Under al-Sharaa, Syrian State Media Reduced Its Focus on Israel, Study Finds
A new study by Israeli researchers shows a sharp drop in Syrian state media coverage of Israel since President Ahmad al-Sharaa ousted Bashar Assad in December. The findings suggest that while official rhetoric remains hostile, the new government is cautiously signaling a shift in priorities as it seeks closer ties with the West.
Researchers from the Diane and Guilford Glazer Information and Consulting Center at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) used artificial intelligence tools to analyze hundreds of articles published between January and May in two main Syrian newspapers, Al-Thawra and Al-Hurriya (formerly Tishreen), along with reports from Syria’s official news agency, SANA.
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They found that under Assad, Israel appeared in up to 43% of SANA reports during that period. Under al-Sharaa, that number fell to just 7%. Similarly, in Al-Thawra, the share of opinion pieces focused on Israel dropped from 25% to just 5%.
The tone also shifted slightly. Under Assad, nearly all Israel-related commentary was classified as “highly negative.” Under al-Sharaa, that category still dominated, but 18% of pieces were now deemed “neutral”—a tone previously absent. In Al-Hurriya, the negativity remained high, with 78% of articles still rated “highly negative.”
“The new Syrian government is shifting closer to the West, as reflected in al-Sharaa’s recent meeting with President Trump and the US decision to lift sanctions on Syria,” Yaakov Katz, director of JPPI’s Glazer Center, said in a statement. “Al-Sharaa has hinted at openness to relations with Israel, and his steps to tone down media hostility toward Israel reinforce that message with real policy.”
