Syria’s Crossroads: The Israel-Iran Conflict & The Damascus Church Bombing | Media Arabic Booster 06/25

As the shadow of the Iran-Israel conflict lengthens across the Middle East, Syria finds itself once again at the volatile epicenter of a geopolitical storm.

The nation is not only a battleground for regional adversaries, with its sovereignty tested by foreign strikes, but also faces the resurgent specter of domestic terrorism, tragically highlighted by a deadly bombing at a Damascus church.

In this edition, we unpack the critical Arabic vocabulary used to describe this reality, focusing on the terminology of geopolitical conflict, state sovereignty, and political maneuvering that dominates the headlines.

A close look at a headline

In June 2025, Israel and Iran were the main topics. We also want to take a closer look at one headline.

al-Watan: Condemnation of Israeli attacks on Iran

On 22 June 2025, the Qatari daily Al-Watan (الوطن) splashed the Israeli-Iran conflict across its front page, headlining the Prime Minister’s remarks. Owned by Dar Al-Watan for Printing, Publishing, and Distribution (دار الوطن للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع), this pro-government paper echoes the State of Qatar‘s foreign-policy line.

That edition hit the stands just days after Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on 13 June 2025 and immediately before Iran’s missile salvo at the US Al Udeid Air Base (قاعدة العديد الجوية) in Qatar on 23 June 2025.

Let’s focus on the headline:

Watch out:

Be careful, because with the Arab ruling houses you run the risk of confusing names.

• Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani (الشيخ محمد بن عبدالرحمن بن جاسم بن جبر آل ثاني) is Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister – and he is not the Emir.
• The Emir is His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (تميم بن حمد آل ثاني).
• They are distant cousins within the ruling Al Thani dynasty.

Translation of an article

Even though the month of June was dominated by the Israel-Iran conflict, there was also sad news from Syria, which we would like to address in the following article.

• On 22 June 2025 a suicide bomber struck Mar Elias Church (كنيسة مار إلياس) in the al-Duwaileh district (الدويلة) of Damascus (دمشق) during Sunday mass, killing 25 worshippers and wounding 63. It was the first such attack in the capital since the Islamist-led interim government seized power in December 2024.
• Mar Elias is a principal Greek-Orthodox site on Damascus’s outskirts, central to Syria’s shrinking Christian community.
• The Syrian Interior Ministry (وزارة الداخلية السورية) blamed ISIS (داعش), alleging the cell infiltrated from al-Hawl camp (مخيم الهول) and that all members have been arrested.
• The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (قوات سوريا الديمقراطية – قسد) rejected this, saying no foreigners left al-Hawl.
• Meanwhile, Saraya Ansar al-Sunna (سرايا أنصار السنة) claimed responsibility.
• Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah (سرايا أنصار السنة, lit. “Companies/Brigades of the Supporters of the Sunnah”) is an Islamist militant organization operating in western Syria and Tripoli, Lebanon. It was founded on February 1, 2025, by Abu Aisha al-Shami (: أبو عائشة الشامي) after splitting from Hayʾat Tahrir al-Sham (هيئة تحرير الشام) and is known for its Salafi-jihadist ideology and sectarian attacks targeting Alawites (عَلَويّ), Shia (شيعيّ), Druze (دُرْزيّ), and Christians (مَسيحيّ). Note that so-called Islamists or Jihadists like to call Christians نَصْرانِيّ – plural نَصارَى

Let’s look at parts of a longer newspaper article in Arabic. We will translate each sentence carefully. The highlighted words are in the vocabulary list below.

News platform Asas: Syria, the church bombing and the future of Ahmed al-Sharaa

On June 25, Asas (أساس) published an article by Hisham Alaywan (هشام عليوان) about the June 22 Mar Elias Church suicide bombing in Damascus, arguing it exposed deep rifts threatening President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s fragile rule — from Sunni outrage over freeing nearly 90 former Assad figures and minority anger at lost privileges to disillusioned jihadist backers and unease about secret overtures to Israel.

