The minister is one of the key figures in the new caretaker government and is close to the country’s de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Sharaa’s Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led the offensive that toppled former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.

Assad’s fall in December, prominent Sunni religious leaders returned from exile to counter the dominant Salafist influence, sparking a power struggle with radical preachers backed by new strongman Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Mansour, has posted several videos saying Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would meet the same fate as Assad.

The fall of Bashar Assad’s dictatorship in December 2024 has ushered in a nerve-wracking time of hope and fear for Syrians concerning future governance in the long-war-torn country. While it’s unclear what exact political path Syria will take,

Mansour, known for threats against Egypt's government. His arrest may ease Cairo's anxiety over the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels, who recently overthrew Bashar Al-Assad. The Egyptian media has criticized Syria's new leadership amid internal concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood's resurgence.

In 1982 an uprising in the city of Hama by the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group originating in Egypt, challenged Assad’s rule. Tens of thousands of people were killed by the government’s bombardment of the city. The chilling message stuck with Syrians for decades.

Ahmad al Mansour, an Egyptian national and former member of Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) in Syria, has reportedly been detained in Syria after threatening Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el Sisi. The Islamist militant is an Egyptian Naval Academy graduate with ties to the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

Awda's rising profile and growing ties with Arab states that oppose Syria's new Islamist rulers make him a threat?

The same sources say, however, that while Cairo has adopted a wait-and-see approach vis-à-vis Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham’s rule in Damascus, Cairo “has defined the parameters for any future engagement in no uncertain terms”.

DAMASCUS - Syria's new authorities have detained an Egyptian militant who had fought with Islamist forces against toppled Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad's rule over threats he made on social media to the Cairo government,

Syria has faced such transitions before. Unless secular, pro-democracy advocates learn from the past, we risk falling into the same traps.

For Israel, Turkish President Erdoğan might become the next existential threat as he envisions a neo-Ottoman empire.