hosam Saraya.
IFCJ has so far sent 1,500 boxes of food to Druze in Syria and sent medical equipment for a clinic inside Syria. The organization’s president and CEO, Yael Eckstein, told The Daily Wire that more aid is on the way.
“When we see our Druze and Christian brothers and sisters right over Israel’s border being targeted and killed, we have to do something to act,” Eckstein said. “Right now they are facing the very real threat of being wiped out from Syria if the free world does not do something to stop that.”
The Druze are an ethnoreligious minority found in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and in diaspora communities in the West. Syria has the largest Druze population, accounting for about 3% of the country’s total population. Although their faith originated as an offshoot of Islam, the Druze do not consider themselves Muslims. They believe they are descendants of Jethro — Moses’s father-in-law — whom they revere as a prophet and their spiritual founder.
<div id="attachment_950903" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-950903" class="size-large wp-image-950903" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Templates-27-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Templates-27-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Templates-27-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Templates-27-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Templates-27.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Humanitarian aid boxes sponsored by IFCJ and medical aid for the Syrian Druze population. (Photo: Courtesy)</div>
Israel has been the only country to intervene on behalf of the Druze, fulfilling <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/israel-warns-syria-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-hostile-forces-are-allowed-to-enter-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a promise</a> made shortly after Sharaa took power to protect the Druze community.
The next shipment of aid is expected to go directly to the hospital in Suwayda, which is in need of basic medical equipment and medications. According to the hospital staff working at the hospital, militants massacred patients in their beds, including children, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly84jn000do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported the BBC</a>. Now the hospital is struggling to treat new patients as the Druze community attempts to recover from the attacks.
“What we’ve heard is that people are needlessly dying,” Eckstein said. “People are getting to the hospital and they don’t have antibiotics, they don’t have the basics. We have the responsibility to help.”
There are about 150,000 Druze people living in Israel.
To Eckstein, sending aid to the Druze is the least her organization can do to help Israeli Druze save their Syrian brothers and sisters. Eckstein pointed out the Israeli Druze community’s long history of loyalty to Israel, with many Druze serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.
<div id="attachment_950899" style="width: 648px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-950899" class="size-large wp-image-950899" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-10.41.58%E2%80%AFAM-638x576.png" alt="" width="638" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-10.41.58%E2%80%AFAM-638x576.png 638w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-10.41.58%E2%80%AFAM-300x271.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-10.41.58%E2%80%AFAM-768x693.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Screenshot-2025-07-23-at-10.41.58%E2%80%AFAM.png 1338w" sizes=" (max-width: 638px) 100vw, 638px" />International Fellowship Of Christians And Jews CEO and President Yael Eckstein. (Photo: Instagram/Yael Eckstein)</div>
“The Druze community in Israel is part of our society that is irreplaceable,” she said. “They have the same responsibilities and they pay with their lives for the safety and security of Israel. The Druze population has the highest percentage of people who join the army for long-term army careers than any other population in Israeli society.”
Due to their religious differences, Islamic extremists have branded the Druze as heretics and persecuted them at different times in history.
“The Druze community has been targeted across the Middle East and in Syria just as the Jewish community across the Middle East was targeted after 1948 and kicked out as well except the Druze had nowhere to go,” Eckstein said.
Terrorists who have targeted Druze individuals over the past week have posted graphic videos of the killings online. In some clips, the gleeful attackers are seen confirming their victims are Druze before executing them. Other videos show militants forcibly shaving the mustaches of Druze men — including religious leaders — in a deliberate act of humiliation, as the mustache holds religious significance for the Druze.
Eckstein said the reality on the ground is frightening and that it is unacceptable that the world has not stepped up to condemn the atrocities and instead focused its attention on vilifying Israel.
“As the saying goes, no Jews, no news,” Eckstein said. “I think people are so consumed with focusing and being obsessed with Israel that it doesn’t leave room to see persecution that is happening all around the world.”
Although the IFCJ is primarily known for assisting Jews in need in Israel, Eckstein said the organization has been the largest supporter of the Druze community for over a decade. For the past 15 years, the IFCJ has helped fund a home for Druze orphans and children whose parents are unable to care for them, offered scholarships to talented Druze youth, and provided emergency funding to local Druze municipalities.
Two years ago, IFCJ donated the first three ambulances to Majdal Shams, an Israeli Druze town on the border of Syria, and trained medics to use them. The ambulances were instrumental in the aftermath of a Hezbollah <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netanyahu-takes-credit-for-assassination-of-terrorist-commander-challenging-days-ahead" target="_blank" rel="noopener">missile attack</a> on the town that killed 12 Druze children and injured 40 other people.
<div id="attachment_950885" style="width: 798px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-950885" class="size-large wp-image-950885" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/damage-from-Iran-rocket_Ramat-Gan_MDA-ambulance_3_14805353-788x576.jpg" alt="" width="788" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/damage-from-Iran-rocket_Ramat-Gan_MDA-ambulance_3_14805353-788x576.jpg 788w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/damage-from-Iran-rocket_Ramat-Gan_MDA-ambulance_3_14805353-300x219.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/damage-from-Iran-rocket_Ramat-Gan_MDA-ambulance_3_14805353-768x561.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/damage-from-Iran-rocket_Ramat-Gan_MDA-ambulance_3_14805353.jpg 1530w" sizes=" (max-width: 788px) 100vw, 788px" />Ambulance donated by IFCJ. (Photo: Courtesy)</div>
According to Eckstein, the ambulances are currently at the Syrian border preparing to assist anyone in need.
“I think people are smart and especially people who are faithful and read the scriptures and understand the difference between right and wrong and have a deep value and sanctity of life,” Eckstein said. “I think when you see what is happening, it&#8217;s pretty clear where there is light and where there is darkness and the more we can strengthen the light I think the better the world will be.”

