Transcript [00:00] Hey everybody. So, I want to talk about [00:01] Syria. I know that everyone's focused on [00:04] Iran and Trump and the NATO Summit, but [00:06] some big things are happening in Syria. [00:09] Uh there was a headline yesterday that [00:11] French President Macron was there and a [00:14] there was some bombings. Apparently, it [00:17] looked like some sort of attempted [00:18] assassination or some kind of bombing [00:20] that was related to his visit. [00:22] But, what I want to do in this video is [00:23] I want to talk about that incident, but [00:25] also you know, widen the lens a little [00:27] bit and talk about a whole bunch of [00:29] other incidents that have been taking [00:30] place in Syria as a window in to to [00:34] understanding that chaotic and volatile [00:38] country. So, let's get right to it. [00:40] Let's hit the headline first. The big [00:42] headline was, as you see here on your [00:44] screen, "Bombs explode near Damascus [00:47] hotel housing Macron on Syria visit." [00:50] We're reading from The Guardian here. [00:51] Let's just We'll read this full story [00:54] here. "Explosions rock Damascus near the [00:56] hotel where French President Emmanuel [00:58] Macron was staying on Tuesday, wounding [01:01] at least 18 people, Syrian authorities [01:03] said. Macron was in the presidential [01:06] palace for a meeting with the Syrian [01:08] president President Ahmad Ashara when [01:11] the two improvised explosive devices [01:14] detonated near the Four Seasons Hotel [01:17] where Macron was reported to be staying. [01:19] The Four Seasons hosts UN staff and [01:21] foreign diplomats and is one of the most [01:23] well-guarded facilities in the Syrian [01:25] capital. The explosions did not [01:28] interrupt Macron's visit, Syrian state [01:30] media said, publishing pictures of the [01:32] French and Syrian presidents embracing [01:34] in the presidential palace. But, the [01:37] explosions were a setback for Syria's [01:39] new rulers who have sought to project an [01:42] image of stability [01:44] and have sought to attract foreign [01:46] investors since the toppling of the [01:48] former President Bashar al-Assad in [01:50] December 2024. Let's remember that line. [01:53] The explosions were a setback [01:55] for the Syri- for Syrians Syria's new [01:57] rulers who have sought to project [02:01] an image of stability. [02:04] As though these explosions [02:06] these explosions suddenly let the world [02:09] know that it's not so stable. You see, [02:11] cuz the reason that people heard about [02:13] this, the reason that this is a headline [02:14] in The Guardian, is because President [02:17] Macron was visiting, as we will soon [02:19] see. We're going to go into some other [02:21] incidents that have taken place [02:22] recently. Macron is the first major [02:24] Western leader to visit Syria since [02:26] Assad was forced out. And the meeting [02:28] with with Shaara in Damascus was viewed [02:31] as a major recognition of Shaara. Shaara [02:34] and his ministers have worked hard to [02:35] distance themselves from their pasts as [02:38] Islamist fighters in Hayat Tahrir [02:41] al-Sham, which grew out of al-Qaeda. [02:45] France has been one of the most [02:46] supportive Western governments of [02:48] Shaara's rule, pushing the US to drop [02:50] sanctions on Syria and playing a key [02:53] role in mediating between Syria and [02:55] Israel. Macron has been accompanied by [02:57] an economic delegation, including [03:00] Jacques Saadé, the head of the shipping [03:01] conglomerate CMA CGM, who has Syrian [03:04] origins. [03:06] The French president is expected to sign [03:08] memorandums of understanding with Syria [03:10] in an attempt to boost investor [03:12] confidence in the war-battered country, [03:15] which is struggling to lift itself out [03:16] of economic malaise. [03:19] A video of one of the explosions on [03:20] Tuesday showed Syrian police officers [03:22] standing around what appeared to be a [03:24] bin before the bin suddenly exploded, [03:26] wounding four officers. [03:28] The Syrian Interior Ministry said [03:29] another IED was placed in a parked car, [03:32] and that 18 people were wounded in [03:34] total. The Interior Ministry said an [03:36] investigation was underway to determine [03:39] who was responsible for the attack. [03:41] Now, it mentions a previous incident, [03:43] which we're going to look at also. Last [03:45] Thursday, an IED