{"id":39270,"date":"2025-08-17T11:50:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T11:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/?p=39270"},"modified":"2025-08-17T11:50:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T11:50:12","slug":"in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/","title":{"rendered":"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Salah Qirata<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Syrian government behaves as if bringing back Russian military police to the south will open the gates of paradise; restoring order with just a few armoured patrols. But anyone in Daraa, Quneitra, or Suwayda knows the truth: the real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have long been hijacked by warlords who turned themselves into the region\u2019s true rulers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since Assad\u2019s collapse in late 2024, the security vacuum allowed every actor to carve out their share of territory. Israel quickly exploited the chaos, building a buffer zone along the occupied Golan under the banner of \u201cnational security,\u201d when it was a cost-free opportunity to expand its influence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Iran, for its part, never left. It simply reshuffled militia commanders, repositioned its forces, and kept its security networks alive through local proxies. Meanwhile, local factions once claiming to \u201cprotect the people\u201d became the biggest predators; extorting residents, taxing trade, and seizing control of fuel, bread, and even drinking water.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this landscape, Russian tanks won\u2019t change much unless they are paired with a serious plan to dismantle militias and disarm them. Without that, Moscow\u2019s return is little more than a cosmetic upgrade to a grim reality, or worse, a cover to preserve chaos under the label of \u201csecurity coordination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Read also: <a href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/29\/07\/2025\/russia-syria\/#\">Russia\u2019s Role in Syria: Symbolic Support, Strategic Coordination with Israel<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Today, the south is drowning in a web of interests:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weapons and drug smuggling across Jordanian and Israeli borders.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A shadow economy built on looting and extortion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Political deals between warlords and regional powers that bypass the Syrian state.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heavy weaponry rivalling national armies, fully outside state control.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet the Syrian government acts as if these groups can be tamed with promises of jobs and positions. It ignores the hard truth: those who rule by the gun don\u2019t hand it over willingly, and loyalties built on cash and weapons shift with the highest bidder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Israel will not object to Russia\u2019s return if it curtails Iranian influence. But it knows Iranian-aligned militias are masters of disguise; flying the Syrian flag by day, raising the Revolutionary Guard\u2019s by night. No patrol, not even a full Russian brigade, can untangle that. Only a sweeping political and security effort can restore state authority to every inch of the south.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The Syrian government faces only two choices:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reproduce the south as a Russo-Israeli security protectorate with a thin Syrian fa\u00e7ade, where militias keep their arms under a \u201cpermanent truce.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enter a full confrontation with the warlords, no matter the cost, to return the south to state sovereignty within a real national project.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fate of thousands of armed men controlling daily life across towns and villages is the key. Ignoring them makes every promise of stability a political illusion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the government lacks the courage to face the warlords, it should at least stop selling illusions through staged photos with Russian officers. Russian patrols, however polished they look on camera, won\u2019t fix the south; at best, they\u2019ll guard the rubble or coexist with it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Southern Syria doesn\u2019t need another foreign visitor watching its chaos. It needs a decisive national choice to cut off the war\u2019s lifelines: illegal weapons, smuggling networks, and cross-border loyalties. Without that, every \u201creturn\u201d will just be another act in a long-running play, paid for by the blood and pockets of ordinary Syrians, and enriched by the warlords who thrive on their misery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Salah Qirata The Syrian government behaves as if bringing back Russian military police to the south will open the gates of paradise; restoring order with just a few armoured patrols. But anyone in Daraa, Quneitra, or Suwayda knows the truth: the real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":39271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"0","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"left-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"g:i a d\/m\/Y","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"5","zoom_button_in_step":"4","show_post_tag":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Moscow\u2019s Return to the South: Patrols Polish the Rubble but Fail to Bring Stability"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,19],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[166],"class_list":["post-39270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinions","category-slider"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.2 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First - 963+<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have long been hijacked by warlords who turned themselves into the region\u2019s true rulers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have long been hijacked by warlords who turned themselves into the region\u2019s true