medical equipment to Christians and Druze in Syria_03_20250623.

Why A Religious Charity In Israel Went Into Hyperdrive To Help Syria’s Druze: ‘People Are Needlessly Dying’

Ahmed al-Sharaa

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday urged the new government of Syria to crack down on terror groups “carrying out massacres” against religious minorities in the country’s south.
Syria’s government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, must step in to protect religious minorities, mainly Druze, in its south if the government wants to achieve a unified Syria, Rubio said. The fighting has dampened hope that Syria may be able to transition to a peaceful state.
“The U.S. has remained heavily involved over the last three days with Israel, Jordan and authorities in Damascus on the horrifying &amp; dangerous developments in southern Syria,” said Rubio in a post on X. “The rape and slaughter of innocent people which has and is still occuring must end.”
U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack <a href="https://x.com/USAMBTurkiye/status/1946936064360497273">said</a> on Sunday morning that a ceasefire had been struck between forces in Syria’s south, and that it was holding while negotiations for hostages moved forward.
“Escalating hostilities can only be contained with an agreement to pause violence, protect the innocent, allow humanitarian access, and step back from danger. As of 17:00 Damascus time, all parties have navigated to a pause and cessation of hostilities. The next foundation stone on a path to inclusion, and lasting de-escalation, is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are in process,” said Barrack.
Clashes in Syria’s south have taken place for weeks. Violence <a href="https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2025/07/clashes-intensify-between-arab-bedouin-tribes-and-druze-militias-in-suwayda.php">escalated</a> recently when Syrian government forces moved against Druze militias led by Druze leader Hikmat al Hijri last week. In response, Israel launched airstrikes against Syrian forces, causing them to withdraw.
Rubio called on the Syrian government, which has taken the side of Bedouin tribes against Druze, to restore peace to the region instead of targeting the Druze minority.
“If authorities in Damascus want to preserve any chance of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria free of ISIS and of Iranian control they must help end this calamity by using their security forces to prevent ISIS and any other violent jihadists from entering the area and carrying out massacres. And they must hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks,” said Rubio.
Rubio also called for a stop to fighting between Druze and Bedouin tribes in Syria’s Sweida province, where the fighting has concentrated in the Druze-majority region.
After the withdrawal of Syrian government forces, Druze militias moved against Bedouin tribes, sparking retaliatory attacks against Druze. Brutality has reportedly taken place against civilians and captives of both sides.
Israel has maintained military control over parts of southern Syria to keep a buffer zone between the Jewish state and Syria, which is rife with tribal violence and jihadists – Syria’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-is-syrian-rebel-leader-mohammad-al-jolani">president</a> is a longtime terrorist with ties to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Israel, which has a sizable Druze population living in its north, has promised to protect the Druze population in Syria’s south.
As part of its strikes, Israel hit targets in the Syrian capital of Damascus. Israel said it took action in defense of Druze civilians who were targeted by Syria’s military.
“The IDF continues to monitor developments and the regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria. In accordance with directives from the political echelon, the IDF is conducting strikes in the area and remains prepared for various scenarios,” the Israeli military said.

