The Threat from Damascus : Can Syrians Prevail? Jerusalem Studio

When the jihadist warlord Al-Jolani took over Damascus last December, he promised to lead a new post-Assad Syria representative of all Syrian communities, confessions and countrymen. Many people in the war-torn nation and the surrounding region chose to give him the benefit of the doubt. Now, almost nine months later, these words ring hollow, as armed gangs perpetrate horrific massacres, attacking the Druze and other minoritiy groups. The onus is now on Al-Jolani, who prefers to be known as Ahmed a-Sharaa, to prove that he can impose his authority, not on the besieged victims of a-Sweida, but on his own Minister of Defense and his henchmen.