Yet an old danger is rising within Syria itself: ISIS. 

In January, government troops under President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration clashed with Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria. American intelligence agencies believe that during that campaign,15,000-20,000 people were freed from detention camps. Many of these people were affiliated with ISIS.

Aleppo, Syria (Photo courtesy of Ahmad Sofi via Unsplash)

“There is legitimate concern that we are walking back into the same ISIS war that we left a few years ago,” says Duane Friesen with Voice of the Martyrs Canada. “And what will that mean for the Christian community? What will it mean for the neighboring countries?” 

Regardless of new labels or badges that Syrian militant groups might take, Friesen observes, “they seem to run back to the same narrative, and that is, ‘Anyone who’s not like me is somebody that’s worth killing.’ And anytime you’re into that mindset, the story seems to always go the same way.” 

In the past year, Syria’s Christian, Alawite, and Druze minorities have endured episodes of terrible violence — sometimes at the hands of government forces, and sometimes at the hands of other ethnic or militant groups — including ISIS.

“I hope that this government that’s now in place will take seriously some of the honest conversations in regard to religious freedom. They have been approached on this topic very clearly. They have an opportunity right now,” says Friesen. “Will they take up the mantle of justice for all who are Syrian? That’s still to be seen, and that’s the concern.”

For Christians, uncertainty and even fear under the government of President al-Sharaa continues, but so does the call to share the gospel. Please watch and pray for boldness for Syria’s Christians under tremendous pressure. 

“Believers want to have the courage to do what God has called them to do, even in the midst of the challenges,” says Friesen. “Pray that God would open a way in the minds and hearts of the new government to see the value of providing religious freedom for all who live in Syria.”

Header photo: What is left of a street in Daraa, Syria, an ISIS stronghold. Stock photo courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman/Unsplash. 

Now, more civilians east of the city are fleeing a possible further escalation.

Nuna* with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says Syria will fragment into separate federations. “I don’t see a solution, unless with division. They cannot live together.” 

Conflict with the Kurds is only one of many fires the new Syrian government has faced since coming to power in December 2024. Massacres took place last year among Alawite and Druze communities, causing distrust of the administration to skyrocket.

“This is a religious war. More than a religious and ethnic war, more than just the land or dominion. They’re fighting against each other because of beliefs,” says Nuna. “How can you topple that? How can you minimize that and say, ‘It’s okay. Just become friends again and make an alliance again’?” 

Yet Nuna says the clashes between different groups of Muslims (as well as non-Islamic faiths such as the Druze) are doing something else: They are opening people to the gospel.

Syrian citizens celebrate the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, December 2024 (Photo courtesy of Shvan Hark via Unsplash)

“People are disillusioned with Islam. They’re looking for the true truth, if I can say it this way — the real truth,” she says. “So many people are coming to the Lord.”

Media is helping to share the gospel with people in Syria. “It’s a difficult process [for a person to become a Christian], because the families are not supportive. They face persecutio,” says Nuna. “But reaching out on media and responding to [media-based] prompts is something that they can do without being persecuted by their own family.”

Pray for Syrians trapped in poverty. Nuna says three or four people in a household have to work to pay rent and cover basic necessities.

Pray also for many more people to encounter the light and peace of Christ in Syria’s turmoil. Nuna describes the national situation as “a war within each person.”

“Each person is afraid and is watching carefully to see what’s next,” she says. People wonder whether they can stay in Syria and raise their families, or if they should leave. “I understand them, really, when I talk to them and I see the way they’re living. I understand the threats, I understand the fear, I understand the anguish. We have no solution. We [at Triumphant Mercy] just say, ‘Let’s wait and see.’ We cannot say anything else.”

Aleppo, Syria in 2017 (Stock photo courtesy of Aladdin Hammami via Unsplash)

*Pseudonym

Header photo of Aleppo, Syria is a stock photo courtesy of Ahmad Sofi via Unsplash.

“Many people are talking about it, this anniversary. They’re planning to make it a national holiday,” says Nuna* with Triumphant Mercy Lebanon, who recently visited Syria. “However, people are very cautious, especially the Christians.” 

That caution is well merited. Sectarian violence has checkered the new government’s first year, especially among minority Druze, Alawite, and Christian communities. Nuna describes it as “the waiting season” to see what direction the nation will go.

