Syria demanded an independent and comprehensive investigation into the sinking of the commercial cargo ship Alpha Watan in the Black Sea after it was attacked by a drone. The identity of the perpetrator remains unknown, amid continued uncertainty over the fate of 10 crew members, including 9 Syrians, and after Bulgaria announced it had halted search and rescue operations.
In the interior, Syria's Internal Security Forces announced the arrest of a number of elements of the former Assad regime in Hama province, including Nabil Adnan Ismail and Ghazi Muhammad Ismail, following investigations based on intelligence monitoring and tracking. The investigations indicate the detainees were involved in kidnappings, looting, violations, repression, arrest and financial extortion. A group of 7 people was also arrested in the Masyaf area and the southern countryside, and weapons and ammunition were seized.
On another track, Yoni Ben-Menachem, a prominent researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign and Security Affairs, said in remarks carried by Hebrew Channel 14 that images from the Druze city of Sweida and sympathy with Israel reflect a deep shift among the Druze in southern Syria. He added that the shock of the massacre and clashes with forces loyal to the new regime reinforce their desire to distance themselves from Damascus and rely on Israel, noting that the Druze in Sweida do not want to be part of the state founded by the al-Sharaa regime and that they look to Israel.