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By Arlene Bridges Samuels

Just this week, minority civilian populations in Syria were targeted in another chaotic chapter of the civil unrest that’s been ongoing since 2011. Jihadist bulldozers have been carelessly scooping up dead people and filling mass graves with thousands of civilians, this time under new president Ahmad al-Sharaa, once known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Photos and videos of the mass murders of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities—Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurds—are shocking. The Jew haters, exposed worldwide, slaughter any civilians, Jew or non-Jew. Their hate is an addiction without boundaries.

I prefer to call the new Syrian president by his former name, al-Julani. Last December, he and his group of Islamist militants, known as HTS, ousted former Syrian President Assad. That dreadful, decades-long tyrant fled to Moscow after leaving Syria in shambles.

Meanwhile, and frankly unbelievably, Hamas is accusing Israel of the Syrian massacres—while refusing to show the visual evidence that has been proudly disseminated by the al-Julani terrorists themselves. Arab-on-Arab carnage is irrelevant to Hamas and its ilk; after all, their habit is to use civilians as human shields.

On October 7, Hamas gleefully filmed its unspeakable cruelty—and Julani’s gangs are exalting their atrocities, too. A Sunni Muslim Syrian videoed himself and bragged about the slaughtering of 9,000 Alawites, the second-largest religious group in Syria. On March 9, multiple Syrian citizens on Telegram reported more than 10,000 murders. The death toll is sure to climb amid their ongoing, appalling reports.

Getting rid of Assad could have been a big win for Syria. Early on, al-Julani used all the right words in calling for the preservation of “national unity [and] civil peace.” He added, “God willing, we will be able to live together in this country.” Such words prompted a wave of hope to Syrians, but that hope has quickly evaporated.

Ill-informed leaders from Europe and the U.S. did not anticipate the violence, although al-Julani has earned terrorist credentials with ISIS and al-Qaeda. He cleverly changed his costume into a Western-style suit and tie—greeting leaders with a deceptive smile, handshakes, and lies. But that didn’t change his character.

In December, after Assad bolted, an unsuspecting President Joe Biden sent his top diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, to head up an American delegation to meet with al-Julani. Afterward, Leaf told reporters that al-Sharaa had “committed to renouncing terrorism.” The result: Biden canceled the 10-million-dollar bounty on al-Julani, who had long been recognized by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist.

Incredibly, it was another case of giving a huge reward to terrorists based merely on words, not proven actions. Following suit, French Foreign Minister Barrot and German Foreign Minister Baerbock then traveled to Damascus and pledged their help for a new beginning. Not surprisingly, the Hague Tribunal’s Karim Khan, the prosecutor who declared warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu, made it a point to go to Damascus to congratulate Julani.

In a February interview, al-Julani remarked to The Economist, “If democracy means that the people decide who will rule them and who represents them in the Parliament, then, yes, Syria is going in this direction.” Nevertheless, a remnant of Assad’s military began an armed fight against Julani’s military, which quickly deteriorated into a free-for-all slaughter of civilians in Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities.

Syria is a notable part of Israel’s history. Matthew 4:24 reminds us: Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

Last Saturday, alarmed about the lack of mainstream media coverage and already alert to the violence, Israeli Amir Tsarfati, president of Behold Israel, rightly called al-Julani “the new caliph of the al-Qaeda state.” In a Facebook Live post from his home in Israel, Tsarfati emphasized his reason for speaking out against the atrocities in Syria.

“On paper, these [Syrians] are my enemies, yes, but I cannot stay silent.” Tsarfati said that “armed military forces fighting another military force is one thing” and mentioned Israel’s massive military operation in December, which “destroyed Assad army’s capabilities.” However, Julani’s al-Qaeda—ISIS gangs—are not fighting soldiers. “They are butchering families, children, women, and elderly. If I don’t speak out and if you don’t speak out, the world will do nothing.” Tsarfati asked his 600,000-plus Telegram subscribers to re-post the Syrian atrocities everywhere on social media. His subscribers are mostly Christians across the world.

On Monday, Amir gave a report based on subscribers’ actions. “You responded to my plea two days ago. Now it is you who are responsible for the fact that not only are people talking about it, but the United Nations Security Council will convene!”

Straightaway Julani, “the caliph of the al-Qaeda state,” ordered his terrorists to stop the videos but not the massacres. Amir noted, “Because of your sharing, I began to receive messages from Alawites in Latakia, Syria. They found me on Instagram because it’s the only place you can send me direct messages without being exposed.” 

Christians grew quickly into a social media army of truth-tellers after Amir’s first report garnered over half-a-million views in less than two days! With violence going on everywhere, Amir urges us to keep the news circulating.

Israel’s i24NEWS reports an unprecedented request to Prime Minister Netanyahu from Syria’s Alawite sheiks: “Save us from the brutal regime. We will receive you with songs and flowers.” They also asked Israel’s media to “Shed light on the massacres.” Their plea recognized that “the entire world has been silent about our injustice, and we have only heard a voice from Israel condemning the crimes.”

Christians are killed alongside Alawites. The patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Melkite Greek Catholic Churches made their joint entreaty in a statement about Latakia, home to a small Christian community. “The Christian churches … call for an immediate end to these horrific acts, which stand in stark opposition to all human and moral values.” Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, challenged Europe to “make its voice heard loud and clear regarding the mass murder of Alawite and Christian civilians.” Israel still faces dangers with jihadists now in charge—for example, emptying prisons filled with Jew-haters.

After the new president’s takeover, the Israeli Air Force wisely began continued strikes on Assad’s remaining Syrian missile depots, air defenses, and chemical sites to fortify its buffer zone in Syria. The U.S. is also implementing dozens of strikes on Islamic State targets. Syria’s minorities will also benefit.

On his Telegram, YouTube, and Instagram platforms, Amir requests four actions that take half a minute to do: Subscribe, Like, Comment, and Share. I urge readers to share on social media to create worldwide attention for Syrian minorities. Nonetheless, our love and prayers for our spiritual homeland Israel demands that we apply the same four actions to spread the facts about Israel.

Remember, Amir “is not staying silent.” None of us should.

We welcome you to join our CBN Israel team directing our prayers toward Syria.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for mainstream media to expose al-Julani’s true nature.
• Pray for Syrian minorities living under another murderous regime.
• Pray for Syrians worn out by civil war traumas under Assad.
• Pray for Christians to increase successful advocacy for Israel.

Arlene Bridges Samuels is the weekly feature columnist for CBN Israel since 2020. Working on the staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as their SE Regional Outreach Director for nine years, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem USA engaged her as the Leadership Outreach Director part-time for their project American Christian Leaders for Israel. Arlene is an author at The Blogs-Times of Israel, is published at AllIsrael.com and The Jerusalem Connection, and has traveled to Israel since 1990. By invitation, she attends Israel’s Government Press Office Christian Media Summits as part of Christian media worldwide. In 2024, Arlene and her husband Paul co-authored Mental Health Meltdown: Illuminating the Voices of Bipolar and Other Mental Illnesses. www.TheMentalHealthMeltdown.com.