Gabbard's Warning Comes True: Al-Qaeda Allies Massacre 600 in Syria

When Tulsi Gabbard stood before the Senate during her confirmation hearing as Director of National Intelligence, her words about Syria carried a weight few appreciated at the time. "I have no love for Assad or any dictator. I just hate al-Qaeda," she said. Today, those words echo with chilling prescience.

Last Thursday, Syria's northwestern regions erupted in violence that would prove Gabbard's concerns devastatingly accurate. The numbers are hard to write: more than 600 civilians dead, most from the Alawite minority. I've covered Middle Eastern conflicts for two decades, but the brutality of these attacks stands out.

The timing isn't coincidental. Just months ago, Ahmed al-Sharaa – a man with documented al-Qaeda ties – grabbed power after Assad's fall. Now, his forces, operating under the banner of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), are showing their true colors.

Let me paint you a picture I wish I didn't have to share. In the village of Sahlab, they murdered 86-year-old Shaaban Mansour, an Alawite cleric, along with his son Hussein. Christians weren't spared either – I've seen reports of entire families, including infants, executed in their homes. One Alawite woman told Fox News Digital something that keeps me up at night: "They want to kill all of us. They don't want us in Syria."

The international response? It's been a mess of contradictions. Turkey and Saudi Arabia are trying to walk a diplomatic tightrope – supporting Damascus while condemning "outlaw groups." Israel's Defense Minister Katz didn't mince words, though, calling al-Sharaa exactly what he is: "a jihadist terrorist of the al-Qaeda school."

I've watched al-Sharaa try to rebrand himself internationally. He's been meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, wearing suits instead of combat gear. But you can't hide the truth when your forces are shouting, "Alawites are pigs" while carrying out executions.

The Alawite Islamic Council isn't buying it either. They're calling these attacks what they are: terrorism under the guise of pursuing "regime remnants." Meanwhile, thousands of terrified civilians are seeking shelter at Russia's Hmeimim military base.

Here's what keeps nagging at me: How did we get here? The international community's approach to Syria has been a masterclass in wishful thinking. We've watched groups with terrorist links rebrand themselves as legitimate political actors, all while their fundamental ideology remained unchanged.

The tragedy unfolding now isn't just about Syria – it's a stark reminder of how complex Middle Eastern politics can be, and how devastating our policy miscalculations can become. For Syria's minorities, especially the Alawites who make up roughly 10% of the population, this isn't politics – it's survival.

I've seen this pattern before in other conflicts, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch it happen again. The voices of those caught in the middle haunt me: "I feel there is no safety. There is no homeland. There is nowhere to escape to, and no one to defend us."

As I write this, more reports of violence are coming in. The international community needs to face reality: we can't keep pretending that a terrorist group in a suit is any less dangerous than one in combat fatigues.