U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio meets President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa in New York City, New York on 22 September 2025 (Photo by U.S. Department of State via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Still, Syria’s leaders press forward. Last week, the administration welcomed a delegation from the United Nations Security Council — only one of many efforts to reforge ties with the international community. 

But for many Syrian families, the nation’s political complexities simply no longer matter. 

“Some of them are just saying, ‘You know what, we don’t care. We just want to live,’” says Nuna. “They’re not even thinking about what Syria will be. Will it be allied with Israel? Will [there] be expansion? Will the Galilee be taken? They’re not even talking about it.”

Life remains extremely hard, even for Syrians who are not displaced. Inflation is high. Nuna says the government is planning a 400% increase in electricity prices. “People cannot afford this because the wages have not gone up,” she says.

One NGO that Nuna visited in Syria serves many displaced people. She heard story after story of tragedy — destruction, killing, suicide, and abuse. One boy lost his father. His mother had to work and left him in the care of others who beat him so badly he suffered brain damage.

“This is real life here, and what can we do? What can we do?” says Nuna. “Seeing kids like that is difficult. You just look at it, and you see these are effects of war, and this is something that men should not be living with.”

Syrian children (photo courtesy of Jonathan Ramalho via Unsplash)

Although that NGO in Syria can’t meet every need that comes its way, they do what they can as the hands and feet of Christ. Nuna says that the organization is also preparing a Christmas celebration and sharing the Christmas story. “This is a beautiful thing to see, just to see that light in the midst of the darkness there,” she says.

Please remember Syria in your prayers. Ask for God’s mercy and His gospel of peace to spread across Syria. To learn more about Triumphant Mercy Lebanon’s outreach to Syrian refugees within Lebanon, visit their website.

*Pseudonym

Header photo: A gathering of the people and residents of Daraa city in Al-Karama and Al-Hurriya Square after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad (Photo, caption courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman via Unsplash)

“A year ago, the man who’s now the president of Syria was considered a terrorist and had a $10 million bounty on his head from the US government. This month, he was in the Oval Office meeting with the President of the United States,” The Voice of the Martyrs USA’s Todd Nettleton says, noting the situation’s irony.

“The big question is, how much has the Syrian president changed?”

Despite al-Sharaa’s declaration of religious freedom, believers remain skeptical.

“In public speeches to the international community, he has talked about a Syria where different religions live side by side in harmony,” Nettleton says.

However, “Our Syrian Christian brothers and sisters are hearing what’s being said in Arabic, and they’re concerned about the future. What they’re hearing from government troops is ‘Just wait. Wait till we get established, then we’re coming for you,’” he continues.

“We have seen attacks on the Druze minority. We have seen attacks on Alawites in the last year, and Christians in Syria are understandably concerned.”

Meanwhile, authorities extend a curfew in Homs following the weekend murder of a minority couple. Syria’s third-largest city is home to Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Alawites, and Christians.

Praise God for the faithful witness of Christians who have remained in the country despite hostile conditions.
(Photo, caption courtesy of VOM USA)

While a new bout of sectarian clashes keeps Syria on edge, the instability also presents an opportunity for Gospel outreach. “People are looking for something permanent,” Nettleton says.

“They’re looking for answers, and that can be a time when people come to Christ. Let’s pray for that.”

Pray for protection and boldness for Christians in Syria. Pray for continued revival and Gospel movement in areas affected by upheaval. Consider helping Syrian Christians tangibly through VOM USA.

Header image depicts US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, US Vice President JD Vance, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in November 2025.  (Wikimedia Commons)

“You’ve got a new government trying to enact a new system of law and even create a new constitution over the next four years,” says Samuel* with Redemptive Stories. “There’s a lot at stake for what [this election] means, particularly for minorities.” 

Samuel notes that under the previous al-Assad regime, women held respected roles in society. But in last week’s election, only six women and 10 members of minorities were among the nearly 120 seats chosen. Two of those seats went to representatives for Christians — less than 1% of the total 210-member parliament.

A minaret and a church steeple side-by-side in Syria. (Photo courtesy of Ali Wassouf/Unsplash)

“With a more Sunni conservative government, those voices will be pushed more or brushed more aside,” Samuel says of women and minorities. 