rulers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"963+\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/963mediaAr\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-17T11:50:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"+963\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@963mediaAr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@963mediaAr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"+963\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"+963\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1e99a6a0e5722d5b0222fdf87fbd0d7f\"},\"headline\":\"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-17T11:50:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":597,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinions\",\"Slider\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/\",\"name\":\"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First - 963+\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-17T11:50:12+00:00\",\"description\":\"The real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have long been hijacked by warlords who turned themselves into the region\u2019s true rulers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":375},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/17\\\/08\\\/2025\\\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"963+\",\"description\":\"A diverse political, economic, cultural, and social website.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627\",\"alternateName\":\"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/963mediaAr\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/963mediaAr\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/963media.ar\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/t.me\\\/ar963media\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1e99a6a0e5722d5b0222fdf87fbd0d7f\",\"name\":\"+963\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/92d44c25d0ac7efe8e41a8f379b3ab318e6dce6835734b798dfe03ae71f82bd0?s=96&d=mm&r=g671df59863039abba6480936edf82bca\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/92d44c25d0ac7efe8e41a8f379b3ab318e6dce6835734b798dfe03ae71f82bd0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/92d44c25d0ac7efe8e41a8f379b3ab318e6dce6835734b798dfe03ae71f82bd0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"+963\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/963media.com\\\/en\\\/author\\\/editor2\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First - 963+","description":"The real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have long been hijacked by warlords who turned themselves into the region\u2019s true rulers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First","og_description":"The real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have long been hijacked by warlords who turned themselves into the region\u2019s true rulers.","og_url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/","og_site_name":"963+","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/963mediaAr","article_published_time":"2025-08-17T11:50:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":375,"url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"+963","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@963mediaAr","twitter_site":"@963mediaAr","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"+963","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/"},"author":{"name":"+963","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/1e99a6a0e5722d5b0222fdf87fbd0d7f"},"headline":"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First","datePublished":"2025-08-17T11:50:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/"},"wordCount":597,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg","articleSection":["Opinions","Slider"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/","name":"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First - 963+","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-17T11:50:12+00:00","description":"The real crisis isn\u2019t about the absence of Russian vehicles, it\u2019s that southern cities have long been hijacked by warlords who turned themselves into the region\u2019s true rulers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\u0631\u0648\u0633\u064a\u0627-\u0641\u064a-\u0627\u0644\u062c\u0646\u0648\u0628-750x375-1.jpg","width":750,"height":375},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/17\/08\/2025\/in-southern-syria-russias-return-isnt-enough-warlords-must-be-stopped-first\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"In Southern Syria: Russia\u2019s Return Isn\u2019t Enough; Warlords Must Be Stopped First"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/","name":"963+","description":"A diverse political, economic, cultural, and social website.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#organization"},"alternateName":"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#organization","name":"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627","alternateName":"\u0645\u0648\u0642\u0639 \u0633\u064a\u0627\u0633\u064a \u0627\u0642\u062a\u0635\u0627\u062f\u064a \u062b\u0642\u0627\u0641\u064a \u0627\u062c\u062a\u0645\u0627\u0639\u064a \u0645\u0646\u0648\u0651\u0639","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/392787211_122123525570182848_4459271165355755754_n.jpg","width":960,"height":960,"caption":"\u0633\u0648\u0631\u064a\u0627 \u0648\u0627\u062d\u0648\u0627\u0644\u0647\u0627"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/963mediaAr","https:\/\/x.com\/963mediaAr","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/963media.ar\/","https:\/\/t.me\/ar963media"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/1e99a6a0e5722d5b0222fdf87fbd0d7f","name":"+963","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/92d44c25d0ac7efe8e41a8f379b3ab318e6dce6835734b798dfe03ae71f82bd0?s=96&d=mm&r=g671df59863039abba6480936edf82bca","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/92d44c25d0ac7efe8e41a8f379b3ab318e6dce6835734b798dfe03ae71f82bd0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/92d44c25d0ac7efe8e41a8f379b3ab318e6dce6835734b798dfe03ae71f82bd0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"+963"},"url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/author\/editor2\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":166,"user_id":3,"is_guest":0,"slug":"editor2","display_name":"+963","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/LOGO-E-1-e1743242877181.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/LOGO-E-1-e1743242877181.jpg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39272,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39270\/revisions\/39272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39270"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/963media.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=39270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}