Syrian Protests Spread To Aleppo, Raqqa While Jolani Enjoys Red Carpet At Dubai Media Event
Syria's fuel price hike protests have persisted from Sunday into the heart of this week, and increasingly they are becoming full on anti-Sharaa regime demonstrations. Of course Sharaa - whose al Qaeda/ISIS name is Jolani - was never elected in the first place.
Monday into Tuesday the protests have spread across multiple cities and governates, including Raqqa in the east and Aleppo in the north.
Syria's self-declared President at the Arab Media Summit 2026 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday.
Demonstrators have been burning tires, blocking highways, and confronting security forces after Damascus announced sudden massive increase in fuel prices.
A RESULT OF NEOLIBERAL SHOCK THERAPY in wake of CIA-ORCHESTRATED REGIME CHANGE
Sunday saw authorities raise diesel prices by up to 40% and petrol prices by 28%, after not just years but decades of government regulated price controls and subsidies.
Already the country was smashed by proxy war and sweeping US-led sanctions, not to mention a decade-long US troop occupation of Syria's oil and gas fields in the northeast, which strangled the population (as part of efforts to overthrow secular Ba'ath leader Bashar al-Assad).
The West and Gulf powers then gave its backing to Jolani as self-declared president once Assad was ousted in December 2024. He had literally been a member of ISIS and was a founder of Syrian al-Qaeda (Nusra Front, later HTS). Washington, London, Riyadh, and Paris have embraced him - after they and their intelligence services basically put him in power.
When last month Washington finally lifted most sanctions on Damascus, the population hoped this might translate into the common people finally catching a break.
But alas, outrage is spilling into the streets over Jolani regime incompetence.
Aside from the ISIS pedigree of the US-backed government in Damascus, one Syrian commenter has outlined examples of Jolani/Sharaa regime incompetence:
Some reports say the people are even calling for the return of Assad, echoed in popular street chants heard in some of the protests.
Other pundits have alleged violent tactics by security groups, including firing off live rounds to disperse the protests.
From Sunday:
Protests in the east, nearly formerly US-occupied oil fields...
Where has President Sharaa been this week? He's getting the red carpet treatment in Dubai for the "Arab Media Summit 2026".
The following is deeply ironic as various places in Syria burn amid enraged demonstrations:
Over a decade ago, Jolani's al-Nusra Front was introduced to Syria and on the world stage via its squadrons of suicide bombers...
Should the protests and unrest persist into Friday, which is the Islamic day of prayer and the start of the weekend in the Middle East, the situation could explode. It doesn't seem like Jolani has any answers or strategy at this point. Perhaps he'll hang out in Dubai and with his royal Gulf backers a little longer.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 22:10
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
Syria's fuel price hike protests have persisted from Sunday into the heart of this week, and increasingly they are becoming full on anti-Sharaa regime demonstrations. Of course Sharaa - whose al Qaeda/ISIS name is Jolani - was never elected in the first place.
Monday into Tuesday the protests have spread across multiple cities and governates, including Raqqa in the east and Aleppo in the north.
Syria's self-declared President at the Arab Media Summit 2026 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday.
Demonstrators have been burning tires, blocking highways, and confronting security forces after Damascus announced sudden massive increase in fuel prices.
A RESULT OF NEOLIBERAL SHOCK THERAPY in wake of CIA-ORCHESTRATED REGIME CHANGE
Sunday saw authorities raise diesel prices by up to 40% and petrol prices by 28%, after not just years but decades of government regulated price controls and subsidies.
Already the country was smashed by proxy war and sweeping US-led sanctions, not to mention a decade-long US troop occupation of Syria's oil and gas fields in the northeast, which strangled the population (as part of efforts to overthrow secular Ba'ath leader Bashar al-Assad).
The West and Gulf powers then gave its backing to Jolani as self-declared president once Assad was ousted in December 2024. He had literally been a member of ISIS and was a founder of Syrian al-Qaeda (Nusra Front, later HTS). Washington, London, Riyadh, and Paris have embraced him - after they and their intelligence services basically put him in power.
When last month Washington finally lifted most sanctions on Damascus, the population hoped this might translate into the common people finally catching a break.
But alas, outrage is spilling into the streets over Jolani regime incompetence.
Aside from the ISIS pedigree of the US-backed government in Damascus, one Syrian commenter has outlined examples of Jolani/Sharaa regime incompetence:
Some reports say the people are even calling for the return of Assad, echoed in popular street chants heard in some of the protests.
Other pundits have alleged violent tactics by security groups, including firing off live rounds to disperse the protests.
From Sunday:
️ Protests erupt across Syria over fuel price hikes and rising cost of living
Footage circulating online shows residents blocking the Damascus–Aleppo international highway near Maarrat al-Nu’man, south of Idlib, on Sunday, as protests spread following government increases in… pic.twitter.com/mVwMUhu5qx
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) September 14, 2026
Protests in the east, nearly formerly US-occupied oil fields...
Where has President Sharaa been this week? He's getting the red carpet treatment in Dubai for the "Arab Media Summit 2026".
The following is deeply ironic as various places in Syria burn amid enraged demonstrations:
Over a decade ago, Jolani's al-Nusra Front was introduced to Syria and on the world stage via its squadrons of suicide bombers...
Should the protests and unrest persist into Friday, which is the Islamic day of prayer and the start of the weekend in the Middle East, the situation could explode. It doesn't seem like Jolani has any answers or strategy at this point. Perhaps he'll hang out in Dubai and with his royal Gulf backers a little longer.
Tyler Durden Tue, 09/15/2026 - 22:10
Continue reading...
[ H/T ZeroHedge ]
