Sam Heller | سام هيلر
@abujamajem.com
Researcher and analyst looking at Lebanon, Syria and the wider neighborhood. Century International Fellow. Former Crisis Group. "Jamajem" means ☠️.
www.abujamajem.com
www.abujamajem.com
Pinned
Sam Heller | سام هيلر
@abujamajem.com
· Nov 20
Lebanon and Syria’s Detainee Dilemma
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad last December was “like being released from prison,” Khalid said. Khalid, a young father from the town of
tcf.org
My latest for @centuryintl.bsky.social @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: On why it's difficult for Lebanon and Syria to strike a deal to repatriate Syrians held in Lebanese prisons, and what that says about the two countries' relationship going forward: tcf.org/content/comm...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
How do the Houthis get their weapons?
Join us Tuesday 10 February at 10 am to hear what what
@peterjsalisbury.bsky.social & team learned about the astonishing sprint from dhows to drones in Yemen — and beyond.
Join us Tuesday 10 February at 10 am to hear what what
@peterjsalisbury.bsky.social & team learned about the astonishing sprint from dhows to drones in Yemen — and beyond.
February 9, 2026 at 11:50 PM
How do the Houthis get their weapons?
Join us Tuesday 10 February at 10 am to hear what what
@peterjsalisbury.bsky.social & team learned about the astonishing sprint from dhows to drones in Yemen — and beyond.
Join us Tuesday 10 February at 10 am to hear what what
@peterjsalisbury.bsky.social & team learned about the astonishing sprint from dhows to drones in Yemen — and beyond.
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
“Collection of Handwritten Letters from Children in Detention Center” sounds like an exhibit in the Holocaust Museum.
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 6:31 PM
“Collection of Handwritten Letters from Children in Detention Center” sounds like an exhibit in the Holocaust Museum.
@thenationalnews.com' @sunnivarose.bsky.social, Nada Maucourant Atallah and Lemma Shehadi on why European investors remain wary of entering Syrian market: www.thenationalnews.com/news/2026/02...
Legacy socialism, vested interests, banks that say no: Can European investors find their way into Syria? | The National
With the last package of sanctions lifted, foreign businesses see opportunities aplenty. But there are obstacles ...
www.thenationalnews.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:28 AM
@thenationalnews.com' @sunnivarose.bsky.social, Nada Maucourant Atallah and Lemma Shehadi on why European investors remain wary of entering Syrian market: www.thenationalnews.com/news/2026/02...
Nada Maucourant Atallah @thenationalnews.com report from Syria's Suweida: www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Syria’s fragile unity faces new test in Sweida’s Druze heartland | The National
The National's interviews with residents, local officials and commanders reveal a complex picture of a scarred city
www.thenationalnews.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Nada Maucourant Atallah @thenationalnews.com report from Syria's Suweida: www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Shamsuddin Matoun for Al-Modon on semi-official Syrian electronic payments app Sham Cash: www.almodon.com/economy/2026...
تطبيق "شام كاش" في سوريا: حلول مالية ومخاطر غير معلنة
اعتماد متزايد على تطبيق "شام كاش" والتجارب متباينة بين المستخدمين.
www.almodon.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Shamsuddin Matoun for Al-Modon on semi-official Syrian electronic payments app Sham Cash: www.almodon.com/economy/2026...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
February 7, 2026 at 2:20 PM
this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
February 7, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Transcript of remarks by Lebanese deputy prime minister Tarek Mitri and Syrian justice minister Mazhar al-Weis at signing of prisoner transfer agreement: www.nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/news/4121...
Both make clear there are no cases exempted, provided prisoner has served 10 "prison years" (roughly 7 years).
Both make clear there are no cases exempted, provided prisoner has served 10 "prison years" (roughly 7 years).
لبنان وسوريا يوقعان اتفاقية حول نقل المحكومين من بلد صدور الحكم الى بلد جنسية المحكوم
متري: خطوة أولى لمعالجة قضية السجناء السوريين وتنفيذها اعتبارًا من صباح الغد
الوزير اللويس: للويس: خطوة اليوم تمه...
