President Trump on Sunday evening said Adam Schiff is in “big trouble” for committing mortgage fraud and called for him to be put in prison.
“Adam “Shifty” Schiff is in BIG TROUBLE! He falsified Loan Documents. He once said my son would go to prison on a SCAM that Schiff, along with other Crooked Dems, illegally “manufactured” in order to stage an actual coup. My son did nothing wrong, knew nothing about the fictional story. It was an American Tragedy! Now Shifty should pay the price of prison for a real crime, not one made up by the corrupt accusers!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Earlier Sunday, President Trump called for Adam Schiff to be prosecuted and dropped receipts on the Democrat Senator’s mortgage fraud.
“Adam Schiff is a THIEF! He should be prosecuted, just like they tried to prosecute me, and everyone else — The only difference is, WE WERE TOTALLY INNOCENT, IT WAS ALL A GIANT HOAX!” President Trump said on Truth Social.
President Trump attached a screenshot of a signed and notarized affidavit that Schiff signed proclaiming the mortgaged property in Maryland is his “principal residence.”
Adam Schiff also has a condominium in Los Angeles, California, that he claims is his “primary residence.”
This is textbook mortgage occupancy fraud.
Trump Adam Schiff mortgage fraud
On last Tuesday night’s episode of The Ingraham Angle, Laura revealed that she had exclusively obtained a criminal referral for Adam Schiff — and the allegations are explosive.
The criminal referral, submitted to the DOJ by Housing Director Bill Pulte, accused Schiff of falsifying bank documents and property records over a period of 16 years in order to score more favorable mortgage terms and rates.
The fraudulent activity allegedly spanned from 2003 to 2019, and centers on a lavish Potomac, Maryland home — while Schiff simultaneously maintained a condo in Burbank, California.
“The referral, submitted to the DOJ by Housing Director Bill Pulte, alleges that Schiff has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms—impacting payments from 2003 to 2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property. Schiff owns a home in California and another in Maryland,” said Ingraham.
WATCH:
BREAKING: The criminal referral on Adam Schiff has been obtained by Laura Ingraham and you wouldn’t believe what they’re alleging.
They say that Pencil Neck did the same thing they accused Trump of doing.
Attorney General Pam Bondi is stepping up his purge of corrupt officials working at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to a report from The Hill, Bondi and President Trump are “culling the ranks of career officials” who have links or loyalties to the Democratic establishment that led the persecution of conservatives during the Biden administration.
Maurene Comey, a New York-based federal prosecutor and the daughter of the former FBI director, was fired Wednesday without explanation.
Those firings come on the heels of the dismissal of at least 20 staffers who worked under former special counsel Jack Smith, a group that includes not only attorneys but also support staff and even U.S. marshals.
Attorney General Pam Bondi last week also fired the top career ethics official at the department, Joseph Tirrell, the latest in a string of ethics officials pushed out under President Trump.
The recent firings suggest that efforts to clean up the department remain ongoing, even though they began as soon as he took office.
Yet while the administration is targeting those who have taken advantage of their political influence, the vast majority of employees remain unaffected by the changes.
Justice Connection, a left-wing organization of former employees dedicated to protecting “colleagues who are under attack,” estimates that just 200 employees have lost their positions.
The majority of those who have lost their jobs were involved in the persecution of January 6th protesters and the efforts to imprison Trump on politically motivated charges.
The DOJ employs 115,000 people across the country, including attorneys, federal agents, correctional officers, and administrative staff.
Many employees are career civil servants who have worked under multiple administrations and whose portfolio is largely non-political.
Its workforce is spread across key agencies such as the FBI, DEA, Bureau of Prisons, and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, handling everything from national security investigations and criminal prosecutions to civil rights enforcement and immigration cases.
The DOJ has declined to comment on any personnel matters.
Pope Leo XIV spoke with Apollo 11 astronaut and moonwalker Buzz Aldrin on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the first time in history men landed and walked on the moon, which took place on July 20, 1969. An historic American feat that has not been matched since in 56 years.
Buzz Aldrin on the moon with the American flag, photo by Neil Armstrong/NASA via Getty Images.
Leo is the first American pope while Aldrin is the last survivor of the the three man Apollo 11 crew that triumphantly went to the moon and back. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in a small spacecraft and walked for a few hours on the moon’s surface, collecting samples, planting an American flag and speaking via phone/radio hookup with President Richard Nixon at the White House, while Michael Collins stayed aboard the command module circling the moon until the two returned and docked for the flight back to earth.
