Sharaa’s pullout from Syria Druze heartland exposes shaky leadership

Under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure, Ahmed al-Sharaa pulled troops from Syria’s Druze heartland — a move that exposes the interim leader’s weakness just as he sought to assert control.

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…