وطنية - وقع لبنان وسوريا قبل ظهر اليوم في السرايا الحكومية اتفاقية حول نقل المحكومين من بلد صدور الحكم الى بلد جنسية المحك
www.nna-leb.gov.lb
February 7, 2026 at 12:47 PM
Transcript of remarks by Lebanese deputy prime minister Tarek Mitri and Syrian justice minister Mazhar al-Weis at signing of prisoner transfer agreement: www.nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/news/4121...
Both make clear there are no cases exempted, provided prisoner has served 10 "prison years" (roughly 7 years).
Both make clear there are no cases exempted, provided prisoner has served 10 "prison years" (roughly 7 years).
Syrian finance minister elaborates on planned sin taxes on alcohol, tobacco, energy drinks and sugary products, as part of new tax framework: www.facebook.com/yisr.barnieh...
February 6, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Syrian finance minister elaborates on planned sin taxes on alcohol, tobacco, energy drinks and sugary products, as part of new tax framework: www.facebook.com/yisr.barnieh...
@centuryintl.bsky.social colleague @yaelmiz.bsky.social on the band-aid solution of Western sanctions on extremist settlers, when the settlement enterprise is in fact a decades-long Israeli state project:
tcf.org/content/comm...
tcf.org/content/comm...
Sanctions Can’t Solve the Israeli Settlement Problem
Burned houses and mosques, kidnappings, pogroms, masked thugs attacking unarmed olive harvesters: in the last few years such Israeli settler violence has
tcf.org
February 6, 2026 at 10:34 AM
@centuryintl.bsky.social colleague @yaelmiz.bsky.social on the band-aid solution of Western sanctions on extremist settlers, when the settlement enterprise is in fact a decades-long Israeli state project:
tcf.org/content/comm...
tcf.org/content/comm...
@apnews.com's @bmroue.bsky.social reports from Hermel housing complex built for Syrians and Lebanese residents of Syria who fled to Lebanon in December 2024: apnews.com/article/leba...
Questions around a compound of Shiite refugees from Syria in Lebanon show lingering post-Assad fears
A compound in Lebanon housing people who fled Syria after Bashar Assad's fall has faced allegations of harboring Assad loyalists, which residents deny.
apnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:06 AM
@apnews.com's @bmroue.bsky.social reports from Hermel housing complex built for Syrians and Lebanese residents of Syria who fled to Lebanon in December 2024: apnews.com/article/leba...
@financialtimes.com's @malaikatapper.bsky.social on how impostor Saudi prince fooled Lebanese politicians eagerly looking for foreign powers to control them: www.ft.com/content/7301...
The fake Saudi prince who fooled Lebanon’s elite
MPs and aspiring politicians appear to have been duped in an audacious scam that has stunned the nation
www.ft.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:54 AM
@financialtimes.com's @malaikatapper.bsky.social on how impostor Saudi prince fooled Lebanese politicians eagerly looking for foreign powers to control them: www.ft.com/content/7301...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Can't believe ICE recruited Still Wancil, the Waluigi of Will Stancil
Was this very mid-2000s emo person press-ganged into ICE servitude?
February 6, 2026 at 5:27 AM
Can't believe ICE recruited Still Wancil, the Waluigi of Will Stancil
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
The settlement enterprise is not separate from the Israeli state—it is the Israeli state.
So argues @yaelmiz.bsky.social in a new commentary. (1/5)
So argues @yaelmiz.bsky.social in a new commentary. (1/5)
Sanctions Can’t Solve the Israeli Settlement Problem
Burned houses and mosques, kidnappings, pogroms, masked thugs attacking unarmed olive harvesters: in the last few years such Israeli settler violence has
tcf.org
February 5, 2026 at 8:38 PM
The settlement enterprise is not separate from the Israeli state—it is the Israeli state.
So argues @yaelmiz.bsky.social in a new commentary. (1/5)
So argues @yaelmiz.bsky.social in a new commentary. (1/5)
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Bring back Congressional war powers!
Illegal, secret, or undeclared wars have become the norm in the US.
But Congress can — and should — reassert its power to decide when America goes to war.
Order from Ashes episode 100 with Brian Finucane.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
Illegal, secret, or undeclared wars have become the norm in the US.
But Congress can — and should — reassert its power to decide when America goes to war.
Order from Ashes episode 100 with Brian Finucane.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
February 4, 2026 at 9:38 PM
Bring back Congressional war powers!
Illegal, secret, or undeclared wars have become the norm in the US.