That’s not the only factor complicating Syria’s government. Elections for 21 more parliamentary seats were delayed in two Kurdish-controlled provinces as well as one in the south of Syria. The delay stems from the government’s continued tensions with  Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria as well as predominantly Druze communities in Suwayda.

Another 70 seats in parliament (one third of the total body) await direct appointment by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. It’s possible that his appointments could correct the imbalances in the new government.

What does this election mean for believers in Syria?

“I think more and more Christians are realizing that this is not a place that will be safe for them,” says Samuel. “What this mean[s] for the Church is that that ethnic Christian [population] will continue, I think, to decrease.”

Syrian children (photo courtesy of Jonathan Ramalho via Unsplash)

Ethnicity is no barrier to God or the gospel, of course. But it is a factor in Syria, where certain people groups are considered to be Christian.

“The prayer would be that there would be more of a desire of Christians to stay and to remain in order to be a light for their community,” says Samuel. “But as those numbers continue to probably actually dwindle, then the church also needs to be engaged in raising up leaders from a Muslim background, Alawite background, Druze background [and] Kurdish Muslim background in order to fill in the gap where the ethnic Christian churches might exit.” 

Please join in praying for Syria at this fragile time. Ask God to open the way for the gospel to reach across Syria’s ethnic and religious divisions. Pray for greater national stability that could allow greater spread of the gospel. 

*Pseudonym

Header photo: Women wearing niqabs, veils worn by Muslim women that cover all of the face except the eyes, walk down the road in Damascus, Syria. (Photo courtesy of IMB)

“Anytime there’s an election in our part of the world, it’s always a little spicy,” says Samuel* from Redemptive Stories. 

Syrian critics call the election a charade. Two-thirds of the 210-member parliament will be elected, but one-third will be appointed directly by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Syrians in Germany celebrate Fall of Assad Regime, 8 December 2024 (Photo courtesy of Shark1989z via Wikimedia Commons – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Samuel noted the contrast at the 2025 United Nations General Assembly last month, where al-Sharaa sat in the same room with leaders of governments who had once been trying to arrest him.

“One of the things that people need to realize is that it seems on all external measures that he (al-Sharaa) is walking this tightrope between his own people that have put him in power, and then also walking the other side is what the West wants from him,” Samuel says. 

One of those tightrope issues is what to do with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The U.S.-backed, Kurdish militants have controlled northeast Syria for years, and they don’t want a centralized government. 

“Even though there’s been an agreement put in place to enforce them towards this, they still are trying to drag their feet as long as [they] can, because they want to preserve autonomy and their identity,” says Samuel, referring to the March 2025 pact between the SDF and the government. 

It’s a reasonable concern. Neighboring Turkiye considers the SDF a terrorist organization and has threatened military action if the Kurdish group does not integrate into Syria’s new government. Both Israel and the U.S. have a military presence and differing goals they would like to see achieved in Syria.

Another topic the West is watching is the inclusion of minorities in Syria’s future. For the Druze, Alawite, and Christian populations, Samuel says the new parliament “could create space for them to actually run for election and hopefully be elected.”

Yet for minorities within Kurdish-controlled Syria, Samuel says there have been huge strides in terms of religious freedom and religious plurality. Priests and pastors from Muslim backgrounds have been able to operate without fear of government attention. That could change, though, if a centralized, Sunni Islam-dominated culture and system spreads across the nation.

Please pray today that God will use the upcoming elections, however imperfect they are, to stabilize Syria and strengthen the Church. Samuel explains that the flood of young people and families who left Syria during the nation’s civil war created a significant gap.

Refugees from Idlib fleeing the Syrian Civil War in a camp in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon.
(Photo courtesy of DFID – UK Department for International Development via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

“One of the greatest needs we have across the region of the Arab world are new young leaders to grow up and to step into those roles, to lead the Church in the future,” he says. 

“So that’s my deep prayer, that this [election] will become a stabilizing act that will create more space for more leaders to be trained, developed, and then walk into their gifting within the context of God’s Kingdom in Syria.”

