"Jihadist in Western Clothes"?

Hi Global Recap readers,

Of course, right after I hit send on Friday’s newsletter saying there was a ceasefire between the Bedouins and Druze, videos start popping up showing more violence.

• Although, now, it looks like the ceasefire is shaky, but kind of holding.

• There are also memes going around showing empty streets, calling out how the so-called anti-genocide activists in the pro-Palestine movement are nowhere to be found when it comes to protesting the brutal attacks on the Druze.

Is that hypocrisy, or just business as usual in our outrage-saturated, media-driven world? To help clarify things, I’ve compiled a concise timeline and overview of the conflict below. 👇

(Also, Poland just struck oil. Is it just me, or does the world magically find critical resources just when they need them?)

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇺🇸 Microsoft Warns Server Attacks. Microsoft just flagged “active attacks” on SharePoint servers used by US and international agencies, plus businesses, to share documents.

• The hack is a “zero day” exploit, meaning attackers found a brand-new flaw before anyone else did.

• Microsoft says only on-premises SharePoint servers are hit—cloud users are safe (for now). However, SharePoint is everywhere in government and business, so tens of thousands of servers are suddenly at risk.

• Microsoft urges everyone to install security updates ASAP or disconnect servers if they can’t.

🇪🇸 Ex-Ukrainian Cop Dies Mysteriously. It was just reported that a former top Ukrainian official, Ihor Hrushevskyi, was found dead in the pool of his Spanish condo on June 29, the same spot where a Russian defector was killed last year.

• Hrushevskyi, 61, used to run anti-organized crime units in Ukraine and had just bought and started fixing up his place in Villajoyosa.

• No signs of violence, but witnesses said he was bleeding from one ear, so it could have been a stroke or aneurysm.

• This is the same residential complex where Russian pilot Maksim Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine, was shot dead in February 2024.

🇧🇪 Belgium Arrests Israeli Soldiers. Belgian police just arrested two Israeli soldiers at the Tomorrowland festival after rights groups accused them of war crimes in Gaza.

• The Hind Rajab Foundation and Global Legal Action Network filed complaints, pointing to social media posts showing one soldier’s unit blowing up property and the other posing with a Palestinian being used as a human shield.

• The arrests mark the first time a European country has flexed universal jurisdiction on Israeli soldiers, with the new Belgian law kicking in April 2024.

• Both soldiers were questioned and released, but legal proceedings are ongoing, and rights groups say this could trigger similar moves across Europe.

• “Biggest step for accountability since the beginning of the genocide,” says Glan’s senior lawyer Dearblah Minogue.

🇮🇷 Iran, Europe Restart Talks. Iran just agreed to sit down with France, Germany, and Britain in Istanbul this Friday, days after the Europeans threatened to slap UN sanctions back on Tehran if it doesn’t budge on its nuclear program.

• Last week, they gave Iran a deadline: make progress on a new deal or face sanctions by the end of August.

• The three countries are still clinging to the 2015 nuclear deal, even though the US bailed years ago.

• Inspectors from the UN’s atomic agency haven’t been allowed inside Iran since June, after US and Israeli strikes hit Iranian nuclear sites.

• Since then, zero progress between Iran and the US.

🇷🇺 Russia Pounds Ukraine Again. Russia hammered Ukraine overnight into Monday, killing two and injuring 15 as missiles and drones slammed into cities like Kyiv and Kharkiv.

• Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says a kindergarten and apartments caught fire, and a 12-year-old boy is among the wounded.

• More than 420 drones and 20 missiles hit, with Ukraine’s air defenses scrambling but not catching everything.

• All this happened just hours before a big NATO meeting, where Trump’s new plan for rushing US weapons to Ukraine is on the table.

• German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Germany will "contribute to providing the five urgently needed Patriot systems." This figure is up from the previously-stated two.

🇵🇱 Poland Strikes Oil Jackpot. Poland just found its biggest oil and gas deposit in decades off the Baltic Sea.

• Central European Petroleum’s Wolin East 1 well, near Świnoujście, could hold 22 million tonnes of oil and 5 billion cubic meters of gas.

• The wider concession might pack over 33 million tonnes of oil and 27 billion cubic meters of gas, potentially more than doubling Poland’s current reserves.

