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29 Mar - 4 Apr 2025

Published: Apr 5, 2025

SYRIA SITREP: 2025-03-29 - 2025-04-04 (Published: 2025-04-05)

Executive Summary

The week saw the formal announcement and initial activities of Syria’s transitional government on March 29, marking a significant shift in the country's political landscape. The 23-member cabinet, with a notable reduction in HTS influence and increased technocratic and diverse representation, immediately began engaging in domestic and international outreach, including Eid al-Fitr ceremonies and calls with regional leaders. Public sentiment, as indicated by a recent poll, shows widespread optimism and improved perceptions of freedom and security under the new administration.

However, the transition remains complex, particularly concerning the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) rejected the new government despite a significant prisoner exchange and an agreement to demilitarize the Tishreen Dam frontline. Security challenges persisted, with a notable spike in Israeli military actions, including extensive airstrikes and ground incursions in Hama, Homs, Damascus, and Daraa, resulting in casualties. Ongoing internal security operations targeted former regime elements and criminal networks, while unexploded ordnance continued to pose a significant threat to civilians across several governorates.

Key watchpoints for the coming week include the extent of international recognition and engagement with the new government, particularly from the U.S., and the continued dynamics between the transitional government and the SDF following their recent agreements and withdrawals.

Detailed Analysis

1. Politics

International Affairs
  • On April 2, Syrian Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa received a phone call from Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, discussing strengthening bilateral relations and Salam’s desire to visit Damascus soon.
  • On April 4, the President of the OPCW, Fernando Arias, issued a congratulatory message to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the formation of Syria’s transitional government.
  • On April 1, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaybani noted on Twitter/X that growing international support for the new Syrian government was fostering hopes for the lifting of sanctions, economic recovery, and strengthened political partnerships.
  • On April 3, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Damascus would pay a heavy price if it allowed hostile forces into Syria, describing Air Force activity as a warning.
  • On April 3, Israel’s Foreign Minister expressed concern about Turkey's negative role in Syria and Lebanon, asserting that Israeli military activities in Syria were solely aimed at maintaining security and preventing threats.
  • On April 3, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Israel’s military strikes and incursions, calling Israel the greatest threat to regional security and stating its raids thrive on conflict.
  • On April 4, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Turkey "does not want to confront Israel in Syria" and that Israeli military actions weaken the new Syrian government's ability to deter ISIS and other threats, contributing to regional instability.
Domestic Affairs
  • Syria’s transitional government was announced late on March 29 in an inauguration ceremony at the People’s Palace in Damascus (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • The 23-member cabinet contains 9 ‘independent’ ministers, 7 former members of the Salvation Government, and 5 people who previously held senior government positions under Bashar al-Assad pre-2011 (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • The cabinet includes 19 Sunni Arabs, one Christian (Hind Kabawat, Minister of Social Affairs & Labor), one Druze (Amjad Badr, Minister of Agriculture), one Alawite (Yaroub Badr, Minister of Transport), and one Kurd (Muhammad Abdulrahman Turko, Minister of Education) (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • 60% (14 of 23) of the cabinet have no prior links to HTS or the Salvation Government, and only 4 HTS members are in core ministries (Defense, Foreign Affairs, Interior, Justice) (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • The cabinet contains just one sanctioned individual (Anas Khattab), a significant reduction from previous Assad cabinets (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • Ahmed al-Sharaa retained strong control over core ministries (Foreign, Defense, Interior, Justice), while others are led by independents and technocrats (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • The inauguration ceremony was attended by a broad spectrum of Syrian political, religious, and ethnic society, including Christian and Druze clerics and the newly established Fatwa Council (led by Sheikh Osama al-Rifai) (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • Ahmed al-Sharaa’s speech emphasized the technocratic, professionally qualified, and inclusive nature of the cabinet, aligning with privately conveyed conditions of the U.S. and European governments (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • The AANES issued a statement on March 30 rejecting the new government and indicating it would not abide by its authority (Event from 2025-03-30).
  • On April 1, President Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted a ceremony marking Eid al-Fitr with wounded veterans of the armed revolution at the People’s Palace in Damascus.
  • On April 1, the heads of all Christian churches present in Aleppo met with the Governor of Aleppo to congratulate him on the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
  • On April 2, President al-Sharaa hosted a group of displaced children at the People’s Palace, providing them with gifts and a playground, to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
  • On April 2, the Ministry of Defense hosted a ceremony to honor those killed in combat and those disappeared during the war and celebrating their children.
  • On April 2, an event organized jointly by the Imad Charitable Organization and Syria’s Ministry of Social Affairs (chaired by Minister Hind Kabawat and Governor of Rif Dimashq, Amer al-Sheikh) provided educational and entertainment performances to 1,100 orphans for Eid al-Fitr.
  • On April 2, local notables from Raqqa visited SDF leader Mazloum Abdi to share in an Eid al-Fitr celebration.
  • On April 3, Druze militia leader Laith al-Balous lauded the sacrifice made by nine men from Daraa who died in clashes with Israeli military forces during a ground incursion.
  • An Economist poll published on April 3 showed that 70% of Syrians were optimistic about the future, nearly 80% felt more free than under Assad, 80% held favorable views towards President al-Sharaa, and approximately two thirds felt security had improved.
  • On April 4, the Druze notables of Jaramana (outside Damascus) reiterated their agreement to abide by transitional government agreements made a month earlier, affirming security management by the Interior Ministry and governance answering to Damascus.
  • On April 4, a public letter issued to President Ahmed al-Sharaa by figures in Suwayda (including Sheikh Yusuf Jarbou and Sheikh Hamoud al-Hanawi) called upon the transitional government to review the constitutional declaration and ensure accountability for sectarian violence.
  • On April 4, a joint statement issued by the Christian churches of Latakia and Tartus rejected recent calls by some Alawite figures for separation from the rest of Syria, insisting that Christians represent 25% of the population of Syria’s Coast and do not support separation.

