Following the Al-Qaeda terror attack on the Church of Prophet Elias in Damascus on June 22, 2025, the Al-Qaeda regime in Syria is attempting to reduce tensions, particularly after a European Parliament resolution accused Al-Qaeda’s wing, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), of orchestrating the attack.
Al-Qaeda is also accused of kidnapping two bishops—Paul, the brother of the Patriarch, and John, the Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo—in 2013.
Ahmed Zidan, a former advisor to Al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, is currently an advisor to the leader of Al-Qaeda in Syria, Abu Muhammad al-Julani, who established Al-Qaeda’s de facto authority in Syria after December 8, 2024.
A few days ago, Zidan declared on Al-Arabiya TV his rejection of establishing political parties in Syria, signaling the consolidation of Al-Qaeda’s rule.
According to reports, there is intense pressure on the Patriarch to strike a deal to secure the release of the kidnapped bishops in exchange for his support for the Al-Qaeda government.
X minority has leaked previously the intense pressure on the Patriarch.