• The find comes as Poland looks to cut its reliance on imported fossil fuels and beef up energy security.

🇸🇾 SYRIA
Suwayda Massacre:
But By Whom?

There is noticeably less coverage of the Bedouin-Druze conflict than of the Israel-Hamas war, leading to questions about why the media is largely ignoring the situation.

When the conflict is covered, the focus is mostly on debating who is to blame.

• “Outlaws”: Some edited clips of Syria’s interim President al-Sharaa make it look like he’s blaming all Druze, calling them “outlaws” for stirring up trouble. But in the full video, he seems to single out a few rebellious Druze factions, stress that both sides need to follow the law, and call out sectarian violence overall.

• “Jihadist”: But critics say al-Sharaa is clearly siding with the Bedouins in the video, just trying to look diplomatic on the surface. They even call him a “jihadist in Western clothes.”

• US: And if that’s not enough, there’s now a video making the rounds online claiming Syrian forces shot an American—Druze individual and his family point-blank. Supposedly, the US is looking into it.

So, before this thing turns into a full-blown crisis, here's the breakdown: the background, the timeline, and the videos from the clash.

(Warning: Videos are extremely graphic)

Background

• The Druze are a religious minority in Syria, mostly based in Suwayda, and have pretty much stayed out of the Syrian civil war mess so far.

• The Bedouin tribes, mostly Sunni, are spread out across southern Syria.

• These two groups have had their share of clashes over the years, especially since the Assad regime fell in December 2024. That collapse left a huge power vacuum and shaky new alliances.

• Even before this latest clashes, there were already some serious fights between the Druze, Bedouin groups, and the Syrian government forces.

Timeline

11 July 2025

• Bedouin tribesmen assault and kidnap a Druze vegetable merchant at a Damascus–Suwayda highway roadblock, robbing and releasing him in critical condition.

• In response, Druze armed groups detain several Bedouins, triggering a cycle of kidnappings and escalating violence.

13 July 2025

• Bedouin fighters establish a checkpoint in Suwayda city, capturing Druze fighters.

• Armed clashes in Suwayda and nearby villages, with mortars and heavy weapons used.

• Bedouin reinforcements arrive from Daraa, displacing Druze villagers.

14–15 July 2025

• Syrian government forces deploy to Suwayda to restore order.

• Reports surface of Druze civilians being executed.

• A ceasefire is brokered, but Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri urges continued resistance against both the government and Bedouin groups.

16 July 2025

• Israeli Air Force launches at least seven airstrikes on targets in Suwayda, including the Syrian Defense Ministry in Damascus.

• Another ceasefire is reached. Government forces side with Bedouins, then withdraw.

• State media reports: Druze groups commit massacres against local Bedouin tribes, causing a mass exodus of Bedouins to Daraa.

• Up to 50,000 Bedouins from 41 tribes mobilize in response, prompting Druze residents to flee Suwayda.

17–19 July 2025

• Violence and abuses against Druze civilians resume.

• Israeli Druze signal willingness to join the fight if attacks continue.

• Syrian government forces re-enter Suwayda to restore order as violence intensifies.

18–20 July 2025

• Israel launches airstrikes on Syrian government and Bedouin positions, claiming to defend the Druze.

• The US brokers a ceasefire between Israel and Syria, with support from Turkey and Jordan.

• Syrian government announces Bedouin fighters are cleared from Suwayda, deploying forces to oversee their exit.

WARNING

• Another warning: Videos below are graphic, and most of the violence you will find online are from the Bedouin side. But I tried to present you an equal number of videos below.

• Please be careful if you’re digging for more photos and videos of the conflict—these images are EXTREMELY graphic. The ones below are the milder ones.

Bedouins:

• 1st fighter: “Are you Druze?

• Druze: Yes, just going out to get some bread.”

• 1st fighter: Who told you to go out for bread?”

• 2nd fighter laughing: “You could’ve at least let him finish his sentence!”

• 1st fighter: “No, slaughter, slaughter.”

Druze

Besides this, there are videos linked in this article that supposedly show Druze fighters taking Bedouin civilians hostage and killing them. However, they’ve been taken down from social media—either by the uploader or because they’re just too brutal to watch.