2. Business

Economic and Infrastructure Developments
  • In forming the new transitional government, Ahmed al-Sharaa folded Syria’s long-standing ministerial positions for electricity, oil, and gas into the Minister of Energy’s portfolio, held by former Salvation Government Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • The appointment of Mohammed Barnieh as Minister of Finance and Nidal al-Shaar as Minister of Economy is a clear move to push for a full liberalizing of Syria’s economy, with both having significant professional experience in the United States (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • The appointment of Mazen al-Salhani as Minister of Tourism underlines the interim government’s keenness to revitalize Syria’s tourism industry, leveraging his connections in the Gulf and with prominent Western hotel brands (Event from 2025-03-29).
  • On April 1, the Director General of Syria’s General Corporation for Electricity Transmission confirmed that power was gradually returning to Homs, Hama, and Tartus after being cut off entirely earlier in the day by successive failures in power stations in Hama and Aleppo.

3. Security

Israeli Military Actions and Border Incidents
  • On April 1, Israeli ground forces abducted one man, Askar al-Atallah, during a ground incursion into the outskirts of Koya in Daraa’s Yarmouk Basin.
  • On April 2, four Syrian soldiers were killed and at least 10 others injured when Israeli fighter jets launched at least 19 airstrikes on the Hama military airport, hitting aircraft hangers, damaged aircraft, and warehouses.
  • On April 2, additional Israeli airstrikes were launched outside the T4 Airbase in Homs (at least two strikes) and at the Scientific Research Center in Barzeh, Damascus (at least one strike).
  • On April 2, Israeli ground forces launched a major multi-axis ground incursion towards and into the Tel al-Jamou, Nawa, and Tsil areas in Daraa, as well as towards the al-Jabaliya Dam outside Nawa, closing down roads.
  • On April 2, during the incursion, a group of local men from Tsil took up arms and fired on the Israeli convoy, triggering heavy shelling into a nearby forest, where at least nine local men were killed and 22 injured.
  • On April 2, six Israeli helicopter gunships flew into western Daraa to support the withdrawal of the incursion.
  • On April 3, Israeli aircraft dropped flyers over the village of Koya in Daraa’s Yarmouk Basin, warning residents not to hold weapons or travel along the “al-Wadi – al-Sharia road.”
  • On April 3, at least two Israeli airstrikes hit the former regime 7th Brigade base outside Kisweh, outside Damascus.
  • On April 4, Israeli military forces launched a ground incursion into the village of Ruwayhinah in central Quneitra, establishing a pop-up checkpoint and inspecting local civilians.
ISIS Activity
  • On April 3, one man, the owner of a money exchange facility, was targeted by ISIS militants in a drive-by shooting in al-Tayyanah in eastern Deir ez Zour, but he escaped unharmed; local reporting claimed he had refused to pay ISIS ‘tax.’
Internal Security Operations and Clashes
  • Idlib:
    • On April 1, several wanted gunmen were captured by GSS forces during a large-scale search operation throughout the Jabal al-Zawiyeh region.
    • On April 1, one man was shot dead in an ambush by unidentified gunmen on the main road between Maarat al-Numan and Ariha.
    • On April 1, the body of one man was found having been executed by unidentified gunmen in the village of Kafr al-Yahmoul in northern Idlib.
    • On April 2, a former regime militiaman, Yaman Darkoushi, was captured by GSS forces in a targeted raid in Idlib, with local reporting claiming his involvement in abusing prisoners.
    • On April 2, one man was shot dead by unidentified assassins in al-Dana.
    • On April 2, several pro-Assad gunmen were captured by Public Security forces in a search operation in the village of Maarata.
    • On April 3, one young girl was killed after accidentally triggering an unexploded landmine in the Telmanes area.
  • Aleppo:
    • On April 1, heavy clashes erupted between rival families in al-Bab, with no casualties confirmed.
    • On April 2, one combatant was killed in clashes that erupted between pro-Assad gunmen and GSS forces in the al-Nayrab Palestinian camp outside Aleppo.
    • On April 3, one girl, Rushin Ibrahim, was abducted by SDF-linked gunmen in the village of Kubarlik, allegedly for conscription into the SDF.
    • On April 3, news emerged of a new deal between the SDF and the transitional government, reportedly mediated by the U.S. military, for all military forces to withdraw from the Tishreen Dam frontline, passing it to a “special civilian entity.”