Marco Rubio

Rubio Calls On Syrian Muslims To End Attacks On Druze: ‘Rape And Slaughter … Must End’

Rubio Calls On Syrian Government To End Attacks On Druze: ‘Rape And Slaughter … Must End’

A Melkite-Catholic priest in Sweida, Syria, issued a desperate plea for help from the outside world as Syrian Islamists have been murdering Druze and Christians in Syria.
Father Tony Boutros, a representative of the Melkite-Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See in Rome, was<a href="https://hcef.org/790796443-syria-kidnapped-melkite-priest-freed/"> kidnapped</a> in 2015 while driving to a church for Mass. He was then serving as the pastor of the Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Shahba.
Speaking from Sweida, where Islamic forces loyal to Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), are attacking and reportedly slaughtering members of that country’s Druze community, Boutros posted an urgent cry for help to prevent Islamists from wiping out the Druze and Christian communities.
“We are not ‘minorities,” he began. “We are components of this Syrian country, and we have been living together for hundreds of years. We are the people of this land. We and our Druze brothers here, and we live with them. We ask the U.S., Europe, the Vatican, and the whole world for international protection for this region of Sweida, all of it, for us and for our Druze brothers, my dear ones, and we condemn every criminal act.”
“We are advocates of peace, my dear ones, we reject excommunication and we reject killing,” he continued. “All of this is condemned for us. And we want international protection from you. We want to stay in our homes. We want to stay with our Druze brothers, with our people, us and them. Not just neighbors; we are brothers and we coexist. Not just coexist; we are one, living together for hundreds of years, and we will not leave our homes and our land.  We demand international protection from the whole world. Look at us. Look at Sweida. Look at the massacres that happened to us in Sweida.”
He then tacitly thanked the government of Israel, among others, who have come to the rescue of the Druze and Christians, concluding, “And I thank all the people who want to help us and stand with us.”
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Heartbreaking, Father Tony Boutros, representative of the Greek Catholic Church in Sweida, Syria, makes an appeal to the international community to save Christians and Druze from an Islamist genocide.
“We Christians and Druze are one. Look at the massacre they are committing… <a href="https://t.co/DiBZLMBuze">pic.twitter.com/DiBZLMBuze</a>
— Dr. Maalouf ‏ (@realMaalouf) <a href="https://twitter.com/realMaalouf/status/1946161112908714112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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SYRIA-RELIGION-CHRISTIANITY-PALM SUNDAY

‘Look At The Massacres’: Syrian Priest Posts Desperate Plea As Islamist Attacks Intensify