Armstrong, who died in 2012 at age 82, was first to exit the lunar lander and walk on the moon, uttering the now famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Collins passed away in 2021 at age 90. Aldrin is 95.
From Pope Leo’s X account, “This evening, 56 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, I spoke with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Together we shared the memory of a historic feat, a testimony to human ingenuity, and we reflected on the mystery and greatness of Creation.”
This evening, 56 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, I spoke with the astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Together we shared the memory of a historic feat, a testimony to human ingenuity, and we reflected on the mystery and greatness of Creation.
Vatican News Service reported on the apparent video phone call between the Pope and Aldrin with Aldrin’s wife, Anca Faur, with a screen image (translated):
56 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, #PapaLeoneXIV spoke this evening with astronaut Buzz Aldrin. With him, he shared the memory of a historic achievement, a testament to human ingenuity.
With the words of Psalm 8, they meditated together on the mystery of Creation, its greatness, and its fragility. Before the end of the phone call, the #Papa blessed the astronaut, his family, and his colleagues @HolySeePress
Con le parole del Salmo 8, insieme hanno meditato sul mistero della Creazione, la sua grandezza e la sua fragilità. Prima del termine della telefonata, il #Papa ha benedetto l’astronauta, la sua famiglia e i suoi collaboratori@HolySeePress
Aldrin later posted, “Anca and I were grateful and touched to receive the highest blessing today, from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV on the 56th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. What an honor! We prayed for good health, long life, and prosperity for all humankind. #PopeLeoXIV”
Anca and I were grateful and touched to receive the highest blessing today, from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV on the 56th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. What an honor! We prayed for good health, long life, and prosperity for all humankind. #PopeLeoXIVhttps://t.co/DafMs0K1TB
Earlier Sunday, Aldrin posted about the moon landing:
July 20, 1969. “Contact light, engine stop.” The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down at Tranquility Base on the Moon.
A few hours later, Neil Armstrong and I stepped foot on the Moon, with Michael Collins orbiting close-by.
An achievement resulting from years of incalculable effort, commitment, and team work.
We all did our part to see President Kennedy’s words become reality: “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others too.”
I couldn’t be prouder to have completed this mission with the hundreds of thousands of people that helped get us to the moon and back home. God bless the USA and all of humankind.
July 20, 1969. “Contact light, engine stop.” The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle touched down at Tranquility Base on the Moon. A few hours later, Neil Armstrong and I stepped foot on the Moon, with Michael Collins orbiting close-by. An achievement resulting from years of… pic.twitter.com/VN4qCoHx0K
A Delta Connection Embraer E175 regional jet, operated by SkyWest Airlines as Flight 3788 from Minneapolis–Saint Paul to Minot International Airport, executed a sudden “aggressive maneuver” during its final approach to avoid a near-fatal mid‑air collision with a U.S. Air Force B‑52 bomber from nearby Minot Air Force Base.
While on final approach from Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the Delta Connection crew received a last-second instruction from air traffic control to turn due to “inadequate separation.”
During the turn, the pilot spotted the B‑52 rapidly converging and hauled the jet sharply behind it for safety.
Once landed safely, the pilot addressed passengers calmly:
“For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane coming at us. Nobody told us about it. We continued air traffic. There’s no radar here. The tower is controlled—excuse me, the tower does everything visually. And so they said, “Report about six miles from the airport.” So we did that.
I think he realized that the spacing wasn’t going to work, and he said, “Turn right.” I looked over, and there was an airplane, which—for those of you on the right-hand side—I thought was a small airplane, like the one you see at the airport right now doing touch-and-go’s. And he said, “Turn right.” I said, “There’s an airplane over there.” And he says, “Turn left.”
Then, by the time we read back the clearance, I looked over and saw the airplane that was coming on a converging course with us. Given his speed—it was a military plane—I don’t know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us. I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it.
Sorry about the aggressive maneuver. It caught me by surprise.
This is not normal at all. I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads-up, because the Air Force base does have radar, and nobody said, “Hey, there’s also a B-52 in the pattern.”
Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it, and thank you for understanding. It was not a fun day at work. Have a nice evening, and I’m glad you stayed. Thank you.”
SkyWest confirmed a go-around was executed after spotting another aircraft in their approach path and that the incident is under investigation.The U.S. Air Force has yet to issue a statement.
Monica Green, who was seated in the front of the plane, described the atmosphere on board as “weirdly calm,” even as the jet made sharp, unexpected turns.