Asas Media, based in Beirut, Lebanon, was launched in 2020; it’s funded primarily by private investors and advertising.

Remark: If you cannot access the article, try this link (archive.org)

أحمد الشرع في دائرة الخطر الكبير

Ahmed al-Sharaa is in Great Danger

Let’s now take a closer look at the entire article.

Section 1

تزداد المخاطر حول سوريا الجديدة وقائدها أحمد الشرع، مع تتابع تفجّر التناقضات وآخرها التفجير الارهابي الذي طال كنيسة مار إلياس في ضاحية دمشق، حيث يسجل للأمن السوري سرعته بتوقيف الخلية الارهابية المتورطة. إلا أنّ هذه السرعة لا تعني زوال الخطر حول سوريا وأحمد الشرع.

The risks surrounding the new Syria and its leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, are mounting as contradictions continue to erupt, most recently with the terrorist bombing of Mar Elias Church in the Damascus suburbs. Syrian security forces are to be commended for their swift action in arresting the terrorist cell involved. However, this speed does not mean the danger surrounding Syria and Ahmad al-Sharaa has disappeared.

لسان حال الرئيس السوري أحمد الشرع: اعمل لدنياك كأنّك تعيش أبداً. واعمل لآخرتك كأنّك تموت غداً. يبادر إلى عقد الصفقات الاقتصادية لبلاده كأنّه رائد أعمال، وخبير اقتصاد من عشرات السنين، ويمشي بسلام واطمئنان بين الناس، كأنّه في سويسرا الحياديّة. رغم ازدياد، المخاطر على حياته، والتحديات العديدة التي تواجهه مع تفجّر التناقضات المحلية والإقليمية؛ فمن جهة، ارتفاع الغضب الشعبي من التساهل مع رجال النظام السابق، وعودة تنظيم داعش الارهابي إلى المشهد السوري من جهة أخرى.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s motto is: “Work for this world as if you will live forever. Work for your afterlife as if you will die tomorrow.” He initiates economic deals for his country like a businessman and a seasoned (decades-old) economic expert, and he walks peacefully and reassured among the people, as if he were in neutral Switzerland. Despite the increasing risks to his life and the numerous challenges he faces as local and regional contradictions erupt, there is growing popular anger over the perceived leniency shown toward former regime officials, while the terrorist organization ISIS has returned to the Syrian scene.

الأكثريّة السنّية ساخطة لإطلاق وزارة الداخلية السوريّة سراح ما يقرب من 90 من رجال الأسد السابقين من السجون، لأنّه لا ملفّات قضائية ضدّهم، وبعض الضبّاط تعاونوا مع “ردع العدوان” لإسقاط النظام، وبعض الشبّيحة كشفوا عن معلومات مقابل الإفراج عنهم. ومعظم الأقلّيّات غاضبة منه لأنّه أفقدها امتيازاتها.

The Sunni majority is outraged by the Syrian Interior Ministry’s release of nearly 90 former Assad officials from prison on the grounds that there were no legal cases against them. Some (of these) officers had cooperated with the “Deterrence of Aggression” coalition to topple the regime, and some shabbiha [see background below] revealed information in exchange for their release. Meanwhile, most minorities are angry with him for stripping them of their privileges.

Background: The Shabbiha in Syria

The term “Shabbiha” (الشَّبِّيحَة – singular: شَبّيح) refers to loyalist militias in Syria that first gained international notoriety for their brutal role in suppressing the 2011 uprising.

The network’s origins, however, are older and more localized. They coalesced in the late 1970s and early 1980s along Syria’s Alawite coast, particularly in the cities of Latakia (اللَّاذِقِيَّة), Banias (بَانِيَاس), and Tartous (طَرْطُوس). Initially, they functioned as criminal smuggling rings operating with the protection of powerful figures within the Assad family. They specialized in moving subsidized Syrian goods like food and cigarettes into Lebanon, while bringing high-value contraband such as luxury cars, weapons, and narcotics back into Syria.

