As if to underscore this tension, reports have come that groups affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have taken a few local matters into their own hands. Dozens of people were executed this weekend in the city of Homs, many of them former Assad officers. HTS fighters entered Homs on Sunday to regain control, and arrests were made of perpetrators. But things aren’t as simple as they sound. 

Tom Doyle with Uncharted Ministries helps us see the dynamics at play in Syria’s new reality. 

“It’s like the Gaza Strip. We think of Hamas, but there were several terrorist groups in Gaza. The same thing in Syria. There were several groups that opposed al-Assad but also were Sunni Muslims. They weren’t all together. They each had different goals,” he says, adding that Ahmed al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu al-Jolani) is trying to bring these groups together.

Rebels unfurl Syrian revolution flag inside Hafez al-Assad mausoleum, December 2024. (Photo by getty images – telegram, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156639771)

Doyle also highlights Syria’s 74% Sunni Muslim population, ruled for decades by Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite regime. “For [Sunnis] to not have control of the government for 50 years [under Assad], you can see that there’s a time of retribution that’s coming,” he says. 

Doyle believes once HTS consolidates its power, the world will start seeing more grave things happen in Syria, especially for Christian minorities. He says there’s an underground church full of people who used to follow other faiths but now are followers of Jesus.

“There is a strong group of believers in Syria that are truly heroes of our faith, that have stood up through this time [under Assad]. Many of them have been beaten. Many have gone to jail. They’re watched continually by the secret police. That won’t change with this new government coming in,” Doyle says. 

“So pray for the church there. Whether it be on the ground or underground, these are salt of the earth believers that are standing for Christ, and we need to stand with them during this really difficult time.”

Learn more about the work of Uncharted Ministries. 

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Omar Ramadan via Unsplash.

Mike Ansari with Heart4Iran explains what’s unfolding in the Middle East: “The fall of long-standing regimes like Assad’s in Syria has disrupted traditional alliances and balance of power in the region,” he says. 

“Therefore, we are seeing that power dynamics are shifting. It appears Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Israel are now more involved in redefining their influence in the region.”

(Photo courtesy of Heart4Iran)

In particular, Iran has suffered a “strategic and geopolitical setback” from events in Syria, Ansari says; its military footprint has been reduced. There is also turmoil within the nation.

“Iran made substantial investment to support Assad’s regime, especially in light of Iran’s ongoing economic challenges and public dissent,” Ansari explains. “So most Iranians are upset their national wealth was redirected to Syria, and are demanding the leadership to account for their missteps.”

Meanwhile, Christians persevere under pressure by God’s grace. 

“In Iran, Christians have continued to face significant challenges, including government surveillance, harassment and legal restrictions. And in Syria, the rise of Islamist factions will pose significant risks to Christian evangelism, but Christians in Iran and Syria continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience.” 

Keep asking God to bring peace and stability across the Middle East. (Learn more here about what Heart4Iran does to further the spread of the gospel across the region.)

“We need to understand that [the] Middle East requires empathy. Power struggles often carry human costs,” Ansari says. “The international community will need to continue to prioritize diplomacy, humanitarian aid and sustainable solutions for the region.”

Header photo of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian courtesy of Khamenei.ir, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150832367.

Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) explains, “Years ago, Russia established itself really as a country of authority in the Middle East. While the US continues to stand with Israel, Russia was very close in its work with Syria, in fact, supporting the Assad regime that has been a brutal regime for a little more than 50 years.

Flag of Syria (Photo by Linus Schütz from Pixabay)

“Russia established bases there and has been kind of the protectorate for Syria. The relationship between Syria and Russia allowed them to control a portion of the petroleum market.”

In the fall of Syria, Russia failed to hinder rebel advancement like in years past. Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted asylum to Assad and his family.

Now, Moscow is negotiating with Syria’s new government leadership to keep at least two key Russian bases in Syria.

Mock points out the war in Ukraine has weakened Russia’s military strength on multiple fronts.

