A massive, urgent, decisive litmus test for Syria’s new regime

Jihadists or a legitimate government? The massacre of Druze in Suwayda is where the mystery will be resolved

Syria’s new regime led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which has very disturbing roots in jihadist movements, has engaged in a carefully calibrated effort to convince the world it has reformed. Having secured the easing of US and European sanctions, and made quiet overtures to Israel, Sharaa is positioning himself as a pragmatic leader who can stabilize Syria and return it to the international fold. As I explained on I24 (above), that proposition is being very sorely tested amid the unfolding massacre in the Druze-majority region of Suwayda, and he should know this.