Ahmed al-Sharaa is the President of Syria following the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024. The Syrian government mobilized against the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North-East Syria and destroyed it in January 2026.

The Autonomous Administration had ruled Syria east of the Euphrates since 2019. Its destruction followed a period of ethno-sectarian incidents between December 2024 and July 2025, during which approximately 1,700 people were killed. The incidents began with the kidnapping of a Druze merchant by Bedouin. Widespread killings of Alawites, who comprise around 12% of the Syrian population, took place in the western coastal area in February and March 2025. These events occurred after Alawi attacks on a government checkpoint.

Syrian transitional government military units and affiliated irregulars targeted Druze in late April 2025. A massacre of Syrian Druze, who comprise around 4% of the Syrian population, took place in Sweida province in July 2025. Israeli air intervention ended the violence in Sweida province during July 2025 by forcing government fighters back. The Syrian Druze community maintains an enclave in Sweida that Syrian central authorities are unable to enter. This enclave is maintained under a de facto Israeli guarantee.

Demonstrations regularly take place at Karama Square in Sweida city, where Israeli flags and portraits of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are raised. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri leads a separatist element among the Syrian Druze and calls for the establishment of a strong, permanent, and institutionalized autonomous status for Sweida province. Another faction, led by Sheikh Yusuf Jarbou, opposes cooperation with Israel and supports greater cooperation with the Damascus authorities. An intermediate faction among the Syrian Druze is led by Sheikh Hammoud al-Hinnawi.

Clashes took place between Syrian government forces and Kurdish/Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in January 2026. The SDF maintains de facto autonomy in Qamishli, Kobani, and Hasakah. Most SDF fighters have been integrated into the state security forces, but approximately 8,000 SDF fighters remain outside those structures. Members of the Syrian military police gathered outside al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa on January 22, 2026, where Islamic State detainees are held.

The Syrian Popular Resistance, led by Miqdad Fatiha, consists of former members of the Assad regime's army and security forces. The Military Council to Free Syria is led by Brigadier-General Ghaith Dala. These groups have carried out sporadic attacks on government forces in the western coastal area. Many former regime officers are present in Lebanon. National Guard volunteers participated in simulation training in Sweida in January. Kurds constitute around 10% of the Syrian population.