Eurasia Press & News
Syria seems to be inching back towards fracturing. On November 23, unknown individuals killed a husband and wife from a Sunni Arab Bedouin tribe in Homs Province. Authorities found slogans written at the scene that are commonly associated with Alawite and Shiite communities, such as “Ya Ali, Ya Hussein.”
Despite the fact that “initial investigations confirmed that the phrases written at the crime scene were placed with the aim of misleading and do not have a sectarian character,” according to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, more violence ensued. Bedouin tribesmen targeted mixed Bedouin-Alawite neighborhoods in Homs and destroyed several properties. Despite government forces eventually restoring control, the incident has put Syria’s internal fragility on display.
Assad-Linked and Jihadist Groups Exploit Sectarian Tensions To Create Civil Strife
Throughout the 14-year civil war, multiple massacres were carried out that had sectarian overtones, creating grievances that violent actors have continued to exploit, seeking to stir unrest. There has been no process to bring about transitional justice or reconciliation between the various factions of the conflict.
And playing on these divisions is a common strategy used by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and remnants of the Bashar al-Assad regime since its fall in December 2024. In January, the government foiled an ISIS plot targeting the Sayyida Zaynab Shrine near Damascus, one of the holiest sites for the Shiite community. In August, Syrian authorities arrested a cell composed of Assad loyalists who were planning a terror attack against a church in the eastern Tartus countryside.
Despite Promises, Syria Has Made Little Progress on Justice and Accountability
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has stressed that Syria’s stability is dependent on accountability. In February, he declared, “There is a fine line between transitional justice and civil peace, and we will pursue all those who have committed crimes against the Syrian people.” However, the government has yet to show a clear plan to hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable. Some Assad regime officials have walked free through deals with the government.
There have been a few attempts at justice by the current Syrian authorities. The government held public trials for some of those implicated in the coastal massacres in March, as well as attacks on government forces. The court brought 14 individuals to trial, including seven Assad loyalists and seven members of the government’s own security forces. These 14 represent only a fraction of the 563 people identified by the investigative committee.
The key questions that remain are when the authorities will charge the remaining individuals and how the judicial system intends to handle those implicated in the July massacres in southern Syria.
Washington Should Press Damascus To Hold Perpetrators of Sectarian Violence Accountable
The United States should make clear to Sharaa that it expects him to hold perpetrators accountable and to take steps to protect all communities in Syria, including minorities. Damascus is pushing for the full repeal of the Caesar Act, which levied sanctions on Syria for the Assad government’s violations of human rights. It is currently waived for 180 days, but permanent repeal requires U.S. congressional approval. Accountability should be a benchmark for sanctions repeal, because it preserves U.S. leverage and helps the new Syrian government advance stability and reconciliation.
Washington should also be prepared to impose sanctions on any individuals who are “complicit in, directly engage in, or attempted to engage … in [the] prevention of efforts to promote a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace,” consistent with President Donald Trump’s June 2025 Executive Order that lifted most sanctions on Syria but preserved targeted sanctions for destabilizing actors.