But Congress can — and should — reassert its power to decide when America goes to war.
Order from Ashes episode 100 with Brian Finucane.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
Illegal, secret, or undeclared wars have become the norm in the US.
But Congress can — and should — reassert its power to decide when America goes to war.
Order from Ashes episode 100 with Brian Finucane.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/o...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
In 2009, this was the mask of a UK SAS character in “Call of Duty.” By 2015 it was de rigeur among Iraqi government commandos and Shiite militiamen. In 2018, in “Sicario 2,” it was what CIA surrogate characters wore to disguise themselves as cartel gunmen.
Now US law enforcement wears it.
Now US law enforcement wears it.
February 4, 2026 at 2:08 AM
In 2009, this was the mask of a UK SAS character in “Call of Duty.” By 2015 it was de rigeur among Iraqi government commandos and Shiite militiamen. In 2018, in “Sicario 2,” it was what CIA surrogate characters wore to disguise themselves as cartel gunmen.
Now US law enforcement wears it.
Now US law enforcement wears it.
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
I thought for sure this was an old quote. He said this statement this morning.
February 2, 2026 at 12:25 AM
I thought for sure this was an old quote. He said this statement this morning.
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Bad Bunny condemns ICE during his #GRAMMYs speech for Best Música Urbana Album:
“Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are humans and we are Americans.”
“Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are humans and we are Americans.”
February 2, 2026 at 2:20 AM
Bad Bunny condemns ICE during his #GRAMMYs speech for Best Música Urbana Album:
“Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are humans and we are Americans.”
“Before I say thanks to god, I’m going to say, ICE out. We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we are humans and we are Americans.”
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
He’s just describing The American Dream but you’re supposed to hate it for some reason
February 1, 2026 at 3:33 PM
He’s just describing The American Dream but you’re supposed to hate it for some reason
Again highlights the importance, for regional actors, of figuring out which U.S. envoys have real, Barrack-type personal relationships with Trump, and which are just acquaintances and hangers-on: www.reuters.com/business/fin...
Exclusive: US special envoy for Iraq Mark Savaya no longer in the post, sources say
Mark Savaya, named by U.S. President Donald Trump as special envoy for Iraq in October, is no longer in that role, sources familiar with the move said.
www.reuters.com
February 1, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Again highlights the importance, for regional actors, of figuring out which U.S. envoys have real, Barrack-type personal relationships with Trump, and which are just acquaintances and hangers-on: www.reuters.com/business/fin...
@afp.com's Youssef Karwashan on Syria's impossibly high new electricity tariffs: www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
Syrians decry soaring electricity prices
When Hani Massalkhi went to pay his electricity bill in Damascus this week, he discovered that, under the new tariffs, the amount due was higher than his monthly income.Massalkhi, a retired agricultur...
www.al-monitor.com
February 1, 2026 at 9:11 AM
@afp.com's Youssef Karwashan on Syria's impossibly high new electricity tariffs: www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
The erosion of democracy in the US is clear even if you don't use intl comparisons. From the Century Foundation:
"In the first year of Trump 2.0, the United States went from being a passing if imperfect democracy to behaving like an authoritarian state."
donmoynihan.substack.com/publish/post...
"In the first year of Trump 2.0, the United States went from being a passing if imperfect democracy to behaving like an authoritarian state."
donmoynihan.substack.com/publish/post...
January 31, 2026 at 4:11 PM
The erosion of democracy in the US is clear even if you don't use intl comparisons. From the Century Foundation:
"In the first year of Trump 2.0, the United States went from being a passing if imperfect democracy to behaving like an authoritarian state."
donmoynihan.substack.com/publish/post...
"In the first year of Trump 2.0, the United States went from being a passing if imperfect democracy to behaving like an authoritarian state."
donmoynihan.substack.com/publish/post...
Reposted by Sam Heller | سام هيلر
Incredible things are happening in the NJ-11 Congressional race, one example: Tom Malinowski, a pro Israel candidate running to re-enter Congress, is accusing AIPAC of using India-based call centers to run scripted ad calls against Malinowski.
February 1, 2026 at 3:10 AM
Incredible things are happening in the NJ-11 Congressional race, one example: Tom Malinowski, a pro Israel candidate running to re-enter Congress, is accusing AIPAC of using India-based call centers to run scripted ad calls against Malinowski.