“Honestly, everyone was weirdly calm. I felt like I was gaslighting myself, like maybe I was being crazy, because no one else was reacting,” Green said. “We took a really hard turn, and that’s when the pilot got on the intercom and said, ‘sorry everybody, I’ll explain everything when we land safely.’ the way he said it, it almost sounded like he was insinuating that landing safely might not be an option for a moment. We all just kind of looked at each other and stayed quiet.”
The flight circled the Minot Airport several times before landing. Green, who flies frequently for work, said she tracked the unusual flight pattern on an app while texting her husband.
“I texted my husband saying, ‘this is weird, we keep circling the airport, but we’re not landing.’ I was a little anxious, and when he said, ‘no, this is serious,’ I started to panic internally,” Green said.
[…]
“When we landed, it was really quiet. No one stood up right away like people normally do. At the airport, I heard some people saying their friends saw it from the ground. The other plane nearly hit us, and it went so low it passed under us,” Green said.
The Delta flight ultimately landed safely, but the unusual mid-air maneuver and calm, almost stunned reaction from passengers left a lasting impression.
“Maybe I was overreacting,” Green said. “But being in the very front row, you feel everything, and those hard turns, you could tell something wasn’t right.”
President Trump set the internet on fire on Sunday evening after he posted an AI video of Barack Obama being arrested by FBI agents and tossed in prison.
The video shows FBI agents ambushing Barack Obama during an Oval Office meeting with Trump, cuffing him and putting him in prison.
WATCH:
President Trump also posted mugshots of the Deep State coup plotters involved in the Russia collusion hoax.
On Saturday evening President Trump floated prosecuting Barack Obama and the Deep State thugs involved the Trump-Russia collusion hoax.
ODNI Tulsi Gabbard declassified a December 2016 presidential briefing revealing Barack Obama knew the Trump-Russia collusion narrative was a hoax.
Obama, Brennan, Clapper, Comey, Susan Rice and others knew Russia never ‘hacked’ or interfered in the 2016 election to elect Donald Trump, but they pushed the lie through fake news media outlets anyway.
On Saturday, White House spokesman Harrison Fields went on Fox News and directly called out Barack Obama and the lying media.
“Obama’s hands are on this and what is he doing now? He’s over here with his wife doing a podcast, walking with flipflops on the beach acting like his whole career was everything and a bag of chips! It wasn’t! It was the most corrupt presidency we have ever seen! We thought Joe Biden was bad. Now we know who was behind it all. It was Barack Hussein Obama and we need an answers,” Harrison Fields said.
WATCH:
JUST IN — President Trump praises Special Assistant to the President Harrison Fields for perfectly articulating how the Obama administration orchestrated the Russia hoax, and Trump implies he wants everyone prosecuted, including the 44th President of the United States.
President Trump praised Harrison Fields and the Fox News panel as he floated prosecuting Obama and others involved in Russiagate.
“Great job by young and talented Harrison Fields on FoxNews. The Panel was fantastic on prosecuting Obama and the “thugs” who have just been unequivocally exposed on highest level Election Fraud. Congratulations to Tulsi Gabbard. Keep it coming!!!” Trump said on Truth Social.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just made a stunning move inside the Department of Health and Human Services, terminating two top officials.
Heather Flick Melanson, his Chief of Staff, and Hannah Anderson, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, are OUT.
According to ABC News, the dismissals were sudden and unexplained.
No reason was given for the ousters. The person familiar with the situation told ABC that Kennedy “has every right to make personnel decisions.”
“Secretary Kennedy has made a leadership change within the Immediate Office of the Secretary,” according to a statement provided by an HHS spokesperson to ABC News. “Effective immediately, Matt Buckham will serve as Acting Chief of Staff.”
“Mr. Buckham currently serves as Kennedy’s White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he oversees the recruitment and onboarding of political appointees across the agency. He brings valuable experience in personnel strategy and organizational management to this new role,” the statement continued.
“Secretary Kennedy thanks the outgoing leadership for their service and looks forward to working closely with Mr. Buckham as the Department continues advancing its mission to Make America Healthy Again,” the statement concluded.
Buckham will continue to serve as Kennedy’s White House liaison, according to an administration official.
The terminations come after the FDA — under HHS leadership—officially granted full approval to Moderna’s controversial mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, for children as young as 6 months old through 11 years of age who are deemed “at increased risk” of COVID-19. A decision Kennedy neither authorized nor was even briefed on.