“For Russia to continue to maintain its aggressive offensive in Ukraine, it really had no capacity to defend Syria when the rebels began to take over. So as much as we’re watching the lightning-fast fall of Syria in the news, what you saw behind the scenes was an utter incapacity of Russia to do anything about it.”

It is a poignant reminder that, ultimately, it is the Lord who raises up and brings down kings and political leaders. Pray God’s will be done in the nations.

“In the middle of trying to decipher world events, I would challenge your listeners to be sure not to lose sight of the calling to advance the Gospel to all people,” Mock encourages.

“It’s very easy for us to be focused on things that are passing away, rather than focused on what God would have us do. So in the middle of all the chaos we see, fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith!”

Learn more about SGA’s ministry in Russia and Ukraine.

Header photo: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visits Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015. (By Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44378506)

Syria is a major lynchpin in international dynamics across the Middle East and Eurasia. With this dramatic power shift, everything you thought you knew about the Middle East is about to change.

Samuel with Redemptive Stories says, “What has happened is a shocking course of events that’s…been worked towards by the rebels since 2011/2012; maybe even before then, really. It’s been tried many times over the history of the Assad regime.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (left) and former Iranian President Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi (right), May 8, 2022. (Wikimedia Commons)

The sudden overturn in the Syrian war was made possible by the weakening of Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, all of which were propping up Assad’s government.

Samuel says, “[The rebels] attacked shortly after the ceasefire in Lebanon, and there was no stopping them really. Once they got moving, the Assad army — due to lack of funding [and] lack of resources — just really ended up in many cases throwing down their arms and fleeing because they knew this was a fight that was not worth fighting any longer.

“Currently, the situation in Syria is that the majority of the Assad-controlled cities — so places like Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Latakia, Damascus, and Tartus — are now all under control of the rebels.”

Assad and his family are now exiled in Moscow where they have been granted asylum by the Russian government.

Samuel explains, “The transition of government so far has been fairly subdued and smooth. There has been a lot of looting currently in places like Damascus and others where just the sheer volume of people and the lack of police presence — now that the regime has fallen — has allowed for in the midst of this chaos. But places like Aleppo and others have remained fairly stable even after the rebels have taken over.”

Meanwhile, Israeli forces are advancing into southern Syria. Israel stated it has destroyed suspected chemical weapons depots in Syria to prevent them from being used by the rebels.

(Ahill34, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Amidst the radical changes, Syrian Christians and minorities are asking, ‘Does this trade one type of oppression for another?’

“There is still significant fear as to what this might mean for them,” says Samuel. “The rebels have direct ties and connections historically to Al Qaeda. You might call them ISIS adjacent. So that reality is very concerning for the future of Syria.”

Redemptive Stories invites you to join them in meaningful prayer as God is doing something significant in the Middle East.

“Those that care about this region are taking a day of fasting and praying on December 11…on behalf of Syria. We’re also praying for protection for displaced families and vulnerable communities, that God’s peace and stability might reign in Syria.”

Pray also for Syrians seeking hope to ultimately find Jesus.

Header photo of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. (Photo courtesy of Dan/Flickr: https://flic.kr/p/4r8vQp)

Syria’s already-staggering economy has been crippled by international sanctions and recent fuel shortages, prompting the latest protests.

Samuel with Redemptive Stories explains, “The economic situation just even since the earthquake has worsened. The crisis has almost doubled on basic needs for the people and that’s why you’re seeing these protests. They continue to subsist by the generosity of their family and friends outside the country who send money back for them.”

The big question is: Will these protests actually prompt change?

Boy sitting in a broken car in Syria. (Photo courtesy of Ahmed akacha/Pexels)

Some in Syria are hopeful as several chants by the protestors echo the anthems from the Arab Spring. However, many more are doubtful since this isn’t the first time Syrian protestors took to the streets without any change, and it likely won’t be the last.

