(LifeSiteNews) — The Trump administration has announced it is providing medical and other humanitarian aid to persecuted minorities in the Syrian region of Suwayda.

“This assistance will support life-saving needs of approximately 60,000 people through targeted provision of food, water, and hygiene items, as well as the rehabilitation of houses and water systems for when people can safely return home,” the U.S. State Department announced in a press release on October 27.

Chaos has enveloped Syria ever since former President Bashar-al Assad was ousted in a coup last December. Turkey as well as Israel, both of whom funneled weapons to the rebels who have since taken over, and who have slaughtered Christians in the months that followed, took credit for the toppling.

Ahmed Hussein Al-Sharaa, also known by the name Abu Mohammed al-Julani, was installed as the country’s new leader following Assad’s removal. In recent months, he has met with with NATO leaders as well as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a pontifical charitable organization, reported on the increase in violence in Syria this past summer. In July, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of St. Michael in Al-Sura, a village in the Suwayda region, was set ablaze by unknown perpetrators. In the same act of arson, 38 homes belonging to Christian families were destroyed, leading to the 70 displaced Christians taking shelter in a church at nearby Shahba.

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In another incident, a plot to bomb the Maronite Church of Mar Elias in Tartus was foiled by local security forces. On July 13, Islamic terrorists parked a car filled with explosives beside the church, only to be captured in an ambush by the authorities shortly after.

“This community has lost everything,” a local source said to ACN regarding the attack on St. Michael’s. “They had very little to begin with—they were already among the poorest in the region—and now they have nothing left.”

Al-Sharaa will meet with President Donald Trump on November 10 at the White House despite being labeled a terrorist by the U.S. as recently as 2017. Trump has already announced that he would be “ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.”

The State Department noted that “Druze, Christian, and Bedouin communities [in Suwayda] have faced violence, the destruction of their homes and have lost their livelihoods.” It also said that “while hostilities have largely subsided, the security situation remains unpredictable.”

Faith in the current Syrian government’s ability to protect Christians has declined since the toppling of Assad, who would often visit Christians in the country. Extremist elements such as the Muslim Brotherhood were often kept at bay during his reign.

Despite al-Sharaa’s promise that Christians would have freedom of religious practice, anti-Christian violence has continued. A report released in July by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) documents the hardships faced by Christians and Muslims in the country.

“In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State name Syria to the Special Watch List for state violators of severe abuses of religious freedom, pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act,” the group noted.

Al-Sharaa founded the jihadist Al-Nusra Front in 2012 in opposition to Assad’s government. In 2017, he merged Al-Nusra with other groups to form the Islamist paramilitary organization Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and served as its leader until January 29, 2025. The U.S. State Department and international bodies officially listed Al-Sharaa as a terrorist organization.

“The United States calls on partner countries to contribute life-saving assistance for the people of Syria as they seek to rebuild, which is critical to securing lasting peace and stability in the Middle East,” the Trump administration said.