    • On April 3, the interim government and SDF exchanged approximately 250 prisoners in Aleppo as part of a wider de-escalation agreement linked to control of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh districts and demilitarization of the Tishreen Dam frontline.
    • On April 3, the Governor of Aleppo, Azzam al-Gharib, issued a statement on the prisoner exchange, noting that a further 600 prisoners would soon be exchanged and released.
    • On April 4, SDF military forces began withdrawing from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh districts of Aleppo city towards the eastern banks of the Euphrates in eastern Aleppo, under the supervision of transitional government forces.
    • On April 4, SDF forces also vacated the towns of Deir Hafer and Masakanah, with transitional government forces moving in to take control.
    • On April 4, the YPG General Command issued a statement acknowledging the departure from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, confirming that AANES “Internal Security forces” would now be responsible for local security.
    • On April 4, one Military Policeman was killed and two others injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen between Manbij and Jarablus.
  • Latakia:
    • On April 2, four Public Security fighters were detained in Latakia city after being accused of firing into the air from the city’s sports stadium.
    • On April 3, a drug smuggler and dealer was captured by Public Security forces in a raid in Latakia, with a large quantity of drugs seized.
    • On April 4, one man was injured when he accidentally triggered an unexploded landmine in the village of Nashbah in Latakia’s Jabal al-Akrad region.
  • Tartus:
    • On April 1, the body of one man, who had been executed by gunshot, was discovered in the al-Rabiyah area in rural Tartus.
    • On April 3, two men were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from the Safita area, and their executed bodies were discovered later that day.
    • On April 4, two men were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in a drive-by shooting in the village of Hreisoun outside Baniyas.
    • On April 4, four men were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the al-Hataniyah district outside Baniyas, but all four were later released.
  • Hama:
    • On April 2, one child was killed after accidentally triggering an unexploded cluster munition in the village of Suha outside Salamiya.
    • On April 2, several civilians were injured when a group of unidentified gunmen briefly opened fire in Hama city center’s al-Asi Square.
    • On April 3, one man was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while he drove through the village of Ghour al-Asi.
    • On April 3, one man and his son were shot dead by unidentified gunmen while he drove through the village of Tel al-Dara’a outside Salamiya.
    • On April 3, one man was injured after accidentally triggering an unexploded landmine outside the village of al-Ankar in northern Hama.
    • On April 3, locals in the village of Deir Mamah in western rural Hama collectively surrendered their weapons to the transitional government, including rifles, landmines, grenades, and ammunition.
    • On April 4, four civilians were injured when they accidentally triggered an unexploded munition in the village of Zur al-Sus.
  • Homs:
    • On April 2, one Shia man was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen and later executed outside the village of al-Kadhimiyah.
    • On April 2, the body of one man, kidnapped several days earlier, was discovered in the village of Khirbet al-Tayn.
    • On April 3, the Lebanese Armed Forces confirmed that it had closed down two further illegal crossing points from Lebanon into Homs (Doura-Hermel and Mashari’ al-Qaa).
    • On April 3, Public Security in Homs announced that its forces had detained Kamal Abbas (Abu Haydar), a lead suspect wanted in relation to the Tadamon massacre, who had admitted to raping women and providing weapons to pro-Assad insurgents.
    • On April 4, five people were kidnapped by a group of unidentified gunmen who raided a residential building in Homs city; all five were later executed and their bodies dumped outside al-Waer Hospital.
  • Raqqa:
    • On April 1, one SNA-linked commander, affiliated with the Hamza Division, was killed in a brief armed clash with rival fighters outside Tel Abyad.
    • On April 3, one man was injured after accidentally triggering an unexploded landmine outside the al-Thawrah oil field in western rural Raqqa.
  • Hasakeh:
    • On April 4, one combatant was killed in heavy clashes between rival tribes in the village of al-Bajdali outside al-Shadadi.
  • Deir ez Zour:
    • On April 1, one man was shot dead by unidentified assassins in the village of al-Bulayl in eastern Deir ez Zour.