Samuel says, “I don’t know that there is a path forward that is through revolution. I think the only path forward is one that includes Bashar al-Assad. But again, I don’t see any way for any sort of Western government to back down on these sanctions. The reality is that because of things like what happened 10 years ago (August 2013 chemical attack), they can’t. They have to try and work towards holding him accountable. But meanwhile, he is not going to step down. He’s not going to back down.”

However, there is hope to be found in Syria. The area with the protests has a high Druze population, and Syrian Christians are reaching the Druze with the Gospel.

“Even in the midst of all this suffering, God’s Church is still moving, it is still growing, people are coming to faith, and mostly because of the fact that they don’t see any hope anywhere else,” says Samuel.

“Their hope is now being found in Jesus Christ — not in the day to day economics, not in the revolution, not in politics, but in Jesus Christ…and we are seeing people turn to Him.”

Pray for Syrians to be bolstered by eternal hope today.

Header photo of Syrian flag. (Photo courtesy of Joel Bombardier/Flickr: https://rb.gy/9yl9c)

With Syria welcomed back, the question is: Why now?

For one, the earthquake on February 6 that hit Syria and Turkiye opened humanitarian doors into Syria and strengthened international ties.

Also, Samuel* with Redemptive Stories explains, “Iran and Saudi — who had been in proxy wars probably since the beginning of the Arab Spring, if not way before then — are now beginning to normalize their relationship…. Hopefully, that will begin to dissipate some of the fighting that’s happening through them in Yemen and Syria.”

Abandoned buildings in Idlib, Syria.
(Photo courtesy of Ahmed akacha/Pexels)

Between shortages of fuel and food, international sanctions, and skyrocketing inflation, Syria’s economy is severely crippled. The February earthquake that killed over 7,000 Syrians only worsened the economic crisis.

“The hope is that if relationships are normalized — particularly from the Syrian perspective, even the Syrian Christian perspective — then that will begin to dissipate some of the issues that we’re seeing of the hyperinflation,” says Samuel.

“If we can get to the point where the sanctions are reduced, then [Syria] would really be able to import and export more products, which would then allow the country to economically re-stabilize.

“People’s salaries that used to be in local currency that would provide about $200 to $300 a month now provide $10 to $20 a month. Yet, the same goods are now the same price that they would have been previously.”

With over a decade since the civil war began, Syrians are short on hope. Yet, Redemptive Stories is seeing Syrian Christians persist as a Gospel remnant to their Muslim neighbors — providing emergency aid and the hope of Christ.

In fact, the only way Syrians are able to get by month to month is either through family and friends outside the country sending money back in, or “aid relief that is happening by churches and other organizations,” says Samuel.

Pray for Syrian Christians and churches not to grow weary in doing good. Ask God to use even this hour to soften Syrian hearts with the Gospel.

*Psuedonym

Header photo of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Seyyed Ibrahim Raisi meeting with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ali Khamenei on May 8, 2022. (Wikimedia Commons)

Iran and Syria have been scratching each other’s backs for decades. Iranian support for Syria in its conflict with Israel is primarily based on shared political and ideological interests.

Aleppo, Syria. (Photo courtesy of aladdin hammami/Unsplash)

Syria helps Iran advance Shiite Muslim influence in the region, and Iran provides support to Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad with military and financial aid to help it withstand the ongoing civil war. And they both have Israel as a common enemy.

Iran’s support of the Assad regime is also driven by a desire to counter the influence of its regional rival, Saudi Arabia.

However, Samuel* with Redemptive Stories says, “As Iran is trying to bring in weapons, Saudi may actually support that because they’re trying to target Israel.”

Rather than sitting on defense, Israel proactively responded to this move arming political opponents.

Samuel says, “We’ve seen within maybe the last month, in particular, that there have been Israeli strikes into Syria particularly at targets that they suspect are bringing weapons in from Iran under the guise of earthquake aid.”

Despite significant political players on the stage of conflict in the Middle East, God is still on the throne and working through His Church.

Pray for Christians throughout Iran, Syria, and Israel working to advance the Gospel – the only thing that changes hearts.