The vaccine was previously available to kids under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), but the FDA has now handed over full approval, greenlighting the use of the experimental shot despite growing evidence of adverse events, including myocarditis, pericarditis, allergic reactions, and even seizures in young recipients.
Dr. Robert Malone, now a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), said the FDA’s move to fully approve the Moderna shot blindsided RFK Jr. while he was on a working vacation.
“I have had many requests to clarify what happened with the recent July 10, 2025 FDA general (non-EUA) marketing authorization of Moderna’s SpikeVax for children. The truth of the matter is that I do not really know what happened at FDA to lead to this outcome. Like many, I was shocked and disappointed.
[…]
“The narrative on MAHA Twitter after the FDA approved Moderna’s SPIKEVAX vaccine for high-risk children is that this was a betrayal by Secretary Kennedy. But this is the OPPOSITE of what transpired. The Secretary was on vacation and not even briefed on the decision. It was a working vacation, and I have personal confirmation that he took many calls, briefings, and was constantly managing strategic and tactical decisions during his much-needed and well-earned vacation. He (and his beloved wife) have not had a vacation since launching his Presidential campaign.”
Ellen DeGeneres has confirmed that she left the United States permanently because of President Donald Trump’s election.
DeGeneres, 67, moved to the Cotswolds with her wife, Portia de Rossi, 52, and has no intention of returning.
The “comedian” explained the reason for the move while speaking to Richard Bacon at the Everyman theatre in Cheltenham over the weekend.
“We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, ‘He got in’.’ ‘And we’re like, ‘We’re staying here,’” DeGeneres confessed.
DeGeneres claimed that back in the US, “The Baptist Church in America is trying to reverse gay marriage.”
“They’re trying to literally stop it from happening in the future and possibly reverse it. Portia and I are already looking into it, and if they do that, we’re going to get married here,” she said. “I wish we were at a place where it was not scary for people to be who they are. I wish that we lived in a society where everybody could accept other people and their differences.”
She continued, “So until we’re there, I think there’s a hard place to say we have huge progress.”
So, today I found that that Ellen Degeneres lives is a remodeled community college. pic.twitter.com/rTClsyOgXw
— Jon Elder | Amazon & Walmart Growth (@BlackLabelAdvsr) July 19, 2025
Back in 2020, Ellen was embroiled in controversy after being accused of creating a toxic work environment – and later issued an apology.
After nearly two decades of being on the air, The Ellen Degeneres Show also came to an end just two years later in 2022.
She previously told The Hollywood Reporter, ‘I have to just trust that whatever happened during that time, which was obviously very, very difficult, happened for a reason.
‘I think that I learned a lot, and there were some things that came up that I was shocked and surprised by. It was eye-opening, but I just trust that that had to happen.’
Award-winning journalist Lara Logan is asking for your help to help save American allies from being murdered by the Taliban.
I am writing to alert you to an urgent matter concerning a U.S. ally, the UAE, and Taliban terrorists who have targeted a small group of Afghan-US allies who made it the safety of a refugee camp in Dubai after the disastrous American withdrawal under the Biden administration and are now being delivered right into the hands of their terrorist enemies. Some 32 Afghans families who worked closely with the U.S., have been given hours to decide if they will ‘self-deport” after the Arab head of the refugee camp brought in the Taliban “Ambassador” to the UAE and numerous other Taliban members to a hall at the camp where they had ordered the Afghan refugee families to assemble.
The day before, on Wednesday July 16th, the camp authorities had ordered them to surrender their passports so they were already holding their passports when they brought the Taliban into the camp. These Afghan families are effectively their prisoners, with no rights and no freedom of movement outside of the camp for the past four years.
Unlike those who made it to the U.S. fraudulently/under false pretenses, these people are genuine American allies who have followed the legal process and are now being sent to their deaths after waiting patiently year after year to be processed by the U.S. State Dept under the Biden Administration. While the Taliban who visited them promised “amnesty”, the entire world saw before what amnesty from this terrorist regime meant as they hunted down American allies and murdered them one after another. To this day, my digital files are filled with the bodies of Afghan commandos, soldiers, police, female activists/teachers/doctors/nurses and so on who were all promised the same fake “amnesty” and instead were raped, tortured, imprisoned & murdered, often along with their families.
These 32 Afghans were given until noon Dubai time on Friday to decide if they will “self-deport”. This is simply a death sentence and these people, who have all been background checked by U.S. agencies and never notified of a single issue in four years, are now begging to be saved. They need urgent assistance from the U.S. who needs to immediately fly them to safety in the U.S. or any allied country where they will be beyond the reach of the terrorist regime in Kabul and their allies across the world, but now most notably in the UAE.
