Ethnic/Religious Minorities

In a first, ICC convicts Sudanese militia leader of Darfur war crimes

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman was found guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.

Sudan

Syria's parliamentary elections: First Jewish candidate in 58 years enters race

Syria is holding its first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime, with a Jewish candidate running for the first time in decades in a vote conducted largely through indirect selection rather than a direct public ballot.

Syria

Pentagon pushes to accelerate ISIS detainee repatriations from Syria

Uncertainty about Syria’s long-term stability and the the US military’s future presence in the country have increased urgency among some Pentagon officials to further reduce the population of nearly 30,000 suspected ISIS-associated detainees in the camps.

Syria

Syria holds first post‑Assad parliamentary vote: What to know

Syria’s first post-Assad parliamentary elections — with seats chosen by local committees rather than a public vote — spark backlash as the government postpones voting in Druze- and Kurdish-majority regions.

Syria

New Druze militia forms in Syria as Hijri calls for autonomy

Tensions are running high in southern Syria, despite government efforts to investigate the recent violence and deliver more aid.

Syria

Israel, US rift with France widens as Paris rebukes US envoy: What to know

In a letter to President Emmanuel Macron and published in the Wall Street Journal, US ambassador to France Charles Kushner said recognition of a Palestinian state would "endanger Jewish life in France."

Israel

Nine bodies unearthed in Latakia mass grave, one of dozens found in post-Assad Syria

As part of the efforts by new Syrian authorities to bring justice to victims of the Assad regime, dozens of mass graves containing thousands of bodies — believed to be victims of former regime forces — have been discovered across Syria.

Syria

Iraq begins exhuming ISIS mass grave at Al-Khasfa thought to hold 3,000+ victims

In 2024, Human Rights Watch said that hundreds of thousands of victims remain buried in mass graves across Iraq, including those killed under former President Saddam Hussein.

Iraq

UN: Syria's March violence saw ‘likely’ war crimes by Damascus, Assad remnants

The United Nations noted deliberate targeting of Alawite civilians in its report on the killings along the Syrian coast and called on the government to expand its efforts in taking steps toward accountability.

Syria

Iran border clash kills 3 militants, police officer in Baluchistan: What to know

Iranian forces have prioritized targeting Jaish al-Adl and other groups in the southeast, and are seeking cooperation with Pakistan on the issue.

Iran

Syrian forces dismantle ISIS cell near Turkish border: What to know

Syria says it has thwarted a number of ISIS plots in 2025 as the group seeks to exploit sectarian tensions in the country.

Syria

Syria thwarts church attack in Tartous, blames Assad 'remnants': What to know

Syrian officials blamed the attack on a group affiliated with the government of former President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria