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New Iran-Backed Group Emerges in Syria to Confront Israel
Khaled Brigade, a part of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), hold a military parade, after Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was ousted, in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 27, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
An armed organization calling itself the “Islamic Resistance Front in Syria” has demanded that Israeli forces withdraw from southern Syria and the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights, claiming responsibility for several recent attacks against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Iran-backed group, formerly known as the “Southern Liberation Front,” has emerged as a new force to oppose Israel, which borders Syria’s southern region. On Tuesday, the nascent militant organization announced that it has become a permanent front aimed at countering attempts at “division and displacement.”
According to its statement, the “resistance” group seeks to be a “unifying force for all segments of Syrian society,” regardless of religion, while prioritizing the protection of the country’s security and territorial integrity, Iraqi-based Shafaq News reported.
The group said its formation was a response to “the systematic and coordinated Zionist-Turkish-American transfer plan, backed by Arab support, to divide Syria following the end of the era of the resistant and defiant Syrian regime [of long-time Syrian President Bashar al-Assad], which had been the backbone of all resistance and liberation movements worldwide from 1970 until the end of 2024.”
“The front emerged from the Syrian people to confront any attempts to undermine the country’s security, amid the absence of the political and social forces that previously governed Syria,” the statement read.
In late January, Ahmed al-Sharaa became Damascus’s transitional president after leading a rebel campaign that ousted Assad, whose Iran-backed rule had strained ties with the Arab world during the nearly 14-year Syrian war.
The collapse of Assad’s regime was the result of an offensive spearheaded by Sharaa’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al-Qaeda affiliate.
Part of the Iranian-led “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and US influence in the region, the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria is the religious extension of the battle of “the promise of the Hereafter,” a reference to a Quranic verse that has been interpreted as the final battle to “liberate Palestine,” according to Ahmad Sharawi and Joe Truzman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a Washington, DC-based think tank.
“The establishment of The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria is still in its infancy, and it’s unclear how the group is structured, what other armed organizations have joined its cause, and if it is a legitimate threat to Israeli troops operating on the Syrian border,” Sharawi and Truzman explained in the Long War Journal, an FDD publication.
In its statement, the group said its goal is “to restore the nation’s glory and protect it from terrorism and occupation,” while calling on Syrians to unite and stand against oppression.
“This step is a natural and legitimate response to the attempts at division and displacement facing the country,” the group’s general commander was quoted as saying in the announcement.
The statement was accompanied by a logo resembling those of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Iranian regime’s chief proxy, the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, featuring a raised hand holding a rifle.
According to Alma, an Israeli research and education center, the Syrian National Socialist Party (SNSP) issued an official statement last year announcing the establishment of the Southern Liberation Front. However, at the beginning of this year, the group’s name was changed to the Islamic Resistance Front in Syria.
First published on the party’s website and social media platforms, the SNSP stated that the organization was established to protect the Syrian people and drive Israel out of Syrian territory. The SNSP also criticized Israel’s presence and activities in the country (referred to in the statement as “the Israeli enemy” and “the Israeli occupation”), as well as the silence from both Damascus’s new government and the broader Arab world on the issue.
Following Assad’s fall in December, Israel moved troops into a buffer zone along the Syrian border to secure a military position to prevent terrorists from launching attacks against the Jewish state. The previously demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights was established under the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Damascus and Jerusalem that ended the Yom Kippur War. However, Israel considered the agreement void after the collapse of Assad’s regime.
Syria’s new government has called for Israel to withdraw its forces but has used a noticeably less hostile tone than Iran or its proxies when speaking about the Jewish state.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not tolerate the presence of HTS or any forces affiliated with Syria’s new rulers south of Damascus and demanded the area be demilitarized.
During a recent meeting in Brussels of the EU-Israel Association Council, which oversees the European bloc’s relationship with the Jewish state, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar dismissed any hope for real change in Syria despite the formation of a new government, calling for “realistic expectations” in Europe and labeling talks of regime transition as “ridiculous.”
The Islamic Resistance Front in Syria’s announcement came as a top Hezbollah official admitted this week that the collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria was “a major strategic loss” that weakens the terrorist group’s efforts against Israel.
