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Middle EastThe Middle East is a region linking Israel, neighboring Arab countries, Iran and surrounding lands at a strategic gateway between Europe, Asia and Africa. Its ancient cultures, religious traditions, energy resources and waterways have shaped world history and modern international affairs.Yarmuk RiverThe Yarmuk is the principal eastern tributary of the Jordan River. Its perennial headwaters, historic associations and shared waters have made it significant to Israel, Jordan and the wider region.United Nations Disengagement Observer ForceThe United Nations Disengagement Observer Force monitors the 1974 ceasefire and separation agreement between Israel and Syria. Its mission in the Golan Heights has endured through Syria’s civil war, attacks on peacekeepers and the collapse of the Assad regime.Suwayda GovernorateSuwayda Governorate is a Druze-majority province of Syria centered on Jabal al-Druze. Local armed groups, protests against Bashar al-Assad, and fighting after his fall have shaped its security and relations with Damascus.Sultan al-AtrashSultan al-Atrash was a Druze leader whose 1925 rebellion against French mandatory rule in Hawran developed into the Great Syrian Revolt. His leadership remains central to Druze communal memory and has been invoked during later protests in Syria and Israel.Southern Syria clashes (July–September 2025)Fighting in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate began on July 13, 2025, after an attack on a Druze resident and retaliatory abductions. Syrian forces, Druze militias and Bedouin fighters fought through successive ceasefires, while Israel struck Syrian military targets to protect Druze civilians.ShahbaShahba is a majority-Druze town in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate. Known in Roman times as Philippopolis, it later became a site of protests against Bashar al-Assad’s rule and was struck by Jordanian aircraft in 2026.SalkhadSalkhad is a town in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate near the Jordanian border. It became a site of protests against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, while its district has been affected by Jordanian strikes targeting cross-border drug trafficking.