➤ The etymology of their name remains debated, though two popular theories exist, neither of which is definitively proven. One links it to the Arabic word for “ghost” (شَبَح, shabah), alluding to their stealth, while another suggests it comes from the Mercedes S-Class. How come?

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class W140 (1991–1998), especially the flagship S 600 coupe with its whisper-quiet cabin, dark-tinted windows and cavernous trunk was widely dubbed shabah (شَبَح – “ghost”) in the Arab world.

Coastal smugglers – early Shabiha precursors – had long relied on dark-tinted Mercedes sedans for illicit trade, and the W140’s spacious trunk and luxury cachet only deepened the link. As regime-backed enforcers flaunted these top-tier cars, they became both a de facto uniform and a symbol of their untouchable, extra-legal power — so locals simply called the men “Shabbiha”. The word شَبِّيحٌ is a quasi-participle صِفةٌ مُشابَّهةٌ.

• With the outbreak of the 2011 uprising, the regime reactivated these established criminal networks en masse, unleashing them as its primary tool for “dirty work” against protesters.
• Operating in a plainclothes, death-squad style, the Shabbiha were tasked with intimidating, attacking, and killing demonstrators, committing massacres and acts of terror that the formal military sought to distance itself from.
• Their savage methods were instrumental in transforming the initially peaceful protests into a full-blown armed conflict.

During this period, the definition of “Shabbiha” expanded beyond the original coastal gangs to describe any pro-Assad, plainclothes paramilitary thug employed to violently enforce the government’s will.

By late 2012, the Syrian government sought to formalize and better control these disparate militias. Many Shabbiha members were rolled into the newly established National Defence Forces (NDF – قُوَّاتُ الدِّفَاعِ الْوَطَنِيِّ), an umbrella organization created with significant backing from Iran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. While this move integrated many fighters into a more conventional paramilitary structure, the term “Shabbiha” persists.

It continues to be used to describe the brutal, lawless character of pro-regime militias and serves as a lasting reminder of the state-sponsored thuggery that defined the initial, bloody phase of the Syrian war.

Section 2

أمّا التيّار الإسلامي، والجهادي ضمناً، وهو قاعدته الأساسية، فيتفرّج مشدوهاً، أمام قرارات الشرع في الداخل، وفيها تسامح وتساهل غير مقبول منهم، فيما هو يسرع الخُطى نحو التفاهم الأمنيّ مع إسرائيل، وفتح الطريق أمام عقد معاهدة سلام معها.

As for the Islamist movement, implicitly the jihadist one, which constitutes its core base, it watches in amazement at al-Sharaa’s internal decisions, which display a level of tolerance and leniency they find unacceptable. This comes as he accelerates steps toward a security understanding with Israel and paves the way for a peace treaty with it.

لقد انتقل الرئيس أحمد الشرع بسرعة ضوئيّة من كونه الجهاديّ المطلوب قتله على لوائح الإرهاب، إلى الرئيس المعتدل الذي تتطابق مصالحه مع مصالح الولايات المتّحدة، المتحمّسة له، بل القلقة على حياته من رفاقه الساخطين عليه، بحسب تعبير المبعوث الأميركي الخاصّ إلى سوريا، توماس برّاك، وذلك في مقابلة مع موقع “المونيتور”، طالب فيها بإنشاء شبكة استخباريّة بين حلفاء أميركا لإجهاض أيّ محاولة تهدّد حياة الشرع.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa has transitioned at lightning speed from a wanted jihadist on terrorist lists to a moderate president whose interests align with those of the United States. The U.S. is enthusiastic about him and even concerned for his life from his own disaffected comrades, according to the US Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, in an interview with Al-Monitor. Barrack called for the establishment of an intelligence network among America’s allies to thwart any attempt to threaten al-Sharaa’s life.