(Lara can provide the names, birth dates and locations of these families.)
On behalf of all those who worked so hard to save our Afghan allies when they were left behind, we are begging you to save these people from certain death. I was one of the people responsible for getting them to the camp and have all the background information anyone may need. Please do not hesitate to reach out and comment at this post or reach out to Lara at her website – laralogan.app.
We cannot let these people be murdered.
Yours sincerely,
Lara Logan
Lara Logan also shared a story about how the Taliban will hunt down all US allies if they are not stopped.
The terrorist regime in Afghanistan will hunt down & kill every last U.S. ally if they’re not stopped. Same for the UK etc. But the worst part: they’re assisted by the same subversive U.S elements who engineered the unnecessary collapse of Afghanistan. https://t.co/AoAM9UBHUx
Logan also shared the following in a very powerful message:
I helped this family get to the refugee camp in UAE (United Arab Emirates) where they’ve been waiting for four years, following the legal immigration path. They passed all their background checks, medicals etc & were told they were cleared to go to the U.S. in July of 2023. Then nothing. Until two days ago when the Taliban were brought into the camp & this process of forcing them back to Afghanistan to be murdered was started. This is a crisis not of Pres Trump’s making but these people stepped up when the US needed help & the price for that is death. They will go anywhere they can be safe but returning to Kabul to be tortured & killed by a terrorist regime is not an option they can bear.
I helped this family get to the refugee camp in UAE (United Arab Emirates) where they’ve been waiting for four years, following the legal immigration path. They passed all their background checks, medicals etc & were told they were cleared to go to the U.S. in July of 2023. Then… https://t.co/Jxxsx1zjBD
A jury on Friday found Minnesota Democrat State Senator Nicole Mitchell guilty of felony burglary.
The jury convicted Nicole Mitchell of both charges: First-degree burglary and possession of burglary of theft tools after she got caught breaking into her stepmother’s home to retrieve her deceased father’s belongings.
Jurors have found Democratic Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell guilty on both charges in her burglary trial.
The jury needed three hours of deliberation to reach the verdict following the fourth day of testimony. Nicole Mitchell was convicted of felony first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools for breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, home on April 22, 2024.
Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald said he is “pleased for Carol Mitchell, for some justice.” Defense attorney Dane DeKrey said his team said there are “arguments for mercy” in Nicole Mitchell’s sentencing.
The judge overseeing the trial said Nicole Mitchell could remain free pending sentencing. A date has not yet been set.
Bodycam footage of Minnesota Democrat Senator Nicole Mitchell was released during the trial for her first-degree burglary charges last week.
Nicole Mitchell was arrested last April for breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home to retrieve some of her recently deceased father’s belongings.
Nicole Mitchell’s stepmother called 911 and reported a burglary at her home on April 22, 2024.
Mitchell wore all black and tried to run out of the basement as law enforcement arrived on the scene to confront her.
The Democrat was charged with first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools, CBS News reported.
Last Tuesday, bodycam footage of police officers confronting a beanie-clad Mitchell was released.
Druze baby, murdered in the slaughter in Syria. Photos courtesy of Syria social media reporters and Free Burma Rangers.
From July 11-16, 2025, systematic violence erupted against the Druze minority in Suwayda province, southern Syria. The conflict began when a Druze merchant was abducted and robbed by Bedouin tribesmen on the Damascus-Suwayda highway. What started as intercommunal tensions quickly escalated into a broader massacre when Syrian government forces, ostensibly deployed to restore order, joined Bedouin fighters in attacking Druze civilians and militias.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 1,000 people were killed in the violence, including 588 Druze civilians. Of particular concern, 182 Druze were summarily executed by regime forces from Syria’s Defense and Interior Ministries. The violence included systematic humiliation tactics, with videos showing security forces forcibly shaving the mustaches and beards of Druze elders, an act of deep religious and cultural significance that constitutes a form of sectarian persecution.
The Syrian Druze are a distinct ethnoreligious community numbering approximately 700,000 to 736,000 people, roughly three percent of Syria’s population. They follow a secretive monotheistic faith stemming from 11th-century Ismailism and maintain a strong presence in As-Suwayda Governorate, with significant populations in southern Damascus suburbs including Jaramana and Sahnaya. Historically, the Druze have maintained a neutral stance while fiercely defending their autonomy.