placed in a busy cafe [03:48] near the Justice Palace in Damascus [03:50] killed at least 10 people and wounded [03:52] more than 20. No group has claimed [03:54] responsibility for that attack. [03:57] Syria has recently struggled with [03:58] attacks from various armed groups, [04:00] including Islamic State and groups [04:02] linked to the former Assad regime. [04:04] Damascus has been largely spared from [04:06] violence until last week, even as other [04:09] areas of the country saw kidnappings and [04:12] assassinations as the new government [04:14] tried to assert itself. [04:16] Besides security, the economic malaise [04:18] created by 14 years of war and crushing [04:21] sanctions is main challenge facing [04:23] post-war Syria. About 90% of people in [04:26] Syria [04:27] live in poverty and the country's [04:29] infrastructure is in desperate need of [04:31] repair as a result of the war. [04:34] Basic services such as electricity are [04:35] inconsistent in parts of the country, [04:37] including Damascus. Now, besides the [04:39] stated reasons for Macron's trip here, [04:41] where it says that he's going to have a [04:43] an economic delegation and expected to [04:45] sign memorandums of understanding to [04:46] boost investor confidence, [04:49] uh there's another reason he was there. [04:52] Uh take a look at this. France and [04:54] Syria, this is from Emirati state media, [04:57] UAE state media. Uh [04:59] France and Syria begin return of [05:01] Assad-era confiscated assets. [05:04] Interesting. France and Syria have [05:05] started the process of returning 51 [05:09] million uh euros, 58 million dollars, in [05:12] assets confiscated from former Vice [05:14] President Rifaat al-Assad, the Elysée [05:17] announced on Tuesday. [05:19] During Macron's visit to Damascus, the [05:21] funds which were confiscated by French [05:23] courts will help finance development [05:25] projects that will benefit the Syrian [05:27] population. Rifaat al-Assad was [05:29] sentenced to jail in France in 2022 for [05:32] embezzling Syrian state funds and using [05:35] them to build a property empire across [05:38] Europe. His assets in the country have [05:40] been estimated as worth 106 million [05:43] dollars. [05:44] So, you have an Assad family member [05:46] embezzled tons of money, was building a [05:48] real estate empire in Europe. [05:50] His assets were seized and now part of [05:53] the visit of Macron and and Ashara [05:56] was designed to get those assets, those [06:00] confiscated assets, and give them to the [06:03] Syrian population. [06:06] Um and then it talks about how they've [06:07] established a [06:09] framework for more cooperation. [06:11] Very nice. Okay. [06:13] And Macron says France ready to help [06:15] rebuild Syria after Damascus bombs [06:17] disrupt trip. [06:19] So that's what the Macron trip was [06:21] about. But [06:22] as I pointed out in that first story in [06:25] the Guardian, [06:26] the this was a disruption to Syria that [06:29] is trying to project stability. And [06:31] remember at the end of that article it [06:32] mentioned that there was a number of [06:33] other incidents that have been happening [06:35] outside of Damascus, [06:37] uh various attacks from various armed [06:39] groups, kidnappings, assassinations. [06:42] Let's take a look. So it mentioned that [06:44] there was a previous bombing in Damascus [06:46] the week prior. [06:48] And here's that story. Deadly Damascus [06:50] bombing highlights security challenges [06:52] facing Syria. [06:54] And this was from July 3rd. So last [06:57] week, a bomb blast at a cafe in central [06:59] Damascus on Thursday, so this just this [07:01] past Thursday, killed nine people and [07:03] wounded 20. It's probably I think the [07:05] death toll is over 10 now. Syria's [07:07] interior interior ministry said there [07:09] was no immediate claim of [07:10] responsibility. Syrian state television [07:13] said an explosive device had been [07:14] planted at the cafe near the Palace of [07:16] Justice. [07:18] Preliminary investigations showed it was [07:21] a crudely made explosive device. [07:24] Uh video circulated on social media [07:26] showed wounded people. [07:28] The attack presents another security [07:29] challenge to the Syrian government [07:32] of Ashara who took control after [07:34] overthrowing Assad. [07:36] Damascus has witnessed a handful of [07:38] security incidents since then, including [07:39] a car bomb that