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Is CNN Sharing Iranian Propaganda Instead of Proper Journalism?
CNN logo. Photo: Josh Hallett / Flickr
Has CNN been keeping its audience properly informed? Over the past week, the network has published at least two video pieces focusing on the sentiments of regular Iranian civilians over the Israeli and American attacks on the Islamic regime’s nuclear, military, and political installations.
However, under scrutiny, both pieces appear to parrot narratives put out by the regime’s officials rather than properly representing the nuanced views of those Iranians on the ground.
Fred Pleitgen Interviews Iranians on the Streets of Tehran
On June 22, the day after the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, CNN journalist Fred Pleitgen (who claims to be the first Western journalist to enter Iran since the conflict started) took to the streets of Tehran to find out what Iranian civilians were feeling in the wake of the American attack.
What followed was a litany of pro-regime vitriol, with bystanders calling for a “strong response” to the American strikes, claiming that President Trump had no basis to attack Iran, and that Iran had done nothing wrong.
One interviewee even sounded like an official regime mouthpiece, stating that “I support the Supreme Leader with my life. I approve of him, really, because he’s moving forward for the sake of our land.”
There is no doubt that many Iranians are angry at the US for its attack on the nuclear facilities. However, there is also no doubt that Pleitgen chose to only present one public sentiment to his audience and create the false impression that it is the sentiment shared by a cross-section of Iranians.
A Western journalist would need the official permission of the authorities to report from Iran. Was Pleitgen given free rein to interview anyone on the street, or was he directed by officials to only interview those who tow the regime’s line?
And how would Iranian interviewees react? Given the regime’s efforts to crack down on any dissent, often using brutal measures, if any ordinary Iranian even dared to publicly state any criticism of the Islamic Republic?
It’s incredibly unlikely — but CNN won’t be transparent about the conditions that Pleitgen is working under, as well as the inability of critical voices to make themselves freely heard.
Since this latest conflict began on June 13, some other news outlets (like The Washington Post and ABC News Australia) have managed to present the diversity of views among Iran’s civilian population in a nuanced way, including those who are opposed to the attacks on Iranian soil and those who are cautiously optimistic about how this could affect the future of Iran.
By failing to interview anyone with opposing views (or to even mention that such views exist), Pleitgen has not filed a piece of journalism as much as a piece of regime-approved propaganda.
Erin Burnett Spreads Questionable Message
A few days before Fred Pleitgen took to the streets of Tehran, anchor Erin Burnett shared a video and message allegedly shared with her by an Iranian filmmaker named Pouria Nouri.
The video showed explosions in Tehran, while the message expressed the fears associated with living under bombing, while also conveying that Iranians have never been so united in “solidarity” in the face of Israeli attacks.
The message concluded, “As an Iranian citizen, I call on the world’s media not to close their eyes to the evident truth and to the initiator of this unjust war, the Israeli regime, and to pay attention to the plight of the Iranian people now caught in the midst of war. People who deserve a normal, peaceful life. Yet, their lives have now been thrown into chaos.”
Burnett found this message so powerful that she shared a part of it on her June 18 broadcast and read it in full on her TikTok page, describing it and the accompanying video as “incredible.”
Maybe a little too incredible.
No sooner had Burnett shared this supposed message from an Iranian civilian on her social media pages, than people began to cast doubt on its veracity.
On her X (formerly Twitter) page, many people pointed out that the message suspiciously echoed propaganda put out by the Islamic regime.
One analyst pointed out on TikTok that the message and video were likely spread by a regime plant since it echoes official state propaganda and it is illegal for regular Iranians to make contact with foreign media organizations. For someone to openly share something with CNN under their name, they would have to know that they are immune from punishment.
The fight against Iranian belligerence is being fought on land, in the air, and in the court of public opinion.
For CNN to pass off regime-approved talking points as genuine public sentiments expressed by the average Iranian civilian — while not balancing this with competing voice — is not only bad journalistic practice, but also assists the Islamic Republic’s propaganda efforts on the international stage.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
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