Local, Druze, militias such as the Men of Dignity and the Al Jabal Brigade control much of Suwayda, providing governance and resisting full integration into Syria’s central state apparatus. This arrangement allowed them relative protection during Syria’s civil war, but has created tensions with the new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The July massacre was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of violence against religious minorities under Syria’s new leadership. In March 2025, hundreds of people were killed during a crackdown on the Alawite sect in Latakia province. Between April 28 and May 2, 2025, Syrian government forces and allied militias conducted another massacre in Suwayda province, with at least 100 Druze killed in what the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights characterized as extrajudicial executions.
The April violence began with a fabricated audio recording falsely attributed to a Druze religious leader, Marwan Kiwan, purportedly containing derogatory statements about the Prophet Muhammad. Despite Kiwan’s public denial and Syria’s Interior Ministry confirming the recording was falsely credited, violence erupted in Jaramana and spread to nearby areas. Syrian forces intercepted and attacked Druze convoys attempting to provide assistance, resulting in 43 deaths in one ambush alone.
Evidence emerging from the July violence reveals the systematic nature of the attacks. Videos show security forces wearing ISIS patches or displaying ISIS flags while conducting executions. Graphic footage includes men with bound hands being kicked to death, others shot while their mothers were forced to watch, and bodies piled in streets.
One video captured the aftermath of a hospital massacre where every patient and doctor was reportedly killed. The forced shaving of Druze men’s mustaches represents a particularly calculated form of religious persecution, as mustaches carry deep spiritual significance in Druze culture. Syrian government forces, identifiable by their uniforms, were documented looting homes, conducting physical abuse, and posting videos of themselves humiliating Druze religious leaders online.
Israel intervened militarily in response to the massacre, launching airstrikes against Syrian government forces in both Suwayda and Damascus. The strikes targeted Syria’s Defense Ministry headquarters and areas near the presidential palace, marking one of the most direct Israeli attacks on the heart of the Syrian capital in recent years.
At least three people were killed and 34 wounded in the Damascus strikes. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that “painful blows will come” and stated the military would “operate forcefully in Suwayda to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until their complete withdrawal.” The intervention reflected both Israel’s strategic interest in creating a buffer zone and its commitment to protecting the Druze minority, with whom Israeli Druze maintain strong familial and cultural ties.
The situation created unprecedented challenges for Israel’s border security when approximately 1,000 Israeli Druze civilians breached the border fence near Majdal Shams and entered Syria to support their Syrian relatives. Israeli military officials expressed concerns that Druze soldiers might desert from the IDF to join the fighting, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to personally appeal to the community not to cross the border.
While experts debate whether Ahmed al-Sharaa directly ordered the July massacre, there is broad consensus that he bears command responsibility. The forces involved came from the Defense and Interior Ministries under his government, and the systematic coordination suggests policy rather than rogue actions. Al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has led organizations with a documented history of targeting minorities. He initially entered Syria in 2011 to establish an ISIS cell but instead became the leader of the al-Nusra Front, which later pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Under his leadership of al-Nusra Front, the group perpetrated sectarian massacres against Syria’s Christian, Alawite, Shia, and Druze minorities, including the 2015 Qalb Loze massacre of Druze villagers.
Experts note that al-Sharaa’s public promises to protect minorities came only after Israeli threats, international pressure, and widespread documentation of atrocities. His televised address claiming the government would “hold accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people” is viewed skeptically given the pattern of violence under his rule.
The violence has created a severe humanitarian crisis with 87,000 people displaced, hospitals overwhelmed, and bodies buried in mass graves. Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, fighting has resumed repeatedly. Bedouin commanders have stated that truces do not apply to them and have vowed to continue fighting until Suwayda is under full regime control.
Prominent Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari has rejected ceasefire agreements and promised to continue resistance until Suwayda is “entirely liberated.” Up to 50,000 Bedouins from 41 tribes reportedly mobilized to Suwayda in response to initial Druze resistance, while tribal forces from other Syrian provinces have joined the conflict.
The violence in Suwayda represents a critical test of Syria’s post-Assad transition and the new government’s treatment of minorities. Christians, Alawites, Kurds, and other minority groups increasingly fear they may face similar campaigns of persecution.
The international community’s muted response has left vulnerable populations questioning their future in Syria. The systematic nature of the attacks, marked by humiliation tactics and religious persecution, suggests the beginning of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing by the government, or at the very least, underscores its inability to maintain order and control the sectarian and ethnic factions within the country. Ongoing violence, including retaliatory strikes from Israel, is expected to continue.
(@GuntherEagleman) July 15, 2025
