Sharaa's pullout from Syria Druze heartland exposes shaky leadership

Since seizing office in December after ousting longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad, Sharaa has worked to recast himself from jihadist to statesman, even earning praise from US President Donald Trump as a "tough guy". But in the early hours of Thursday, he was forced to announce the withdrawal of troops from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, framing it as an effort to avoid confrontation with Israel and prevent further destabilisation in a country still reeling from 14 years of war. AFP looks at...