Sebastian Usher

I mean, I think they're keen to establish a new relationship with Syria. But the government, the authorities want to open up. you know, a new page, one in which Syria, and this is what the new de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaf, said, that Syria will no longer have a negative influence in Lebanon.

I mean, I think they're keen to establish a new relationship with Syria. But the government, the authorities want to open up. you know, a new page, one in which Syria, and this is what the new de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaf, said, that Syria will no longer have a negative influence in Lebanon.

So this kind of cooperation would be an effort to show from a Lebanese side that they're willing to help the authorities and the hope would be that that would build confidence.

So this kind of cooperation would be an effort to show from a Lebanese side that they're willing to help the authorities and the hope would be that that would build confidence.

What we're hearing from the HDS side, from the new authorities in Syria, is that they've launched a big operation in Tartus after the killing of 14 police security officers on Wednesday. And they're saying that these are remnants of the Assad regime and they're hunting them down in the woods and the valleys of Tartus. So not just in the port city, but in the province itself. As a whole.

What we're hearing from the HDS side, from the new authorities in Syria, is that they've launched a big operation in Tartus after the killing of 14 police security officers on Wednesday. And they're saying that these are remnants of the Assad regime and they're hunting them down in the woods and the valleys of Tartus. So not just in the port city, but in the province itself. As a whole.

And from the other side, from the Alawite side, I mean, you know, one can only go by some of the protests that there have been, which suggest that there is at least still quite a hard core of...

And from the other side, from the Alawite side, I mean, you know, one can only go by some of the protests that there have been, which suggest that there is at least still quite a hard core of...

At best, people who are worried and unsettled by what's happened, because obviously President Assad belonged to the Alawite community and his future and their future very much seem to be bound up for years. I mean, the change very particularly is of this Islamist-led government that is now in place.

At best, people who are worried and unsettled by what's happened, because obviously President Assad belonged to the Alawite community and his future and their future very much seem to be bound up for years. I mean, the change very particularly is of this Islamist-led government that is now in place.

And whether it was self-serving or not, that was what President Assad had said for years and years. He was acting as a bulwark against, and I'm sure that many Alawites believe that. And we have had reports of attacks on Alawites in Damascus and elsewhere. We had big protests in Homs. There was a curfew that was put in place there. Again, that is seen specifically here.

And whether it was self-serving or not, that was what President Assad had said for years and years. He was acting as a bulwark against, and I'm sure that many Alawites believe that. And we have had reports of attacks on Alawites in Damascus and elsewhere. We had big protests in Homs. There was a curfew that was put in place there. Again, that is seen specifically here.

to be in relation to the Alawites and their concerns and their fears and potentially their anger and the violence that might come out on the streets.

to be in relation to the Alawites and their concerns and their fears and potentially their anger and the violence that might come out on the streets.

We have, yeah, and we've had a variety of officials from Lebanon, for example, becoming the veteran. Drew's leader, Wali Jumblat, was in Damascus just a few days ago. And, you know, the signals are we want a different relationship. This is from a new leadership in Syria. We want a relationship where we are not at odds, where we're not in conflict.

We have, yeah, and we've had a variety of officials from Lebanon, for example, becoming the veteran. Drew's leader, Wali Jumblat, was in Damascus just a few days ago. And, you know, the signals are we want a different relationship. This is from a new leadership in Syria. We want a relationship where we are not at odds, where we're not in conflict.

As far as Lebanon is concerned, what I'm hearing from a lot of people here is,

As far as Lebanon is concerned, what I'm hearing from a lot of people here is,

The events, both of the fall of President Assad, but also what's happened with Hezbollah, all of these things kind of coming to a climax in the past few weeks of sort of a recognition amongst many people, much more openly expressed than it had been, that they feel that it's Syria that was at the root of so many of their problems. Yes, Israel launched these attacks.

The events, both of the fall of President Assad, but also what's happened with Hezbollah, all of these things kind of coming to a climax in the past few weeks of sort of a recognition amongst many people, much more openly expressed than it had been, that they feel that it's Syria that was at the root of so many of their problems. Yes, Israel launched these attacks.