    • On April 1, one interim government soldier was killed after an unexploded landmine he was attempting to defuse detonated outside the al-Taym oil field.
    • On April 2, one suspected drug smuggler was captured by GSS forces in a targeted raid in al-Bukamal.
    • On April 2, one former Syrian Hezbollah militiaman was detained by GSS forces in a targeted raid in al-Bukamal, following reports of him preaching pro-Iranian teachings.
    • On April 3, three people were killed after accidentally triggering an unexploded landmine in the village of al-Shula.
    • On April 3, a former regime military intelligence officer, Mahmoud Hussein, was captured by GSS forces in a targeted raid in Deir ez Zour.
    • On April 4, GSS forces launched a large-scale search operation in the village of al-Harri outside al-Bukamal, looking for pro-Assad gunmen and smugglers involved in the drugs and arms trade.
    • On April 4, four combatants were injured in heavy clashes between rival clans in Deir ez Zour city.
  • Damascus:
    • On April 2, Jamil Daqu, a Lebanese businessman linked to the captagon trade, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Barzeh.
    • On April 2, two pro-Assad gunmen launched a brief grenade attack on a checkpoint in Bustan al-Dour, but their attack was foiled and both were captured.
    • On April 3, the body of one man, kidnapped on March 29, was discovered, having been executed, outside the al-Mawasah Hospital.
  • Daraa:
    • On April 1, one man was shot dead and another injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen in al-Harah.
    • On April 1, one man was shot and killed by unidentified assassins in al-Sanamayn.
    • On April 1, one man was kidnapped and later executed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in al-Sanamayn, marking the second killing in the town that day.
    • On April 1, one man was shot dead and another injured in an attack by unidentified assassins outside Karak.
    • On April 1, one GSS fighter was injured when a group of unidentified gunmen launched a brief attack on a checkpoint in the al-Majbal area of al-Sanamayn.
    • On April 1, one combatant was killed and several others injured during clashes between rival clans in the village of al-Jizah in eastern rural Daraa.
    • On April 2, government security forces intervened as pro-Assad forces attempted to break into the former 52nd Brigade base outside al-Hirak, triggering clashes but no confirmed casualties.
    • On April 2, one man was killed and two others injured in an attack by unidentified gunmen on a local police station in Jassem.
    • On April 4, a former Assad regime militiaman, Mohammed al-Ghazali, was captured by security forces in an ambush outside Qarfah, reportedly preparing to smuggle himself to Lebanon.
    • On April 4, four former Assad regime Air Force intelligence officers were captured by GSS forces in a large-scale search operation in the village of al-Musayfirah, eastern Daraa.
    • On April 4, unidentified gunmen threw several grenades into a meat grilling store in Sheikh Miskeen, causing damage but no casualties; the store belonged to a man who had previously served as a nurse in the Assad regime’s Tishreen Military Hospital.
  • Quneitra:
    • On April 1, one interim government security force member was killed and another injured in an attack by unidentified assassins in Quneitra.

Relevant Context

The formation of Syria's transitional government on March 29, 2025, represents a pivotal moment following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. This new cabinet, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, is notable for its reduced influence of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), with a majority of ministers being independents or technocrats, and a broader ethnic and religious representation compared to previous administrations. This composition, including a Kurd and only one sanctioned individual, aims to signal a departure from the previous regime's governance and potentially open doors for international re-engagement and sanctions relief, a key condition privately conveyed by Western governments.

The week's significant Israeli military actions in Syria are part of a long-standing pattern where Israel conducts airstrikes and, less frequently, ground incursions, primarily to target Iranian-linked assets, weapons convoys, or infrastructure perceived as a threat to its security. These operations often aim to degrade the capabilities of Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah, within Syria. The recent escalation, particularly the ground incursions and the high number of airstrikes, underscores Israel's continued commitment to its security doctrine in the region, even as Syria undergoes a political transition.

Appendix (Optional)

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