“As we look at this situation, we don’t perceive or desire to have any sort of political power to make transformation happen on a scale that large,” says Samuel. “But we do have an amazing power through the Holy Spirit to be able to pray with and pray for our brothers and sisters who are responding.”

Header photo courtesy of Benjamin Rascoe/Unsplash.

*Psuedonym

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has survived a decade of civil war, but fighting has left the country in economic ruins. Additionally, Bashar’s grip on the country remains tenuous. Areas near the border of Turkey and Iraq are controlled by rebel groups.

Poverty among Syrian people

Samuel with Redemptive Stories recently sat down with 15 partners out of Syria. “We heard stories about families that used to have more than sufficient enough income to provide for themselves. Salaries that used to be worth $1,200 now are only worth $40, because of hyperinflation.”

This means families often need to make very difficult choices. Samuel says, “We heard stories of men who have cancer who have decided not to follow through with treatment. The cost of the medication is too great, and that it’s better that, ‘one of them dies, rather than all of them die.’”

“One family doesn’t have enough funds to provide food for all of their children. So two of them get lunch and two of them get dinner.”

But God continues to work in Syria. Christianity has an established presence in the country going back thousands of years. Now, the story of Jesus is reaching new populations. Samuel says, “We’re beginning to see a budding movement of the Holy Spirit and a church movement forming among the Druze population, which is primarily in the South. And then also among the Kurdish population, which is primarily in the North, across the North.”

Pray this trend continues.

Rebuilding Syria after years of war will be no easy task. But Samuel is hopeful that some Syrian Christians who fled will return to strengthen the Church there. “We’re hearing stories now of families that were in European countries, or other nearby countries. They have just sensed God’s call to go back, that they need to go back. They feel God has put His hand upon them.”

The header photo shows the damage done to a church in Syria during the civil war. (Photo courtesy of Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Until then, the assaults continue, and it seems that Syria's
tensions are spilling over the borders.

Yesterday, Shiite gunmen in Lebanon captured more than 20 Syrians, telling authorities they would hold them until one of their relatives, held by
Syria, was released.  

It's a reminder of how easily Syria's civil war could spread. Lebanon's long and bloody history has
many Syrian touch points, leaving the country divided over the Assad regime.

Meanwhile, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has
registered 157,577 Syrian refugees who have fled to Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and
Turkey. Ongoing fighting means those
figures will rise sharply.

What's more, that number does not show how many Syrians there
really are who have fled into neighboring countries and remain unregistered
refugees, reluctant to be counted. Christian Aid Mission spokesman Bill Bray confirms
the report. "It looks like the war is all over the
country. That's what our missionaries tell us as they come back. They just don't
know where the violence will break out next. It's spreading down to the grassroots level. The
smell of death is there, and they just never know what they're going to
find."

Christian Aid Mission has been supporting missions in Syria and the frontline states
of Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey for decades. At this point, their workers say Christians in Syria and in
all the frontline states are increasing outreach to believers in
need, despite the growing horror story unfolding on the ground. Bray says, "We do have people crossing
over the border at all of those points (Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey). Teams
have gone from Lebanon to the Turkish border, and they are going in and out of Syria
every day."

If the government falls to the Sunni jihadist rebels, Bray says, "The
fear is that they will set up massacres and involve the Christian community
in those massacres, and bait the Assad forces to attack Christians." That's especially true among the Alawites and
the Muslim-background believers who have taken shelter among them for decades. President Assad is an Alawite Muslim who
heads a government with all key positions controlled by Alwawite Muslims.

Despite the dangers, the missionary which Christian Aid supports hasn't stopped his work. "What
we're doing is delivering Bibles and 'JESUS' Film dvds, and that is a continual work,"
Bray notes, adding that they're also "praying [in] small meetings. Everybody is
hunkered down and living in basements. It's survival right now."

Aside from funding, prayer support is critical. "Pray that God will protect His people
there, that He will put angels around the believers, that many will find Christ
during this time, and that the strong arm of God will be revealed."  

