logo
Six Syrian security personnel killed after deploying to quell sectarian clashes, source says

Six Syrian security personnel killed after deploying to quell sectarian clashes, source says

Reuters14-07-2025
DAMASCUS, July 14 (Reuters) - Six members of Syria's security forces have been killed in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, a security source told Reuters, after they deployed to halt deadly sectarian clashes that local media reported had resumed on Monday.
Sunday's fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribal fighters was the first time that sectarian violence erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, following months of tensions in the broader province.
The fighting left 30 people dead and prompted Syria's security forces to deploy units to the city to restore calm and guarantee safe passage for civilians looking to leave, the defence ministry said in a statement.
But intense clashes broke out again on Monday, local news outlet Sweida24 reported. At least six Syrian troops were subsequently killed, a defence ministry source told Reuters.
It marked the latest episode of sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where fears among minority groups have surged since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.
Sunni Muslim Arab rebel groups which fought Assad during the war agreed in December to dissolve into the defence ministry but efforts to integrate armed factions from minority groups - including Druze and Kurds - have largely stalled.
In southern Syria, efforts have been further complicated by Israel's stated policy that it would not allow Syria's new army to deploy south of Damascus and that Sweida and neighbouring provinces should make up a demilitarized zone.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said in a written statement carried on state media that the "absence of state institutions, especially military and security institutions, is a major cause of the ongoing tensions in Sweida and its countryside."
Sunday's violence erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida, witnesses said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Syrian, Israeli officials discuss de-escalation in Paris meeting, US envoy says
Syrian, Israeli officials discuss de-escalation in Paris meeting, US envoy says

Reuters

time5 hours ago

  • Reuters

Syrian, Israeli officials discuss de-escalation in Paris meeting, US envoy says

July 24 (Reuters) - Syrian and Israeli officials spoke about de-escalating the situation in Syria during U.S.-mediated talks in Paris on Thursday, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said. "Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we accomplished precisely that," Barrack said in a statement on social media website X. "All parties reiterated their commitment to continuing these efforts," he added. Hundreds of people have been reported killed in clashes in the southern Syrian province of Sweida between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes and government forces. Israel intervened with airstrikes to prevent what it said was mass killing of Druze by government forces.

France's top court annuls arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad
France's top court annuls arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad

The Guardian

time13 hours ago

  • The Guardian

France's top court annuls arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad

France's highest court has cancelled an arrest warrant for the former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war. The Cour de cassation declared the warrant invalid under international law, which gives heads of state personal immunity from prosecution in foreign courts while they are in office. The judges ruled there were no exceptions, but said their decision did allow for a new arrest warrant to be issued now Assad was no longer a head of state. Since December 2024, Assad has been living in exile in Russia after rebels led by Turkish-backed forces took control of Syria. Mariana Pena, a senior legal counsel with the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), said the ruling was a 'missed opportunity' for the court to make an exception on the waiving of immunity for heads of state accused of the most serious crimes, but added the campaign to bring Assad to justice would continue. A French court issued the international arrest warrant in November 2023 in response to two chemical weapons attacks in Syria. In the first, in August 2013, the banned gas sarin is believed to have killed more than 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, in the district of Ghouta, in eastern Damascus. In the second, in April 2018, 450 people were injured in the towns of Adra and Douma. The case that led to the arrest warrant was brought by civil parties including survivors of the attacks, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression and the OSJI. Its cancellation was initially sought by France's anti-terrorism office on the grounds of head of state immunity. Last year, the Paris court of appeal upheld the warrant following a request for annulment, only for the anti-terrorism office and the public prosecutors' office to lodge a fresh appeal. At the appeal hearing, the OSJI argued that immunity should not apply when leaders perpetrated grave crimes against their own population. France has previously issued international arrest warrants for three other senior Syrian officials, including the former leader's brother Maher al-Assad for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Cour de Cassation did not rule on these warrants, which are still in effect. The sarin attack in 2013 almost led to US intervention in Syria's civil war. Barack Obama, then US president, had warned Assad that the use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line', but backed down from military action after Syria agreed to dismantle its chemical weapons. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion In 2020, a report by the UN-aligned body that oversees chemical weapons use accused Syria of using sarin gas on the battlefield. The report was hailed by rights groups as a landmark moment with implications for war crimes investigations. The Syrian conflict began with protests and pro-democracy rallies in 2011 and escalated into civil war the following year. Up to 610,000 people are believed to have died.

French supreme court cancels arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad
French supreme court cancels arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad

The Guardian

time15 hours ago

  • The Guardian

French supreme court cancels arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad

France's supreme court has cancelled an arrest warrant for the former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war. The Cour de cassation declared the warrant invalid under international law, which gives heads of state personal immunity from prosecution in foreign courts while they are in office. The judges ruled there were no exceptions, but said their decision did allow for a new arrest warrant to be issued now Assad is no longer a head of state. Since December 2024, Assad has been living in exile in Russia after rebels led by Turkish-backed forces took control of Syria. Mariana Pena, a senior legal counsel with the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), said the ruling was a 'missed opportunity' for the court to make an exception on the waiving of immunity for heads of state accused of the most serious crimes, but added the campaign to bring Assad to justice would continue. A French court issued the international arrest warrant in November 2023 in response to two chemical weapons attacks in Syria. In the first, in August 2013, the banned gas sarin is believed to have killed more than 1,000 people including hundreds of children in the district of Ghouta in eastern Damascus. The second, in April 2018, saw 450 people injured in the towns of Adra and Douma. The case that led to the arrest warrant was brought by civil parties including survivors of the attacks, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression and the OSJI. Its cancellation was initially sought by France's anti-terrorism office on the grounds of head of state immunity. Last year, the Paris court of appeal upheld the warrant following a request for annulment, only for the anti-terrorism office and the public prosecutors' office to lodge a fresh appeal. At the appeal hearing, the OSJI argued that immunity should not apply when leaders perpetrated grave crimes against their own population. France has previously issued international arrest warrants for three other senior Syrian officials, including the former leader's brother, Maher al-Assad for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Cour de Cassation did not rule on these warrants, which are still in effect. The sarin attack in 2013 almost led to US intervention in Syria's civil war. Barack Obama, then US president, had warned Assad that the use of chemical weapons would be a 'red line', but backed down from military action after Syria agreed to dismantle its chemical weapons. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion In 2020, a report by the UN-aligned body that oversees chemical weapons use accused Syria of using sarin gas on the battlefield. The report was hailed by rights groups as a landmark moment with implications for war crimes investigations. The Syrian conflict began with protests and pro-democracy rallies in 2011 and escalated into civil war the following year. Up to 610,000 people are believed to have died in the conflict.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store