
How a roadside robbery triggered an unexpected new Middle East war
Mr Dawara was pulled out of his car, beaten, and abandoned – blindfolded – on the side of the road.
Attackers confiscated seven million Syrian pounds (about £400), his phone and absconded with his truck, vegetables and all.
That account, given to media in Suwayda, a south-western city in Syria, is what sparked tit-for-tat kidnappings in retaliation, which then swelled into deadly clashes between local rival militias.
By Monday, the Syrian government had sent its forces into the surrounding countryside in an attempt to restore order. Israel, worried about a foreign military build-up near its territory, sent fighter jets to attack the Syrian tanks.
The next two days would see tensions rising to a fever pitch as Syrian government forces advanced deeper into Suwayda. The Israeli military stepped up its strikes, bombing around the city, and also in Damascus, the capital of Syria – including the ministry of defence, pictured below.
A first ceasefire fell apart within hours; it remains to be seen if a second one, agreed Thursday, will hold. Some estimates put the death toll at around 300 people, though true figures remain unclear given an internet and electricity blackout in Suwayda.
This latest spate of intense, deadly violence appears to be the most significant threat facing the ability of Syria's new government to consolidate control over the richly diverse country after a surprise rebel offensive toppled longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad last December.
Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel coalition that toppled Assad, and others he installed at the top of the government are primarily Sunni Muslim, prompting worries of discrimination and violence amongst the country's many religious and ethnic minorities.
Those concerns only deepened in March, when sectarian killings swept through the Alawite religious minority, a sect to which the former leader Assad belongs. One estimate put the full death count at 1,500 Syrian Alwites massacred, according to Reuters.
Fears that revenge killings would continue have lingered, and many remain terrified that the new guard – despite noises to the contrary – will eventually revert to the dark, deadly, authoritarian ways of the old guard.
'The attacks are very similar to the previous regime's methodology where they would completely decimate civilian areas to make an example to anyone who wishes to stand up in the face of the government's tyranny,' said Abu Jawad, 29, a member of the Druze minority in Syria, whose name has been changed for fear of retribution.
He accused the Syrian government of covering up its violent actions, which range from 'looting, beating, and dehumanising civilians all the way to rape and civilian executions.'
Mr Dawara, the vegetable seller robbed, setting off the violent events of the last four days, is also Druze, an Arab sect of about one million people who primarily live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
Sectarian violence that in recent days swept Suwayda, a stronghold of the Druze community, was primarily between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes that took revenge, first in response to the attack against Mr Dawara.
A few videos, some unverified, began emerging online, showing men in military attire forcibly shaving off the moustaches of Druze men – a serious, provocative attack as they are considered an important cultural and religious symbol for the sect.
In one, an elderly cleric – now identified as Sheikh Merhej Shahin, 80 – is seen, in front of his home as a man in military gear shaves off his moustache.
The video started circulating online on Tuesday, and his family lost touch with him for a few hours after, with calls to his phone unanswered. Finally, after hours, someone picked up.
'My aunt repeatedly tried to call him, and at around 8pm, someone answered her call and mockingly told her he met his end,' Christine Shahin, the late sheikh's granddaughter, said.
When Syrian government forces started advancing, his family begged him to leave, but he insisted on staying to bury his grandson, who had been killed a day earlier by sniper fire.
Local Druze fighters, suspicious of Mr al-Sharaa's pledge to protect all Syrians, have clashed against Syrian government forces, ambushing and executing some, while taking others hostage, as experts have noted based on various videos emerging online.
Concern that the violence could spiral out of concern prompted Hikmat al-Hijri, one of the three most senior Druze spiritual leaders in Syria, to issue an unprecedented statement, directly calling the leaders of the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to take a stand against such persecution.
'Save Suwayda,' he wrote in a statement. 'For our people are being exterminated and being killed in cold blood, with the killer not distinguishing between young and old, woman or child, doctor or sheikh, and they are destroying churches and houses of worship.
'These are massacres being committed before the world's eyes and the silence continues to kill,' he wrote. 'We call on the international community to bear its humanitarian and ethical responsibilities to stop these systematic and organised massacres.'
Mr al-Hijri's stance doesn't represent the views of all Druze, as many want nothing to do with Israel, instead believing that Israel is exploiting instability in Syria to advance its own domestic security interests, rather than doing so on behalf of the Druze as the military claims.
'Israel has been bombing long before any of the [latest] aggression toward the Druze sect even began,' said Abu Jawad.
'The Israelis are using this false claim of 'protecting the Druze' to further the divide between the people of Syria and the Druze community…we never asked for our country to be attacked by foreign occupation aggressors.'
Either way, the violence underscores some of the biggest challenges the Syrian government still needs to contend with: how to handle aggression from neighbouring Israel, and how best to agree a security arrangement in minority areas, like Suwayda, where locals would rather have members of their own communities, rather than government fighters, installed to maintain order going forward.
As night fell on Thursday, Syrians with friends and family in Suwayda were waiting desperately for any news of their loved ones – hard to come by, as communications largely remained down.
Nearing 9pm, video surfaced online showing piles of dead bodies in the corridors and beds of a hospital in the city – a massacre that had purportedly taken place earlier, and a reminder that the bloodshed was perhaps far from over.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Mapped: London's knife crime hotspots revealed
Knife crime in London has surged by nearly 60 per cent in the past three years, new analysis has revealed. The West End is the capital's knife crime hotspot, accounting for one in every 15 knife attacks in London, the report from the Policy Exchange think tank said. The research found that in 2024, one small area of around 20 streets in London's West End near Oxford Circus and Regent Street had more knife crime than nearly 15 per cent of the rest capital combined. Across the UK, knife crime recorded by the police decreased by 1 per cent in the year ending March 2025 to 53,047 offences, compared to the previous year, which saw 53,685 offences. The Metropolitan Police, which is the force for most of London, accounted for 31 per cent of all knife crime across England and Wales in 2024. There were 108 knife crime offences in the highest hotspot in the West End, which was more than the 716 'safest' areas combined. This area includes Oxford Circus and parts of New Bond Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus. These areas, known as Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs), are geographical areas which comprise of comprise a resident population of between 1,000 and 3,000 people. The top 200 LSOAs for knife crime within London reported 3,615 knife crimes in 2024, according to Policy Exchange. The report recommended that the Met Police should introduce a 'zero tolerance' approach in the top 20 knife crime hotspots. Officers in these areas would conduct 'very high volumes' of stop and searches, it suggested. It also recommended that permanent live facial recognition systems should be deployed in each of the top knife crime hotspots in London, with officers deployed at peak times. David Spencer, a former Met detective and author of the report, said: 'The only approach which will both work and be recognised by the public as working is a 'zero-tolerance' approach to crime and criminals – particularly in those locations where crime is rife.' Most knife crime offences in London are robberies, official statistics show, with mobile phones a key target. Of the 16,789 knife crime offences committed in 2024, 62 per cent (10,346) of these were robberies. Earlier this year, The Independent revealed there were at least 83,900 phone theft offences recorded across the country in the 12 months to July last year – almost double the 45,800 five years previously. The figures obtained from 29 forces show the Metropolitan Police dealt with more than three-quarters of all mobile phone thefts (64,224) last year, followed by Kent Police (1,722), South Yorkshire Police (1,577) and Lancashire Police (1,467). Commander Hayley Sewart, lead for knife crime at the Metropolitan Police Service, said: 'Tackling violent crime is our top priority and every month across London we are making over 1,000 more arrests than we were last year - with knife-related crime (16 per cent) and robbery (13 per cent) both falling significantly. 'We are putting more officers in neighbourhoods than ever before, using our stop and search powers to take 17,500 weapons off the streets over the past four years, and deploying new technology and data-driven tactics to bring offenders to justice.' A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: 'Nothing is more important to the mayor than keeping Londoners safe and he is determined to continue leading from the front to build a safer London for all. 'Thanks to the hard work of the Met Police and partners, homicides, gun crime with lethal barrel discharges, knife crime with injury and burglary are all down since 2016 and last year teen murders were the lowest they've been in over a decade.' 'Record funding from the mayor and an enhanced approach to neighbourhood policing in the West End has led to personal robberies falling by 20 per cent and violence with injury reducing by 25 per cent in the last year. 'The mayor is determined to build on this progress – his record £1.16bn funding has secured 935 police officers and he has worked closely with the commissioner to increase the number of police officers on the beat in the West End, plus additional police officers working in new or enhanced town centre teams in hotspot areas.'