Christian Aid Mission is hoping for some miraculous stories to encourage other
Christians trapped in Syria. Meanwhile the ministry is getting more calls for help from native missionaries in
Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. About 10% of the population in the country is Christian, including many Armenians,
Syrian, and Greek Orthodox, as well as Maronite and Iraqi refugee churches.

Among the biggest needs this week are:

• $71,000
  for emergency housing
• $90
  each for Food and Medical Packs
• $12
  each for Arabic Bibles
• $4
  each for Arabic New Testaments
• $1.70
  each for "JESUS" Film and other Arabic CDs and DVDs
• $5,800
  for air tickets for new workers being sent to Turkey refugee camps
• $900
  a month for missionary support in Syria
• $300
  a  month per refugee family for rent

A special fund has been set up by Christian Aid coded 400REF to
aid the Syrian Christians during this time of crisis. Check our Featured Links section for ways to connect.

"The measures of uncertainty as senior government officials are leaving kind of points in the direction of destabilization,"
says Mark Lewis, TouchGlobal
Director (humanitarian wing of the Evangelical Free Church). The latest reports indicate
Syria's prime minister and his family defected to Jordan.

A senior U.S. official says it appears that at least three other top government ministers
also left, and rebels bombed a government-run television studio. An
American official traveling with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Africa
called on other senior members of the Syrian government and military to break
with President Bashar Assad.

Clinton will stop in Turkey for talks on Syria in four days' time. In the meantime, the government unleashed its
fury on Aleppo. In Damascus, the
regime's grip on the city was challenged by guerilla warfare-styled attacks,
executed by militia.

Although some news reports cite these events as proof that Assad's
regime is "crumbling," Lewis says they've heard this before. The message their team hears is far from "it's almost over." "We sense that there is just going to be a continued season
of instability in the country. It may even last for years as a new government comes
in. Then, people will [say] 'this is what I wanted,' and there'll be more uprisings
or transition. It just seems like a situation that is going to be uncertain and
destabilized for a continued period of time."

The Evangelical
Free Church, in partnership with other ministries and local churches, has been
responding to the crisis. Lewis says, "On the
Jordanian side, we're hearing 1000 people a day are leaving Syria and
crossing into Jordan. And I would expect those numbers are probably similar in Lebanon, but I don't have any specific numbers."

The bigger picture: two million Syrians are affected by the
conflict, including 1 million internally displaced people. As many as 130,000 Syrians are living as
refugees in neighboring countries, according to UNOCHA Humanitarian
Bulletin, Issue 05, 3 Aug 2012.

Many refugees are
living in primitive conditions, Lewis notes. "[We're] seeking to get blankets, food and other basic supplies into people's hands as
they figure out what life is going to look like in the next days, weeks, or months."

For those left in
Syria, water, and electricity have been scarce, and the factories have laid off
most of the people. Food and goods have more than doubled in price, and in many
areas there has been fighting in the streets . 

Yet God has their
partners in position to take relief into the desperate people trying to
survive. Lewis explains, "Our
ministry partners are on the ground doing a whole lot of outreach and
pre-evangelism, relationship building. Our hope is that, long-term, this will
lead to a great church-planting opportunity."

That's not necessarily an unrealistic goal. Lewis says, "Disciple-making efforts can
occur within a refugee population. Eventually, those people would be able to go
back home, and there could be this 'seeding' of the church. That's kind of a
long-term vision."

$50 provides food for a family for a month.
ReachGlobal's goal is to raise at least $30,000 to allow their partners to
serve 600 families. $10 provides a blanket: they're trying to
raise enough funds to get 500 blankets
into the refugee camps.  

What else can you do? You can pray. Lewis asks for prayer for safety for their partners. Also, "Pray for a fresh openness of the Gospel. People's hearts can
either be hardened, or the Lord will work in them and there will be an openness as they seek answers to questions
like, 'Why now?'"

See our Featured Links Section.