Shibel Karmi Mansour Returns with Urgent Plea for Syria's Druze

After five years away from television, former News 12 anchor Shibel Karmi Mansour made a rare return to the screen Tuesday night, guesting on 'Averi & Cherki' to deliver a powerful message about the ongoing horrors faced by the Druze community in Suwayda, Syria.

Mansour, who left broadcast journalism in 2020 to pursue a career in high-tech, appeared at his own request to shed light on what he described as an “ethnic cleansing, pure and simple.” He told hosts Avri Gilad and Yair Cherki that what is unfolding in Suwayda is “a monstrous and extended director’s cut version of October 7, only this time, no army is coming to protect civilians, not even late. That’s the reality there now. Those are the facts.”

As the interview opened, Gilad asked playfully, “Shibel Karmi Mansour, where have you been?” to which Mansour replied, “I think there are more important things to talk about.” Gilad acknowledged the point, prompting Mansour to insist that the crisis in Syria take precedence over his personal story. The hosts agreed to focus first on the Druze tragedy before turning to his personal journey.

In the latter half of the segment, the conversation shifted to Mansour's post-media life. “You left journalism and moved to high-tech. Which is more fun?” Gilad asked.

“High-tech.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“Because of the money?”

“No, because of the challenge. Besides all the horror we report here in the country, you end up repeating the same quotes for years, just the faces change. They’ve become a bit more eccentric and colorful, but it’s still the same content. In my job now, every day is a new puzzle. Sometimes annoying, but yes, it’s fulfilling.”

As the segment wrapped up, Sherki, who had shared a photo with Mansour in a story ahead of the broadcast, concluded wamly,“You’ll come back again, at least if we have anything to say about it,” to which Mansour replied, “ hope not under the same circumstances.”