Catholic

Global Politics

Islamists

Syrian forces loyal to Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), are attacking and reportedly slaughtering members of that country’s Druze community, prompting Israel to strike back to protect them.
Al-Jolani was previously the leader of Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, before taking over Syria in the wake of the defeat of former President Bashar al-Assad. On Tuesday, HTS forces entered the Druze-majority city of Sweida.
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Suwayda: Syrian regime personnel brutally beat <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Druze?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Druze</a> who are handcuffed with their hands behind their backs.
This is what European leaders are giving a pass to. <a href="https://t.co/rtLj6tCrLB">pic.twitter.com/rtLj6tCrLB</a>
&mdash; Dr. Fundji Benedict (@Fundji3) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fundji3/status/1945119503374819672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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This is how being a Druze right now in south <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Syria</a> feels like. This young man whispers into the camera asking for help, says Islamist Syrian government&#39;s Military Police are currently firing on his house, causing fires. His family is suffocating and moving between rooms to… <a href="https://t.co/Bzb7LHtgwX">pic.twitter.com/Bzb7LHtgwX</a>
&mdash; Hussain Abdul-Hussain (@hahussain) <a href="https://twitter.com/hahussain/status/1945472361722978598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“A Suweida resident told BBC Arabic the situation in the city was &#8216;catastrophic,&#8217; with indiscriminate shooting prompting people to &#8216;flee towards the countryside&#8217; despite a curfew declared by Syrian authorities,” the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89e3j4e911o">reported</a>.
“A people that survived the Holocaust will not stay silent as a peaceful community is slaughtered on its border. The West’s silence and hypocrisy over Syria’s horrors will not be forgotten. This is a war of light vs. darkness-good vs. evil,” Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism, wrote on X.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-clashes-druze-israel-92a72655b85fba1d0b12cc36ffe2cef3">reported</a> on Wednesday that Syrian officials and Druze leaders announced a ceasefire, adding, &#8220;It was not immediately clear if the new agreement, announced by Syrian Interior Ministry and in a video message by a Druze religious leader, would hold.&#8221;
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A people that survived the Holocaust will not stay silent as a peaceful community is slaughtered on its border. 
The West’s silence and hypocrisy over Syria’s horrors will not be forgotten.
This is a war of light vs. darkness-good vs. evil. <a href="https://t.co/CIAxdAqPxI">pic.twitter.com/CIAxdAqPxI</a>
&mdash; עמיחי שיקלי &#8211; Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmichaiChikli/status/1945473639505080376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The report of a ceasefire came after the Israel Defense Forces hit the military headquarters and the Presidential Palace in Damascus with airstrikes. Druze in Sweida showed their gratitude to Israel for defending them by flying the Israeli flag.
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WATCH
The Druze hang an Israeli flag on the roof of one of the buildings in Suwayda, Syria. <a href="https://t.co/0bMSmSvP56">pic.twitter.com/0bMSmSvP56</a>
&mdash; Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/1945470425925816752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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According to the <a href="https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2025/04/21/the-druze-community-in-israel-a-model-of-minority-integration/#:~:text=The%20Druze%20in%20the%20Israeli%20Military&amp;text=With%20over%2080%20percent%20of,as%20generals%20and%20unit%20commanders.">Georgetown Journal of International Affairs</a>, as far back as the 1930s, Muslims assassinated “prominent Druze figures advocating collaboration with Jews,” and Druze served valiantly with Jews in Israel’s War of Independence. In 1957, as requested by the leaders of the Druze community, the Israeli government designated Druze Israelis as a distinct religious community. More than 80 percent of Druze men enlist in the IDF; many Druze soldiers have fallen in the fight against Hamas in Gaza.
Many Druze residents of the Golan Heights have <a href="https://www.shomrim.news/eng/the-end-of-the-taboo">applied for Israeli citizenship</a>, especially after the Hezbollah rocket attack that killed 12 Druze children playing soccer in Majdal Shams in July 2024.
In 2017, two Druze border police officers, Haiel Sitawe, 30, and Kamil Shnaan, 22, were shot dead in a Palestinian terrorist attack on the Temple Mount. Sitawe was the father of a three-week-old son; Shnaan was planning to announce his engagement to his girlfriend the following week. In 2014, Druze police officer Zidan Seif died from wounds he suffered protecting Jews praying at a Jerusalem synagogue during a terrorist attack; he had a seven-month-old daughter.
Rabbi Yaakov Kermaier, the president of Yakir, an organization focused on Druze-Jewish relations, told the <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2017/07/14/temple-mount-terrorist-attack-highlights-deep-bonds-between-jewish-and-druze-communities-says-israeli-rabbi/">Algemeiner</a> that for Druze, they regarded the deaths as destiny, adding, “It’s very painful, but they are also very proud that their young people make the same sacrifices as the young Jewish women and men who defend Israel.”

TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-SYRIA-CONFLICT-GOLAN-DRILLS

Israel Strikes Syria To Protect Druze Allies Being Slaughtered By Syrian Forces

President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday lifting sanctions on Syria, the latest step in warming relations between Trump and Syria&#8217;s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The executive order, Providing for the Revocation of Syria Sanctions, will terminate various sanctions programs on Syria and the national emergency with respect to Syria, beginning on January 1, according to the Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“These actions reflect the President’s vision of fostering a new relationship between the United States and a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors,” Rubio said in a statement. “U.S. sanctions will not be an impediment to Syria’s future.”
The announcement comes after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-trump-lifting-syria-sanctions-could-transform-the-middle-east" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met with Sharaa</a> — who toppled Syria&#8217;s anti-American dictator, Bashar al-Assad — during his visit to Gulf nations in May. After the meeting, Trump described the terrorist turned head of state as a “young attractive guy” with a “very strong past.” The meeting between Trump and Sharaa was the first meeting between an American president and a Syrian leader in 25 years.
“He’s got a real shot at holding it together,” Trump said of Sharaa. “I spoke with [Turkish] President Erdogan, who is very friendly with him. He feels he’s got a shot of doing a good job. It’s a torn-up country.”
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Al-Assad was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-is-syrian-rebel-leader-mohammad-al-jolani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toppled by Sharaa</a> and his U.S.-designated terrorist organization, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, in December. Sharaa, who was once affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had a $10 million <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07gv3j818ko" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI bounty</a> on his head for almost a decade before it was lifted in 2024.
Rubio said he will also take “appropriate action” with regard to the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham group, and review the Specially Designated Global Terrorist designations of the group and Sharaa.
Rubio will also reexamine Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, enacted in 1979.
“Today’s actions mark the beginning of a new chapter for the people of Syria as they work to shape a future that is safe, stable, and successful,” Rubio added.
The executive order also states that Rubio will determine if the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, signed by Trump in 2019, should be suspended. The act sanctioned the former Syrian government for war crimes and designated several Syrian industries, but includes a provision for the president to waive sanctions if certain conditions are met.
Sanctions will remain on Assad, his associates, human rights abusers, traffickers, people linked to Syria’s past proliferation activities, ISIS and Al-Qaeda affiliates, and Iran and its terrorist proxies.
The executive order will also relax some restrictions on exports to Syria.
&#8220;This is in an effort to promote and support the country&#8217;s path to stability and peace,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday. “The order will remove sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on the former president Assad and his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their affiliates, and Iranian proxies.”
According to the order, “the United States is committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and neighbors” and a “Syria that does not offer a safe haven for terrorist organizations and ensures the security of its religious and ethnic minorities will support regional security and prosperity.”
It adds that Syria has been transformed in the last six months since Sharaa’s government took over for Assad.
Sharaa has been accused of grave human rights violations and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrias-new-leaders-turn-islamic-law-effort-rebuild-assads-police-2025-01-23/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly plans</a> to impose strict sharia law in the country. But since taking office, he has also sought to reinvent himself as a moderate force for a tolerant Syria.
He has repeatedly denied that he was a terrorist, including in a PBS interview where he said “it’s a political label that carries no truth or credibility.”
Sharaa has worked hard to grow relations with Trump since he took office, including signaling he would be willing to normalize relations with Israel, allow the United States to have access to Syrian oil and gas, and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-tower-damascus-syria-seeks-charm-us-president-sanctions-relief-2025-05-11/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly stating</a> he wants a Trump Tower in Damascus.

Trump al-Sharaa

Trump Lifts Sanctions On Syria In Sweeping Policy Shift

Sanctions

State Department

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