Following the sudden and unexpected fall of the Assad regime in Syria, we stand at a crossroads for justice and liberation across the region. We have witnessed the mass liberation of political prisoners, families reunited with loved ones long held in torturous conditions, and the streets flooded with Syrians returning home after years of forced exile. The collapse of the Assad regime opens space for new possibilities, yet it also reminds us of the dangers ahead.
Israel has launched an invasion of the Golan Heights to expand its illegal occupation into new territories, and a bombing campaign across the country meant to destroy Syria’s means to defend itself. According to Al-Jazeera, “Israel has attacked Syria more than 400 times and, despite UN protests, launched a military incursion into the buffer zone that has separated the two countries since 1974.” Israel’s ongoing and expanding colonization of the Syrian Golan Heights and its genocidal campaign in Gaza are part of a broader system of domination that suffocates the region.
Yet, the images of Syrian people breaking free from the gruesome and terrorizing Sednaya prison reminds us that liberation is not just a dream—it is a necessity. Those who seek to exploit this moment, whether that be to embed Western influence in the region, consolidate sectarian power, or entrench Zionist occupation, cannot be allowed to derail the aspirations of ordinary Syrians for a future free from tyranny.
From Syria to Palestine to Lebanon, and beyond, this moment demands that we reimagine a future of collective liberation, rooted in justice and the dismantling of all forms of oppression. In this time of great hope and uncertainty, we stand with the Syrian people in hopes that they can build a future for themselves in freedom.