This week, we witnessed the extraordinary collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal dictatorship in Syria. After nearly 14 years of civil war, rebel forces launched a stunning assault that overwhelmed Assad’s regime, culminating in their lightning advance on Damascus. Russian forces spirited Assad out of the country to a new life of exile in Moscow.
At Mondoweiss, we’ve been following these developments closely. We’ve published analyses (see the links below) on what Assad’s downfall could mean for the region, for Palestinians, and for Syria’s future. Additionally, this piece from the New York Times on Syrians searching through the notorious Sednaya Prison near Damascus sheds light on the horror of Assad’s reign.
Yet, as Syrians began to grapple with their sudden freedom, Israel seized the opportunity to advance its own agenda. With Washington’s tacit approval, Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes across Syria and moved ground forces deeper into Syrian territory. These actions constitute an unprovoked invasion, blatantly illegal under international law.
The collapse of Syria’s central government has given Israel what it sees as a golden opportunity to solidify its hold on the Golan Heights—territory it annexed in 1981, though this move has never been internationally recognized. Now, with Damascus in disarray, Israel appears emboldened to push further, exploiting regional instability to advance its territorial ambitions. Israel’s actions in Syria reflect a dangerous pattern of leveraging chaos to expand its control, with little regard for legal or ethical boundaries. For Palestinians, these moves underscore the broader Israeli agenda of expansionism that disregards their rights and aspirations.
Mondoweiss remains committed to reporting fearlessly on these developments. We will continue to amplify voices challenging Israeli aggression and analyze how these actions impact Palestinians and the wider region.
Lastly, as many of you may have seen, we launched our critical end-of-year fundraising campaign this week. This is our biggest and most important fundraising drive of the year. To meet our goal, we need to raise $250,000 by the end of the year. If everyone who subscribes to this Weekly Briefing email donated $40, we would raise that $250,000. Please consider becoming a donor, or making an additional donation today to help us continue the reporting work you rely on for an accurate picture of the events and politics related to Palestine. Right now, your gift will be doubled by generous matching donations!
– Dave Reed, Publisher
Must Read: The fall of Assad and the ‘Axis of Resistance’?
Abdaljawad Omar: The October 7 Hamas attack unraveled truths across the region, reopening questions of the future that lay dormant for years. Now, with the fall of Assad, the power map is being redrawn, presenting new threats and possibilities.
Catch-up
🇮🇱 Jonathan Ofir: Yechiel Leiter, a hardcore settler leader once involved in Meir Kahane’s fascist Jewish Defense League, will be Israel’s next ambassador to the U.S. He will use his role to advocate for one of his long-time goals: Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
👮 Michael Arria: Four students at the University of Rochester are facing up to seven years in jail for putting up posters around campus accusing a small number of faculty members of enabling the genocide in Gaza.
🔍 Mitchell Plitnick: Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out an unprovoked invasion of Syria with the support of the U.S. The goals are clear: take strategic land, render Syria defenseless for the future, and redraw the political map of the Middle East.
5️⃣ Michael Arria: After 16 years behind bars, Mufid Abdulqader, a member of the Holy Land Five, has been released from prison into a halfway house. The case of the Holy Land 5 has become a symbol of U.S. unconstitutional overreach since 9/11.
🇮🇱 Qassam Muaddi: Israeli forces moved further into the Syrian Golan, forcing entire towns to evacuate. While Netanyahu celebrated what he says will be an “eternal” Israeli presence in Syria, U.S. officials insist Israel’s occupation of Syrian lands is “temporary.”
🇵🇸 Tareq Hajjaj: With the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, the truce between Hezbollah and Israel, and reports of progress in Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo, Palestinians in the Strip are hopeful their reality may soon change.
🧑⚖️ David Kattenburg: At a recent convening at The Hague, state representatives to the ICC agonized over the disastrous implications for the international rules-based order should Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant evade accountability for war crimes in Gaza.
🎓 Claudia Gohn and Anna Oakes: Columbia University staff are being suspended and terminated for participating in last Spring’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment, even if they were off the clock at the time. Similar cases are being seen across the country.
🩺 Shurooq Ahmed: Over more than a year of war, I have volunteered to help my people in Gaza, wrapping friends and family into shrouds, but also helping bring new life into the world.
🛒 Kate Daher: Workers and members of Pittsburgh’s East End Food Co-op are calling for a referendum to boycott Israeli-sourced products in the store. They hope their campaign will become a model for co-ops across the country.