*Pseudonym

Header photo: U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio meets President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa in New York City, New York on 22 September 2025 (Photo by U.S. Department of State via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Unstable Recent History

In December of 2024 the Assad regime was overthrown by a coalition of opposition groups. A new government is in place; however, instability and sectarian violence continue as the country resettles after years of war.

Hunter Williamson with Thimar-LSESD says, “Syria is made up of a number of different sectarian groups, and they were fighting amongst each other during the war. The overthrow of the government in December did not magically heal or magically resolve the situation. This sectarian violence that we’ve talked about very much highlights the grievance, the anger, the tensions that still exist among communities.”

(Photo courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman on Unsplash)

Williamson explains that violence coming from this tension impacts many minority groups. In some cases, Christians are targeted because of their association, not with Christ, but with another group. The violence in the Alawite community earlier this year was a good example of this. Some media outlets reported that large numbers of Christians were being killed as well, but Williamson says that was not really the case.

“There were Christians who were killed in the violence that happened. But what was going on was that these were believers who originally came from Alawite backgrounds. They were not, you might say, indigenous Christians. So, when they were killed, they were killed for being from the Alawite community, not because they were Christians.”

Trouble for the Cause of Christ

However, the church in Syria has also faced direct threats. In June a suicide bomber killed 25 and wounded 63 more during an attack at Mar Elias Greek Orthodox Church in Damascus. Williamson says that while this was the most significant violence against one of their partners, there have been other threats.

“We also have another church partner in Syria’s western coastal area, which had threats made against it. A few weeks after the suicide bombing, there were flyers that were distributed in front of the church and in the village where the church is located, calling for Jihad and the killing of Christians,” Williamson says. “Thankfully, nothing has materialized.”

Two Responses Within the Church

Yet the looming threats and other violence against minorities, like the Druze, have caused many people within the Church to emigrate. Williamson says that before the war about ten percent of the population was Christian. Now they make up one percent or less.

“This is sort of reignited this desire of a number of Christians to leave Syria now. Among others, there’s this feeling or sense that they need to continue to be a light to their country. They need to be reaching out to their communities, to serve them, to show the love of Christ. All of this, all of what’s happened over these past months has just reinforced this belief among them. So, we’re really seeing sort of these two strains of thought among our partners and from other Christians and believers in Syria.”

(Photo courtesy of Salah Darwish on Unsplash)

Those individuals and organizations remaining in the country reach out to the community through humanitarian aid and relief. Recent reports from the UN number about two million Syrians returning to their homes. However, many of those homes were destroyed or now don’t have electricity or other public services. The country is also facing a drought.

A Connection with the Early Church

Williamson says that with the tension around them believers in Syria identify strongly with the early Church. They are bearing a similar testimony of painful circumstances and yet trying to love their neighbors and share the Gospel. To do that, they ask for prayer.

Please pray that God would protect His people from discouragement and fear as they face the days ahead. Pray that they will remain strong in the faith and hold to truth. Pray also for peace among different groups.

“One of the things that Syria really needs to move forward, to heal, to rebuild, is for there to be healing among the different communities, among the different people. So that’s really one thing people can be praying for.”

If you want to learn more about the situation in Syria and how Thimar-LSESD is helping, click here.

Header photo courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman on Unsplash

The Druze are both an ethnic people group and a religious offshoot of Islam. There are also ethnically Druze Christians.

Reports say about 1,000 Druze were massacred recently. But Pierre Houssney with Horizons International says, according to his local Druze sources, “It was really more like 3,000 people that were killed in clashes between the extremist factions that claim to be government and the Arab Bedouins and the Druze.

“There’s a lot of ethnic tension right now, and definitely minorities throughout Syria are feeling very vulnerable.”

Why now? Houssney says a lot of the tension comes in the wake of the latest government transition after former President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. In the chaos, extremist groups see an opportunity for power through violence.

A gathering of the people and residents of Daraa city in Al-Karama and Al-Hurriya Square after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. (Caption, photo courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman/Unsplash)

Houssney shares from Druze Christians, “They are not confident that this new leader of Syria is actually walking the walk that he’s talking. So he’s saying that Syria is for everyone [and] Syrian Christians should be protected and all of that, and all the minority groups will be just fine. But at the same time, he’s not protecting them.”

The Druze militia has taken a defensive stance against their attackers, and there are even talks of seeking independence.

