Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024, many Syrians have nurtured cautious optimism about rebuilding their country and shaping a new future. Yet recent Israeli strikes pose fresh challenges to these efforts, testing the resilience and unity of local communities.

On 16 July, while Israeli missiles struck Umayyad Square in Damascus, Amer Zarifa, and his team were already responding to an earlier attack nearby. Zarifa, 32, a team leader with the Syrian Civil Defence, has become a symbol of the endurance that has kept the “White Helmets” active through years of turmoil. 

“We were about 30 or 40 metres away when the missiles hit the square,” he tells TRT World. “We rushed to the site immediately. The first injured person was on the right side of the square, we started giving first aid on the spot.” 

The attack, which targeted the Ministry of Defence, killed three civilians and injured 34 more, part of a marked escalation in Israeli strikes against Syria’s post-Assad government. 

For Zarifa, the psychological toll remains one of the most difficult parts. 

“The destruction, the wounded, that’s hard enough. But what lingers is the fear of another missile hitting while you’re in the middle of a rescue,” he adds. “The Israeli strikes came just minutes after ‘warning’ shots, so we were always bracing for another round.” 

Only days before, Zarifa’s team had returned from a grueling 14-day operation fighting wildfires along Syria’s coast, leaving them physically and emotionally drained.

“We thought our battle with the fires was over, but suddenly we were facing Israeli missiles raining down on Damascus,” Zarifa says.

What drives Zarifa and his team is their belief in Syria’s new chapter. 

“We’ve come through the worst of Assad’s rule. Now we’re rebuilding, not just physically, but morally. Now we’re seeing the results of our sacrifices and taking part in shaping the future of Syria.”

Over 400 people have been killed in armed clashes, bombardment, and Israeli airstrikes since the violence in Sweida province began a week ago.

Echoes of Aleppo

For Osama Hanifa, 30, the Israeli airstrikes evoke different memories. He survived the siege of Aleppo between 2015 and 2016 before relocating to Damascus. The explosions now have a strange familiarity.

“When I heard the first explosion near Umayyad Square, I was at my office,” Hanifa tells TRT World. “The sound was louder than Assad’s bombings, although it happened less often. I went outside to see what was going on. When I saw smoke rising, I pulled out my phone to record it, it was an unbelievable scene.”

The strikes, he says, differ in tempo and texture from Assad’s barrel bombs.

“In Aleppo, the barrel bombs never stopped, and we were dying slowly because of the regime’s starvation tactics. Here, the strikes are quick and then it’s over. Life slowly comes back to Umayyad Square. Most importantly, we’re free to talk and share our views.”

Despite everything, Hanifa adds that unity is stronger than ever. “Across Syria, and especially in Damascus, people are coming together to reject Israeli aggression and its interference in Syria’s internal affairs.”

Israeli aggression v local resistance

In Daraa, where the 2011 Syrian uprising began, Imad Al-Battin, a 60-year-old Arabic teacher, sees remnants of past struggles in the present crisis.

“What happened recently was a clear intervention by the Israeli army using the excuse of protecting the Druze community,” Al-Battin tells TRT World. “But this isn’t true. Israel is using this as a cover to push its long-standing plans.”

Al-Battin says Israel’s actions in southern Syria, especially near rural Daraa bordering Quneitra, which Israel occupies, are meant to create a new reality that guarantees its own security and stops any future threats from the Syrian side.

For Al-Battin, the cost of resistance became personal on April 2, when a relative was killed in Nawa alongside eight others during a firefight with Israeli troops.

“We all knew the Israeli army had the most advanced weapons, but the courage of our villagers to stand up against occupation was clear.” Al-Battin recalls.

That night, mosque loudspeakers urged villagers to resist. Fierce clashes erupted around Harsh al-Jubailiyah, near the town of Nawa, in Daraa province, displacing dozens of families. 

But even in flight, solidarity persisted.

The people of Daraa opened their homes to the displaced,” Al-Battin says. “It was a strong show of unity against the Israeli occupation, which falsely claimed to be targeting terrorist infrastructure when in reality, it was our own townspeople defending their land.”

Sweida’s stance and strength

The relationship between Daraa and the Druze community in Sweida, which Israel says it’s protecting, tells a very different story.

Al-Battin tells TRT World that bonds between Daraa and Sweida have always been strong, with deep socio-cultural and historical roots in the fertile plain of Hauran.

Sweida became a safe haven for displaced families from Daraa and helped supply fuel, medicine, and food after Assad’s forces imposed a harsh siege on Daraa.

“There was constant contact with Druze leaders in Sweida to send medical and relief aid to Daraa during the siege by Assad’s army in late 2011,” says Al-Battin. “Many Druze also fought alongside Daraa residents against Assad’s forces.”

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While most Druze welcomed Assad’s fall and sought diplomatic engagement with Al Sharaa’s government, Sheikh al-Hijri has taken a confrontational stance. Critics point to his past ties with Assad.

Al-Battin sees recent attempts to inflame internal conflict as the work of external actors, a deliberate strategy to destabilise the region.

Community groups are still working to protect villages and avoid chaos, while talks between residents of Daraa and Sweida continue to focus on peaceful solutions, he adds.

Ceasefire: a glimmer of hope

The three men express hope for Al Sharaa’s new government.

Al-Battin calls it “the revolution’s government, representing all Syrians,” while Zarifa appreciates the moral support Civil Defence teams get from the leadership.

On Friday, Al Sharaa announced a full ceasefire and urged all parties to protect civilians and allow humanitarian aid through. 

"We thank the Bedouins for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state's orders," he said in an address broadcast Saturday. 

The US-mediated ceasefire gives Syria’s new government a chance to stabilise the country. 

Tom Barrack, Washington's special envoy to Syria, announced ceasefire on X, adding that “all factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance.” 

The path ahead may reveal vulnerability to Israeli strikes, internal clashes, and the remnants of old power structures. The UN International Organisation for Migration said 128,571 people were displaced during the clashes.

Despite these hard times, Syrians continue to show unity that goes beyond the dividing lines.

Imad Al-Battin stresses the importance of working with Sweida’s people. “We’re looking for peaceful solutions with our neighbours to stop violence. Daraa will not be a route for occupation or separatists.”