في الأثناء، لا يتوقّف الشرع عن بثّ رسائل إيجابية باتّجاهات مختلفة ونحو جهات إقليمية ودولية متضاربة في مصالحها، فلا يُعرف على وجه الدقّة إن كانت تركيا ستنشئ قواعد عسكرية في سوريا، بما يعزّز موقعها الاستراتيجي في المنطقة إلى حدّ كبير، ولا إن كانت روسيا ستُخلي آخر مواقعها في قاعدة حميميم، فتخسر موطئ قدمها على شاطئ البحر المتوسط.

Meanwhile, al-Sharaa continues to send positive messages in various directions and to regional and international actors with conflicting interests. It is not known for certain if Turkey will establish military bases in Syria, which would significantly strengthen its strategic position in the region, nor if Russia will evacuate its last positions at the Hmeimim airbase, thereby losing its foothold on the Mediterranean coast.

Section 3

مصير الاتّصالات مع إسرائيل؟

What is the fate of contacts with Israel?

لا يمكن التنبّؤ بنجاح الاتّصالات غير المباشرة وحتّى المباشرة منها مع مقرّبين من حكومة إسرائيل، وكان آخر تلك اللقاءات مع القسّ جوني مور، المقرّب جدّاً من ترامب والمؤيّد بحماسة لإسرائيل، وهو أيضاً الرئيس التنفيذي لمؤسّسة غزّة الإنسانية، المكلّفة من الولايات المتّحدة وبدعم من إسرائيل توزيع المساعدات على أهالي غزّة. ومع مور، كان الحاخام اليهودي أبراهام كوبر. ولمور دور في الترويج لاتّفاقات أبراهام بين بعض الدول العربية وإسرائيل، في الولاية الأولى لترامب.

The success of indirect, and even direct, contacts with those close to the Israeli government cannot be predicted. The most recent of these meetings was with Reverend Johnnie Moore, a close associate of Donald Trump and an ardent supporter of Israel. Moore is also the CEO of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is tasked by the United States, with Israeli support, to distribute aid to the people of Gaza. Moore’s interlocutor was Rabbi Abraham Cooper. Accompanying Moore was Rabbi Abraham Cooper. Moore played a role in promoting the Abraham Accords between several Arab countries and Israel during Trump’s first term.

لم تتأخّر الاستجابة الإسرائيلية، إذ كشف موقع أكسيوس الأميركي أنّ نتنياهو طلب من الرئيس الأميركي التوسّط بين سوريا وإسرائيل لتوقيع اتّفاق أمنيّ بينهما في البداية، وعقد معاهدة سلام، في نهاية المطاف. وهذا تحوُّل حادّ في الموقف الإسرائيلي من القيادة السوريّة الجديدة. لكن هذا الموقف الجديد، قبيل الهجوم على إيران، قد يكون جزءاً من حملة التضليل الإسرائيلي، للإيحاء بأنّ إسرائيل بصدد التعامل مع سوريا بوصفها دولة حاجزة بينها وإيران، وهو ما يوحي باستبعاد حرب مباشرة مع إيران. لكن هجوم 13 حزيران، يؤكد أن إسرائيل قررت رسم خارطة نفوذها بقواتها العسكرية.

The Israeli response was not long in coming, as the American website Axios revealed that Netanyahu had asked the US president to mediate between Syria and Israel to first sign a security agreement and ultimately conclude a peace treaty. This represents a sharp shift in the Israeli position toward the new Syrian leadership. However, this new position, which emerged prior to the attack on Iran, may be part of an Israeli disinformation campaign to suggest that Israel is prepared to treat Syria as a buffer state between itself and Iran, thereby implying a direct war with Iran is unlikely. Yet, the attack of June 13 confirms that Israel has decided to map its influence with its military forces.

مهما كان الأمر، فإنّ السعي لتفاهم الشرع مع نتنياهو، يزيد مستوى الغضب عليه من التيّار الإسلامي عامّة، ومن التيّار الجهادي خاصّة، لا سيما التنظيمَين اللّذين كان الشرع منتسباً إليهما، وهما تنظيم “الدولة الإسلامية”، وتنظيم “قاعدة الجهاد”، علاوة على النقمة الشعبية المتنامية بسبب التأخّر في بدء التأسيس الجادّ لعدالة انتقاليّة.

