President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was a principled step, offering the Syrian people a chance to move beyond years of unimaginable suffering and atrocities. The international community has largely rallied behind the nascent Syrian government, watching with cautious optimism as it seeks to transition from a legacy of pain to a future of hope. Yet, this fragile ambition is now overshadowed by profound shock, as brutal acts by warring factions on the ground undermine the government’s authority and disrupt any semblance of order. All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance. Syria stands at a critical juncture—peace and dialogue must prevail—and prevail now.

Drone footage showing smoke rising from Suwayda, during heavy clashes earlier today between Druze-majority militias and the Bedouin/tribal fighters in Southern Syria.

According to CBS News, another senior staffer under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been ousted, with Justin Fulcher, who started at the Pentagon working for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before being made a senior advisor to Secretary Hegseth, having been removed this week from his position at the Department of Defense. Fulcher’s removal follows several months of shakeups at the Pentagon since the “Signalgate” Scandal occurred in March, with Hegseth’s senior adviser Dan Caldwell and Deputy Chief-of-Staff Dan Selnick being fired amidst a leak probe, while his Chief-of-Staff Joe Kasper, was transitioned to a new role as a special government employee handling “special projects” within the Trump Administration in April.

Footage showing a 60-foot sportfishing boat running into the USS Midway Museum, a historical naval aircraft carrier museum consisting of the USS Midway (CV-41), yesterday in San Diego, California. The impact appears to have caused only minor damage to the sportsfishing boat and no damage to the Midway.

The Australian Ministry of Defense has announced that several dozen M1A1 AIM “Abrams” Main Battle Tanks, part of the first batch of 49 Abrams pledged to Ukraine by Australia, have now arrived in the country and entered service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The MoD states that the remaining tanks are set to arrive in Ukraine within the “coming months” likely before end of 2025.

According to Syria’s Information Minister, Damascus hopes to see an end to the clashes between the Bedouin and the Druze in Suwayda within the next 48 hours, with additional security forces being deployed across the Suwayda Governorate.

Syria’s Minister of Information announces the start of the “second phase” of the ceasefire agreement decided upon last night in Suwayda, following the deployment of internal security forces into the countryside to the north and west of the city of Suwayda in Southern Syria. The second phase will include the opening of humanitarian corridors into and out of the city, allowing the evacuation and treatment of civilians, and eventually the start of negotiations between the waring parties in order to free hostages currently held by both sides as well as to hopefully fully end the conflict between the Bedouin and the Druze.

Footage showing clashes earlier today between Druze-majority militias and the Bedouin/tribal militias within Suwayda in Southern Syria, as security forces continue to slowly deploy in the countryside to enforce the ceasefire brokered last night by the U.S. and Damascus.

Bedouin tribal fighters within the village of Lahtheh in the countryside of the Suwayda Governorate, destroy a statue of Hafez al-Assad, the former President of Syria who slaughtered upwards of 40,000 civilians in the 1982 Hama Massacre.

Following heavy clashes this morning in around Suwayda, between Druze-majority militias and the Bedouin/tribal militias in Southern Syria. The Syrian Interior Ministry has announced that internal security forces have begun to deploy into the countryside to the north and west of Suwayda, in order to enforce the ceasefire brokered last night by the United States and Damascus. The Commander of the Syrian Internal Security Forces has called on tribal militias to immediately withdraw from the frontline and cease any further hostilities against the Druze, with security forces so far having only deployed to areas around but not inside the city of Suwayda, where fighting is still taking place between the Bedouin and the Druze.