killed one Syrian [07:42] soldier and wounded at least 18 people [07:45] outside the defense ministry in May. [07:47] That's not so long ago. Although no [07:49] group claimed responsibility for [07:51] Tuesday's blast, from sorry, for [07:53] Thursday's blast, Islamic State has [07:56] sought to exploit the security vacuum [07:58] created by Assad's ouster by [08:01] reactivating sleeper cells, recruiting [08:03] fighters, and moving weapons as the new [08:05] government extends its authority across [08:08] the country. [08:09] Security officials had said. [08:11] The militant group announced earlier [08:13] this year what it described as a new [08:15] phase of operations against Shahara's [08:17] government. Now, this is so interesting. [08:19] Ahmed al-Shara is an ISIS Al-Qaeda [08:21] alumnus, but he's trying to move away [08:24] from that and endear himself to Trump [08:27] and to the Saudis and to the French, [08:29] right? This is the image he's trying to [08:31] build and the ISIS guys are not happy [08:33] and they have announced that they are [08:35] going against the Ashara government. The [08:38] group is far weaker than when it [08:40] controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq [08:42] before the collapse of its caliphate in [08:43] 2019, [08:45] but it remains capable of carrying out [08:47] deadly insurgency-style attacks and is [08:50] viewed by Syrian, Iraqi, and Western [08:53] officials as one of the biggest threats [08:55] to Syria's transition. See, Trump is [08:57] always talking about how how Ashara [08:59] brought the whole country together and [09:00] he stabilized it and that's what they're [09:02] trying to project, but the ice the ISIS [09:05] guys are trying to thwart that. [09:08] Ashara's other opponents include [09:10] Assad-era officers [09:12] and soldiers. So, you have the ISIS [09:14] guys, but then you also have on the [09:16] other side the old guys from the Assad [09:18] regime, the Assad loyalists who also [09:20] want to target the Ashara regime. [09:24] Okay, in 2025, Syria was rocked by [09:26] fighting between the new government [09:28] forces and the Alawite minority. [09:31] Alawites are the the old Assad regime [09:33] were Alawites, so those are the the [09:35] Assad loyalists. But, it goes further. [09:38] Syrian Syrian Interior Ministry [09:40] continues investigation into Damascus [09:42] bombing. Look what it says here. [09:44] That they're continuing to investigate. [09:45] They don't know yet who did it. [09:48] Um and this has to do with the This is [09:50] uh reporting on the on last week's [09:52] bombing, the bombing that killed nine or [09:55] 10 people. [09:57] Um and it [09:59] And it says here, "In a statement issued [10:00] overnight Thursday into Friday, the [10:02] Interior Ministry described the blast as [10:04] a terrorist attack." [10:06] Uh they said preliminary investigations [10:08] indicated that it was an IED. [10:11] And [10:13] they don't yet know who did it. [10:16] Okay, that's that's the bottom line of [10:18] this one here. [10:20] But, even these two incidents are not [10:22] the only two recent incidents. Look at [10:24] this one. This is from not so long ago. [10:27] It's from June 17th. June 16th is the it [10:30] was the date of the event. June 17th is [10:32] the story here. Islamic State claims [10:34] attack on Raqqa Security Headquarters. [10:37] Islamic State group claimed [10:39] responsibility for targeting an Internal [10:41] Security Command Head Headquarters in [10:43] the city of Raqqa in northern Syria. The [10:45] group said on Tuesday, June 16th, that [10:48] two of its members attacked the Internal [10:50] Security Command Headquarters west of [10:52] Raqqa on Monday. [10:54] According to the group, the operation [10:56] left at least four people dead and two [10:58] others injured. The group described the [11:00] operation as a bold attack on a heavily [11:03] fortified security square that includes [11:05] Central Security Headquarters of the [11:07] US-directed [11:09] Syrian regime. Remember, Aschara used to [11:11] be one of them. And now they're calling [11:12] it the US-directed Syrian regime, [11:14] according to its wording. It added that [11:16] the two fighters reached the main gate [11:18] of the fortified headquarters, entered [11:20] it, and clashed with its personnel at [11:21] close range. [11:24] Uh and now Baladi's correspondent in [11:27] Raqqa [11:28] reported on Monday that that attack [11:30] targeted the Internal security command [11:32] headquarters in the Al-Intifada area [11:35] west of the city. [11:37] A second explosion was heard near the [11:39] headquarters. The Ministry of Interior [11:41] said security personnel confronted the [11:42] suicide attackers in Raqqa, managed to [11:45] neutralize one of them. The other [11:46] detonated himself [11:48] with an explosive vest after being [11:50] surrounded. The explosion killed one [11:51] internal security member and injured [11:54] three others. Islamic State group [11:56] announces from time to time its [11:57] responsibility for attacks targeting [12:00] Syrian security headquarters and [12:02] personnel from time to time. So, this is [12:04] actually happening more often than we [12:06] realize. [12:08] Um [12:09] and uh the Syrian Ministry of Interior [12:12] announced the arrest of 235 members of [12:16] Islamic State over 3 months. [12:18] As part of the operations carried out, [12:20] they said uh the counterterrorism [12:22] department has succeeded in dismantling [12:24] seven cells [12:26] and thwarting seven operations. [12:28] According to monthly breakdown, arrests [12:30] included 80 members in March, 99 in [12:32] April, 56 in May, including 71 in Deir [12:36] ez-Zor, and 35 in Aleppo. [12:38] The Ministry did not provide details on [12:40] the locations of the other arrests, [12:42] noting that the detainees' nationalities [12:45] included 198 Syrians and 37 foreigners. [12:49] ISIS does recruit foreigners into their [12:51] ranks. [12:54] So, [12:55] uh yeah I yeah, they also seized all [12:57] sorts of weapons, vehicles, uh IEDs, [13:01] electronic devices. [13:04] The institute explained the group had [13:05] carried out only eight attacks across [13:06] Syria in May, killing four people. That [13:08] was below the group's 2025 monthly [13:11] average of 29 attacks, 15 deaths, [13:13] meaning they've been active all through [13:15] 2025 and 2026. It just doesn't make the [13:18] news. So, ISIS has been active trying to [13:21] destabilize the Syrian regime. We see [13:23] this also. Here's a United Nations [13:25] report on Syria, [13:26] which it uh this is uh the recent United [13:29] Nations report better future for Syria [13:30] remains within reach UN Security Council [13:33] hears. This is from June just just last [13:35] month not just a few weeks ago. [13:38] And in the report it says to address [13:40] threats from extremist networks Mr. [13:42] Cordone who's the one who gave the [13:44] report said Syria's reports have [13:46] conducted extensive counter-terrorism [13:48] operations [13:50] resulting in over 230 arrests in the [13:52] past 3 months including foreign [13:54] nationals the dismantling of seven Daesh [13:57] that's Isis linked cells and the seizure [13:59] of weapons and equipment across several [14:01] governorates [14:03] all around the country. You know there's [14:05] an Israeli analyst I heard the other day [14:07] who said very accurately that Bashar [14:09] al-Assad is not really governing Syria. [14:12] He's only really governing Damascus. [14:14] He's really lost control of all the all [14:17] the outlying areas of the country all [14:19] the other provinces and regions where [14:21] you have different sectarian groups like [14:23] the Druze and the Alawites who have and [14:26] the Kurds in the north who have really [14:28] seized control of their own areas to [14:30] defend themselves [14:33] and then meanwhile you have Isis and [14:34] other terrorist groups who are running [14:35] around there and it's pretty chaotic. [14:39] That's the message I'm trying to give [14:41] you in this video. However Daesh [14:43] activities Isis activities outside [14:44] traditional operating areas and its [14:47] attempts to exploit governance gaps and [14:49] local grievances are concerning. [14:51] Highlighting he highlighted a June 14th [14:54] attack on a security headquarters in [14:55] Raqqa that's the one we just saw that's [14:58] this one right here the security [14:59] headquarters in Raqqa. I'm sorry this [15:01] one [15:02] right? [15:04] That killed security personnel and [15:06] injured others continued concern about [15:08] foreign fighter networks has also [15:10] emphasized the importance of ensuring [15:12] effective integration. [15:13] Now here here's where the plot gets [15:17] a little bit more interesting. [15:19] Muslim World League condemns terrorist [15:22] bombing in