Whatever the case, al-Sharaa’s pursuit of an understanding with Netanyahu is increasing the level of anger against him from the Islamist movement in general, and from the jihadist movement in particular — especially the two organizations to which al-Sharaa was once affiliated: the so-called Islamic State and Al-Qaeda in Iraq. This is in addition to the growing popular resentment over the delay in seriously establishing transitional justice.

Section 4

هذا علماً أنّ المضيّ في هذا الطريق يعني محاكمة مئات الآلاف من المشتبه بهم، وهو ما سيُغرق سوريا في مسار طويل الأمد، إضافة إلى نبش القبور الجماعية وفحص الحمض النووي الذي سيتطلّب عملاً دؤوباً لعشرات السنين، بالقياس إلى ما حدث في البوسنة والهرسك مثلاً. وهذا وحده يعرقل مشاريع الإنماء والإعمار، إذ يبدو أنّ الشرع يريد انغماس السوريين في العمل بدلاً من اللطم، كما صرّح مرّة عقب سقوط النظام.

It should be noted that pursuing this path means prosecuting hundreds of thousands of suspects, which would plunge Syria into a long-term process. This is in addition to the exhumation of mass graves and DNA testing, which will require decades of tireless work, comparable to what happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example. This alone hinders development and reconstruction projects. Al-Sharaa, it seems, wants Syrians to immerse themselves in work rather than in lamenting, as he once stated after the fall of the regime.

نجح الجولاني سابقاً في النجاة من مواقف صعبة جدّاً. واعتمد في كلّ مراحل حياة المغامرة التي عاشها على براعته في استمالة مفاوضيه ومحاوريه. واستعمل هذه المهارة، بعدما عاد إلى شخصيّته الأصليّة أحمد الشرع، وأصبح رئيساً لسوريا في المرحلة الانتقالية، إلى درجة تورُّط ناشطين وصحافيّين وحتّى سياسيّين كبار في التغزّل به شخصاً ورئيسَ دولة. ولم يكن الرئيس الأميركي دونالد ترامب استثناء من هذا الإعجاب، حين التقى الشرع في الرياض بحضور وليّ العهد الأمير محمّد بن سلمان الشهر الماضي.

In the past, as al-Julani, he succeeded in surviving extremely difficult situations. Throughout his adventurous life, he relied on his skill in winning over his negotiators and interlocutors. He has utilized this skill after returning to his original persona, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and becoming the transitional President of Syria, to the point that activists, journalists, and even senior politicians have become enamored with him, both personally and as a head of state. US President Donald Trump was no exception to this admiration when he met al-Sharaa in Riyadh last month in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

على الرغم من رفع الجائزة الأميركية عمّن يُرشد إليه، ثمّ رفع العقوبات عن سوريا، وبعد ذلك الحرص المستجدّ على سلامته، إلّا أنّه مطلوبٌ بشدّة من جهات محلّية ودولية متناقضة، بقصد إلغائه من المعادلة، وتفجير الفوضى العارمة في سوريا لسنوات طويلة، كي تعود البلاد نقطة الفراغ الاستراتيجي كما كانت خلال 14 سنة خلت، تلعب بها الأرياح من كلّ جانب، ويتدخّل فيها من هبّ ودبّ من الدول والميليشيات.

Despite the US dropping the reward for information leading to his capture, the subsequent lifting of sanctions on Syria, and the newfound concern for his safety, he remains a hotly sought-after figure by contradictory local and international factions. These parties aim to eliminate him from the equation and unleash widespread chaos in Syria for years to come. This would return the country to the strategic vacuum it has been for the past 14 years, at the mercy of winds from every direction and subject to the interference of all manner of states and militias.

Vocabulary list

All the words in the above article marked in color can be found in this table with explanations.

Part 1: Analysis of a headline

The following vocabulary list covers the yellow-marked words we saw in the headlines.

Part 2: Translation of an article

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