Amid Israeli Strikes, Helsinki Commission Fears for Religious Minorities in Syria

‘Before the civil war, issues of religious freedom didn’t really come up very much,' a former counsel said.

Syrian security forces take aim from a rooftop position amid clashes in the southern city of Sweida, in the province of the same name, on July 16, 2025. Bakr Alkasem/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON—Commissioners and former staff with a key human rights panel are voicing concern over religious freedom in the new Syrian regime, now facing attack from Israel in the name of a religious minority.

Israel, which backed the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, launched heavy airstrikes on July 16 that hit Syria’s capital, Damascus, citing persecution of the Druze.