Syria. [15:24] Interesting. The Muslim World League The [15:26] Muslim World League condemned the [15:27] terrorist bombing that targeted a cafe [15:30] uh in the near the Palace of Justice in [15:32] Syria. That's the one from last week. [15:35] In a statement, the Muslim World League [15:37] Secretary General and Chairman of the [15:39] Organization of Muslim Scholars, Sheikh [15:41] Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa, reiterated the [15:44] League's rejection of violence and [15:46] terrorism in all forms and under all [15:47] pretexts. He expressed solidarity with [15:50] Syria in confronting anything that [15:51] threatens its security, stability, and [15:53] safety of its people. Al-Issa offered [15:55] sincere condolences to the families of [15:57] the victims and the Syrian people [15:59] praying to Allah Almighty for mercy for [16:02] the deceased and speedy recovery for the [16:03] injured. So, who's the Muslim World [16:05] League? It's It's nice to see this [16:07] Muslim organization condemning [16:08] terrorism. Who are they? So, the Muslim [16:10] World League [16:12] uh was was founded in the 1960s [16:16] and uh it was founded in 1962 with Saudi [16:20] government backing. And officially, it [16:22] exists in order to spread Islam, to fund [16:25] mosques, to distribute Qurans, to [16:28] provide humanitarian aid, and to promote [16:30] and in its modern incarnation, meaning [16:33] modern in the last [16:34] 10 15 years, we'll get to that in a [16:36] moment, it also promotes interfaith [16:38] dialogue and moderate Islam. It's funded [16:41] by the Saudi state. [16:44] Now, the Saudis don't seem so moderate, [16:46] but let me explain. When the when the [16:49] Muslim World League was first founded in [16:51] the 1960s [16:53] and then all the way through to the [16:54] early 2000s [16:56] or uh it was [16:58] actually a very problematic [17:00] organization. It was very strongly [17:02] associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. [17:04] Um Saudi Arabia at the time was was [17:07] giving refuge to Muslim Brotherhood [17:08] members and it was giving the Muslim [17:11] Brotherhood institutional platforms [17:13] after they were kicked out of Egypt cuz [17:15] Nasser kicked them out of Egypt and they [17:18] and then the Saudis really took them in. [17:20] And the Muslim World League was a [17:21] vehicle for that and then [17:23] um [17:25] US officials say that the Muslim World [17:27] League in the past had supported Islamic [17:30] terrorist organizations [17:32] and had a long history of anti-Semitism [17:34] and as late as 2008 [17:36] the league invited Muslim Brotherhood [17:39] leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi who's like a [17:41] Qatari cleric. He's one of like the [17:43] thought leaders of the Muslim [17:44] Brotherhood. Uh radical guy and they had [17:47] invited him. He openly advocates jihad [17:50] against Jews and the West and he spoke [17:52] for the Muslim World League in 2008. [17:56] So this was a really bad organization [17:58] and then they flipped. What happened was [18:01] in 2013 there was an attempted [18:04] coup [18:05] in Egypt. [18:07] Uh 2013. [18:10] Saudi Arabia along with the UAE, [18:12] Bahrain, and Egypt uh ever since then [18:14] designates the Muslim Brotherhood as a [18:17] terrorist organization. And in line with [18:19] the new Saudi policy on the Brotherhood, [18:22] the Muslim World League now is trying to [18:24] break with its past. [18:26] So their new secretary general, Muhammad [18:28] al-Issa, who issued the statement, he's [18:30] been in office for the last 10 years as [18:32] the head of the Muslim World League, [18:34] he's become uh a major voice for [18:37] interfaith cooperation and a rejection [18:39] of of extremism. [18:41] And he's run uh he's he's he's done some [18:43] high-profile outreach to Jewish groups. [18:45] He visited Auschwitz. [18:47] Um and uh he's trying to counter the [18:50] political Islam of the Muslim [18:52] Brotherhood. [18:54] So historically the Muslim World League [18:56] and and the Muslim Brotherhood were [18:58] closely aligned sharing personnel and [19:01] ideology, but today they're on opposite [19:03] sides. [19:05] And the Muslim World League now serves [19:06] as one of Saudi Arabia's flagship tools [19:10] for promoting um [19:12] like a state-controlled moderate Islam [19:15] that rejects the Muslim Brotherhood. [19:17] And, uh, and [19:19] and and it so it's in line