Houssney says, “The Druze are currently arming themselves, organizing themselves, and bracing to repel any attack or encroachment. One Druze leader that I’m in touch with actually said that there’s no way that the Druze community is going to accept being part of the new Syria that emerges after all this.”

Please pray for an end to the violence, and for Druze and Syrian Christians to be faithful witnesses of the Gospel amidst unrest. Pray for believers to point the Druze people ultimately to spiritual freedom in Christ.

“My hope is to share those personal connections and what I’m hearing from Druze people on the ground, especially the believers, and just pass that on to the world, because news that you can trust these days is very difficult to find.” Houssney adds, “That’s part of why I appreciate Mission Network News.”

Header photo: Ein Al-Asad, a Druze locality on a hillside. (Photo courtesy of Levi Meir Clancy/Unsplash)

Syria’s government says it thwarted a recent bombing attempt on a Catholic church. According to a report, the would-be attackers were on their way to Mar Elias Maronite Church in the city of Tartus. When security forces apprehended the men, they found an explosive device, a black flag and papers with written threats.

“They don’t say exactly when [they stopped the attack]. They don’t say a lot about the people who were captured, other than the fact that they identify them as loyalist[s] to former President Bashir al-Assad,” said Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs, USA. 

Even with those unanswered questions, the government report is an answer to prayer for protection for Syria’s Christians. The nation’s bigger picture remains grim. Christian, Druze and Alawite minorities have endured multiple attacks in recent months.

“When you see the attack in June, you see the pastor from a Druze background that was killed in late July, then you hear of another attack on a church that apparently was prevented, [you see the pattern of danger],” said Nettleton. 

“If you are a Christian in Syria right now, you are understandably nervous. Because while the government has said all the right things about protecting religious minorities, it is not clear that they are committed to [making] that a reality.” 

But even traditional Christian communities (such as Catholic or Orthodox) have it better in Syria than Muslim-background believers.

“When the government is talking about Christians in Syria, they are talking about those traditional Christian communities. They are not in any way talking about Muslim converts to Christianity,” said Nettleton. “Those people, in the eyes of the government, do not have protection. They don’t even talk about protecting them.” 

Praise God for answering prayers for protection for the Catholic church in Tartus. Ask Him for continued protection. 

Pray for Syria’s government to be held accountable to uphold religious freedom. “We need to pray for strong leaders who will do that as they interact with the Syrian government,” said Nettleton.

A minaret and a church steeple side-by-side in Syria. (Photo courtesy of Ali Wassouf/Unsplash)

Header photo courtesy of Linus Schütz via Pixabay.

Over a thousand people have been killed since fighting erupted last week. Samuel of Redemptive Stories says the Lord is moving among the Druze, but the latest conflict puts believers at an even higher risk.

“Before the conflict, there was significant movement [of] God’s Spirit in that space – lots of house churches meeting, growing together, studying God’s Word, and sharing with their neighbors. A lot of that will be stopped for this season,” Samuel says.

But who exactly are the Druze, and what do they have to do with believers?

“The Druze are a religion that is gnostic, which means only certain leaders within that religion have the whole understanding of what they believe as a people,” Samuel explains.

“That (knowledge barrier) has recently opened them up to connection with Christians, and to see a movement of God’s Spirit take place among the Druze.”

Syria’s new leaders are not friendly to religious minorities. Conflict of any kind between government forces and any minority group puts Christians at an even higher risk.

“Known believers in Jesus from the Druze community will face potentially additional persecution from the Sunni government, as well as the Sunni Bedouin community,” Samuel says.

As explained here, “The Bedouins are Sunni Muslims; they’ve been the enforcers, perhaps, of the current government in areas in the south.”

Ask the Lord to encourage and empower His followers in Syria during this tumultuous time.

“Our brothers and sisters in Syria continue to be bold and strong in the face of so much challenge, and yet they find joy in continuing to walk in faith and serve our Lord and Savior. Pray that God would give them strength to keep pressing on,” Samuel requests.

“Pray for those who have been directly affected by this conflict. May God provide for their needs, but then also provide His comfort and peace to them.”

Header image depicts Druze and Christian leaders in As-Suwayda (Suweida), Syria. (Wikimedia Commons)