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Moment 'machete-wielding' thugs ambush man, 51, in park attack that left XL Bully dead
Video footage has emerged of an alleged murder bid at a park in Aberdeen that left a 51–year–old man in hospital and his pet XL Bully dog dead. The man was allegedly attacked at Eric Hendrie Park – known among long–term locals as 'the Woodies' – in the Mastrick area of the city at 8.30pm on Sunday. Footage shared among locals in the area appears to show an altercation between two men in the park, a man being ambushed by an armed gang and further video of what appears to be an XL Bully dog attacking armed men. Police investigating the incident are treating it as attempted murder. A hunt for suspects is underway. Horrifying footage appears to show a man in a short–sleeved shirt being set upon by a group of men in dark clothing, one of whom holds what appears to be a machete aloft as the white Mini races into view, its passenger door open. He appears to strike his target, who falls backwards as a man in blue joins the rush towards him. Video shot from another angle close to the violent attack shows the man who was attacked kneeling in front of the Mini the man dressed in blue clothing appears to move towards him. He is closely followed by the machete–wielding man, who is dressed head–to–toe in dark clothing, who appears to take a swing out of shot. Whether his weapon finds its mark cannot be seen as the car continues revving its engine. But as he swings, a dog runs into view and attacks the man, who appears to then strike the dog with the blade. In footage shot from another angle, the man who appears to be armed can be seen running down a small hill, pursued by the dog, as the car continues revving its engine. Two other people in dark clothing can be seen retreating in the direction of a play area as the man appears to strike the dog with the machete again. The animal continues barking as he runs and stumbles, attempting to jump onto the bonnet of the car as the animal attacks him from the rear. For a further minute, the car drives through the park towards nearby Deveron Road, pursued by the dog. Another man, who appears to be armed with a knife, follows the car as it drives in a circle on the grass. The Mini then drives onto the road, its bodywork crunching as it hits the tarmac, as an eyewitness remarks: 'F****** nightmare.' It draws to a stop, the dog apparently still circling, and the footage ends. Police say enquiries are ongoing to trace those involved in the incident and as yet have made no arrests. The 51–year–old man was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where his condition was described as 'serious, but stable'. Detective Sergeant Emma Low of Police Scotland said: 'Our investigation is at an early stage to establish the exact circumstances surrounding this incident. 'Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact officers through 101 quoting incident number 3236 of 27 July, 2025. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.' The force was contacted for further comment.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Palestinians in West Bank village face new crisis as settlers cut off water
SUSIYA, West Bank, July 30 (Reuters) - Palestinians in the village of Susiya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank thought life could not get worse as Jewish settlers were attacking them repeatedly and ripping apart their precious olive groves. Then settlers armed with knives set upon their water sources, villagers said. "They want us to live without water, and here they also cut the electrical wires," said Mousa Mughnem, 67, who lives with his 60-year-old wife Najah in the village near the town of Hebron. Palestinians in the West Bank have reported growing Israeli settler violence since war erupted between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza on October 7, 2023. Palestinian authorities who exercise limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank say the settlers are trying to force Palestinians off their lands in order to seize them. Emboldened by some far-right Israeli government ministers who seek to annex the West Bank, settlers have assaulted Palestinian farmers, cut down trees and set fire to precious olive groves. Jihad Al-Nawajaa, the head of the Susiya village council, said the water shortages have become unbearable. "If we do not have water here, we will not survive. They make us thirsty in order to expel us, and their aim is to expel people," he said. Residents of Susiya accuse Israeli settlers of severing water pipes and electricity wires, chopping down their olive trees and preventing them from herding their sheep. In response to a Reuters request for a comment on settler attacks in Susiya, the Israeli military said soldiers have been dispatched to deal with any troubles and have removed Israeli citizens involved. "As for the most recent incident that occurred on Monday (July 28), same protocol was used, and no injuries were reported," the army said. Palestinians have cultivated olive trees for generations and regard them as an enduring symbol of their national identity. Some villagers, like Najah Mughnem, are defiant and say they will remain attached to their land and their olives no matter what the settlers do. "Even if they burn down or cut down the trees or inflict damage, we will not leave," she said. B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, has reported around 54 settler attacks on the village since October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's military response has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, according to the enclave's health authorities. "We are afraid... We spend the days and nights nervous, we hardly sleep," said Fawziyeh Al-Nawajaa, 58, a Susiya villager. Susiya residents have faced threats of demolition for decades. Palestinians there were so attached to their lands that they once lived in caves until they were expelled in 1986 after an archaeological site was discovered. The caves were later destroyed and they now live in tents and prefabricated buildings. The village is spread across several rocky hillsides between a Jewish settlement to the south and a Jewish archaeological site to the north - land Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war.