with the [19:21] Saudi policy, but that's that's like the [19:23] role it currently plays. [19:25] Now, [19:26] um, there are Western watchdog groups [19:29] that track these Islamist networks, and [19:32] some of them don't really trust this [19:34] moderate branding of the of the World [19:37] Mus uh [19:38] of the Muslim World League. [19:40] Um, [19:42] and and some of their affiliated, uh, [19:45] organizations still [19:47] might be in bed with the Muslim [19:48] Brotherhood. Anyway, that's the current [19:51] that's the situation here, and that's [19:52] why I brought up this little strange [19:54] little news story. The Muslim World [19:56] League condemns the bombing in Syria. [19:58] What's that about? Well, it's about [20:00] this. It's about who Ashara is, and [20:03] which side he's on, and who ISIS is, and [20:06] lining everyone up. Meaning, Ahmed [20:08] Ashara is trying to distance himself [20:11] from his Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Muslim [20:14] Brotherhood ideology connections, trying [20:17] to present himself more as part of this [20:19] camp that's moving away from that. [20:22] Which is where the Saudi government [20:23] officially is. They outlaw the Muslim [20:25] Brotherhood. [20:27] So, by having the Muslim World League, [20:29] which is this [20:30] respected Muslim leadership, religious [20:33] leadership organization condemning the [20:35] bombings in Syria, [20:37] that is, [20:38] uh, you know, kind of lining up with [20:41] where Ahmed Ashara wants to be seen. [20:44] Right? That the it it's condemning the [20:46] terrorism. It's also showing Saudi [20:48] support for the Ashara regime without it [20:51] being official government, uh, an [20:54] official government statement. Anyway, [20:57] um, [20:59] the incidents don't stop with with the [21:01] ones I've showed you. Syrian security [21:03] forces foil assassination cell in Hama [21:05] province. This is a completely separate [21:07] incident, but it's also just from a [21:08] couple days ago. This is July 6th, [21:11] meaning well well the in between the the [21:13] bombing in Damascus of Thursday and the [21:15] bombing in Damascus of yesterday, we [21:17] have this. [21:20] Internal security forces in Hama [21:21] province dismantled a criminal cell [21:24] operating in the Al-Ghab area on Sunday [21:26] arresting all seven of its members, a [21:28] source is the Syrian at the Syrian [21:30] Ministry of of Interior told SANA [21:32] that one of the detainees confirmed [21:35] involvement in the assassination of a [21:37] resident of the Salhab area in Hama [21:39] province. The killing was documented in [21:42] a video recording. Efforts are [21:44] continuing to to identify additional [21:46] suspects believed to be linked to the [21:48] cell. [21:50] Um [21:53] Led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, former [21:55] commander of HTS, which was Al-Qaeda [21:59] linked group, the provisional [22:01] administration has spent the past year [22:03] and a half working to consolidate [22:05] central authority, draft a new [22:06] constitution, and rebuild state [22:08] institutions. [22:13] Anyway, that's So, you see that there's [22:15] So, we have an assassination cell. [22:18] We have the bombing in in Raqqa. [22:22] We and we have and then we have these [22:25] two bombings in Damascus. This is all in [22:26] the space of a few weeks. [22:29] And then we have this one. Syria foiled [22:31] bus bombing attempt amid rising security [22:35] concerns in Damascus. And when do you [22:37] think this is from? July 4th, also in [22:40] the same week. In the same week we have [22:43] the two bombings in Damascus. [22:45] We have [22:47] and we have a foiled assassination cell [22:49] in Hama, and we have a foiled bus [22:53] bombing attempt [22:55] in Damascus. Check this out. Syrian [22:57] authorities on Friday said they had [22:58] foiled an attempt to bomb a passenger [23:00] bus in the Damascus suburb. the latest [23:03] in a series of security incidents that [23:05] have shaken the capital and its and its [23:07] outskirts in recent days. [23:11] Look at that. [23:14] And then it mentions the other [23:15] incidents. No group has claimed [23:16] responsibility for the incidents. [23:20] Um [23:21] Yeah. So So that's what I wanted to [23:23] share with you in this video. My point [23:25] in all of this is as follows. [23:28] Syria is a chaotic mess. [23:31] We have this uh the there's this uh [23:34] narrative that that is being sold to us [23:37] that Bashar al-Assad is in there, the [23:39] Assad regime is gone, and now it's a new [23:41] better Syria, and it's more stable. And [23:43] it is not more stable. It is a chaotic [23:45] mess, and things are ramping up as you [23:48] see from the headlines I just showed you [23:50] in the last week alone, we've had [23:52] multiple foiled bombings, we've had [23:54] multiple successful bombings. [23:56] Meanwhile, there's been other incidents [23:58] that are happening. We're looking at [23:59] these reports that are saying that it's [24:00] actually been fairly consistent that [24:02] over the course of the last year and a [24:04] half there's been a lots of ISIS [24:05] activity all over the country. [24:07] The minorities are not giving up their [24:09] weapons, and they're holding on to them. [24:10] The Alawites still have a score to [24:12] settle with Bashar al-Assad. [24:14] And they're trying to project stability, [24:17] so it's pretty clear what this bombing [24:19] about was about in France. And here's [24:21] how I interpret it. [24:23] The bombers knew that Macron was not in [24:26] the hotel when they did the bombing, and [24:28] the bombing was only near the hotel. [24:31] Think about that. They knew where he [24:32] was, that he was in the presidential [24:34] palace having a meeting during the day. [24:36] The bombing wasn't an assassination [24:38] attempt. [24:39] The bombing was an attempt to use the [24:42] Macron visit and the and and the fact [24:45] that this would be a big headline [24:46] because Macron is in Damascus and [24:47] there's a bombing, and sure enough it [24:49] was. That's why we're talking about [24:50] this. That's why of all the incidents I [24:52] showed you here, probably the only one [24:54] that you heard of before this video, [24:56] probably [24:57] was this one. [24:59] Was the bombing when Macron was there, [25:01] where only 18 people were injured. It [25:03] was a far less deadly bombing than the [25:05] bombing of the previous week. [25:07] But why did everyone notice it? Everyone [25:09] noticed it because Macron was there. [25:12] And if Macron is there talking about [25:14] rebuilding Syria and investing and they [25:16] could and the and the and whoever set [25:19] the bomb, they don't want to kill [25:21] Macron. That's already a bridge too far. [25:22] That's going to [25:23] you know, they didn't necessarily want [25:25] to do that, but they certainly want to [25:28] to destabilize and scuttle any efforts [25:31] of Bashar al-Assad to get further in bed [25:33] with the Western powers. [25:35] So, that's how I interpret what we're [25:36] seeing here. [25:37] Either way, whether you agree with my [25:39] interpretation or not, my point is that [25:41] Syria is far less stable than we're [25:43] being led to believe. [25:45] And the implications for my country, for [25:47] Israel, are that Israel is still in a [25:50] security zone that it's taken in [25:52] southern in southern Syria. They're also [25:54] carrying out operations there to deal [25:56] with various terrorist groups. And if [25:58] anyone tells you that Israel should be [25:59] withdrawing from Syria, which Bashar [26:01] al-Assad did demand as well. He He took [26:03] the opportunity with Macron there to say [26:05] that Israel needs to withdraw from [26:06] Syrian territory. If anyone tells you [26:08] that, it's like, hold on a second. [26:10] Bashar al-Assad doesn't even control [26:11] Syria. Syria is is you know, it's the [26:14] wild west and you have terrorist groups [26:15] running around there and Israel ain't [26:17] going anywhere until it knows that it's [26:19] going to be safe and that the Druze [26:21] population is also going to be safe. [26:24] So, that's my Syria update. I hope you [26:26] found it helpful. Please like, share, [26:28] subscribe and do all those good things. [26:30] If you aren't subscribed to this [26:31] channel, please do so. Just click [26:32] subscribe. [26:34] Put a comment. Share these videos. All [26:36] this stuff helps. It helps spread the [26:38] word. Tell other people about this [26:39] channel. And uh [26:42] yeah. And I And again, I read as many of [26:44] the comments as I can. Please make [26:45] suggestions about how I can how I can be [26:47] better at what I'm doing here. I really [26:49] appreciate I really appreciate all of [26:51] you. Thank you so much for watching. God [26:53] bless.
