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Israeli Druze anger mounts against Syrian authorities after clashes with Bedouins

Israeli Druze anger mounts against Syrian authorities after clashes with Bedouins

LeMonde3 days ago
Once again, Israel has bombed one of its neighbors. On Wednesday, July 16, after more than 300 civilians and military personnel died in fighting between the Syrian army, the Druze community and Bedouin tribes near Sweida in southern Syria, Israeli missiles struck the entrance to the presidential palace and the Ministry of Defense in Damascus, the Syrian capital. According to the Syrian Ministry of Health, 28 people were wounded and one person was killed by the strikes. At the same time, about 1,000 Israeli Druze were entering Syrian territory from Majdal Shams, in the far northeast of the Golan Heights, a Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
In several videos shared on social media, a group of men in traditional black Druze attire and white caps could be seen crossing the barrier marking the current border between the two countries. "Everyone here is outraged by these massacres and is looking for any way to help their relatives on the other side of the border," said Qassem Sabag, a resident of Majdal Shams reached by phone. "Most left with the idea of going to defend Sweida against the Syrian authorities."
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