Israel redeploying troops from Gaza to Syrian frontier: Military official
The military official told reporters during a briefing that some soldiers were "preparing to be deployed on our northern border with Syria" from Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants since the Palestinian group's October 2023 attack.
AFP
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Ya Libnan
4 hours ago
- Ya Libnan
Syria withdraws army from Sweida after Israel bombs Damascus
A Syrian government soldier, injured in Sweida during clashes between government forces and Druze militias, gets treated at a clinic in Busra al-Harir village, southern Syria, on Tuesday. (Omar Albam / Associated Press) . The Syrian government forces have been targeting the minorities, including the Aalwites , the Christians and the Druze Syria's army began withdrawing from violence-hit Sweida on Wednesday after Israeli strikes on Damascus and US calls for a pullback from the Druze-majority city, state media said. Washington, which seeks to mend ties with Syria, said a deal was reached to restore calm and urged all sides to uphold commitments. Syria announced that its army had begun to withdraw from violence-hit Sweida on Wednesday, following a wave of Israeli strikes on the capital and a US call for government forces to leave the majority-Druze southern city. The United States, which is close allies with Israel and has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria, said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, and urged 'all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made'. The Syrian government earlier announced a new ceasefire in Sweida that would bring a halt to military operations there, after clashes that a war monitor said had left more than 300 people dead since Sunday. The Syrian army 'has begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida in implementation of the terms of the adopted agreement, after the end of the sweep of the city for outlaw groups', a defence ministry statement said. The statement did not mention any withdrawal of other government security forces, which had deployed to the city on Tuesday with the stated aim of overseeing a previous truce agreed with Druze community leaders following days of deadly fighting with local Bedouin tribes. That ceasefire appeared to have little effect, however, with witnesses reporting that the government forces joined with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians in a bloody rampage through the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that the violence in Sweida province had left more than 300 people dead, including government forces, local fighters and 27 Druze civilians killed in 'summary executions'. The Syrian presidency vowed to investigate the 'heinous acts' in Sweida and to punish 'all those proven to be involved'. Israel, which has its own Druze community , has presented itself as a defender of the group, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible. Following the fall of Syria's longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the Israeli military took control of the UN-monitored demilitarised zone in the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria. After carrying out air strikes in Sweida province earlier this week in what it said was defence of the Druze, Israel launched a series of attacks on the capital Damascus on Wednesday. AFP images showed the side of a building in the defence ministry complex in ruins after one strike, as smoke billowed over the area. Israel said it had also struck a 'military target' in the area of the presidential palace, while a Syrian interior ministry source reported strikes outside the capital in 'the vicinity of the Mazzeh (military) airport'. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called on Damascus to 'leave the Druze in Sweida alone', and threatened to unleash 'painful blows' until government forces pulled back. Syria's foreign ministry slammed the attacks as a 'dangerous escalation', while Israel's military chief insisted his forces were 'acting with responsibility, restraint and sound judgment'. The Syrian health ministry said that at least three people were killed and 34 wounded in the strikes on Damascus. Announcing the new ceasefire on Wednesday, Syria's interior ministry said there would be a 'total and immediate halt to all military operations', as well as the formation of a committee comprising government representatives and Druze spiritual leaders to supervise its implementation. An AFP correspondent in Sweida, however, reported hearing gunfire in the city even after the announcement. In a video carried by state television, Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, one of Syria's main Druze spiritual leaders, read out the 10 points of the accord, which also includes 'the full integration of the province' of Sweida into the Syrian state. Until now, Druze areas have been controlled by fighters from the minority community. The latest fighting was the most serious outbreak of violence in Syria since government forces battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead. The clashes between the Bedouin and the Druze that first prompted the government deployment were triggered by the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, according to the Observatory. The two groups have been at loggerheads for decades. The Islamist authorities have had strained relations with Syria's patchwork of religious and ethnic minorities, and have been repeatedly accused of not doing enough to protect them. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed concern on Wednesday about the Israeli bombings, adding 'we want it to stop'. A State Department spokesperson said Washington was also asking Syria to 'withdraw their military in order to enable all sides to de-escalate'. Rubio later announced on X that all sides had 'agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end'. 'This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do,' he wrote, without elaborating on the nature of the agreement. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)
MTV Lebanon
5 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Sharaa Says Protecting Druze Priority, Rejects Attempts to Involve Them with Foreign Powers
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Thursday that protecting Druze citizens and their rights is "our priority", as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria. In his first televised statement after powerful Israeli air strikes on Damascus on Wednesday, Sharaa addressed Druze citizens saying "we reject any attempt to drag you into hands of an external party". "We are not among those who fear the war. We have spent our lives facing challenges and defending our people, but we have put the interests of the Syrians before chaos and destruction," he said. He added that the Syrian people are not afraid of war and are ready to fight if their dignity is threatened. Israel's airstrikes blew up part of Syria's defence ministry and hit near the presidential palace as it vowed to destroy government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw. The attacks marked a significant Israeli escalation against Sharaa's Islamist-led administration. They came despite his warming ties with the US and his administration's evolving security contacts with Israel. Describing Syria's new rulers as barely disguised jihadists, Israel has said it will not let them move forces into southern Syria and vowed to shield the area's Druze community from attack, encouraged by calls from Israel's own Druze minority. The US said the fighting would stop soon. "We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria. We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media. The United Nations Security Council will meet on Thursday to address the conflict, diplomats said. "The council must condemn the barbaric crimes committed against innocent civilians on Syrian soil," said Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. "Israel will continue to act resolutely against any terrorist threat on its borders, anywhere and at any time." WARPLANES OVER DAMASCUS The Syrian Network for Human Rights said 169 people had been killed in this week's violence. Security sources put the toll at 300. Reuters could not independently verify the tolls. Reuters reporters heard warplanes swoop low over the capital Damascus and unleash a series of massive strikes on Wednesday afternoon. Columns of smoke rose from the area near the defence ministry. A section of the building was destroyed, the ground strewn with rubble. An Israeli military official said the entrance to the military headquarters in Damascus was struck, along with a military target near the presidential palace. The official said Syrian forces were not acting to prevent attacks on Druze and were part of the problem. "We will not allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold," said Eyal Zamir, Israel's military chief of staff. Sharaa faces challenges to stitch Syria back together in the face of deep misgivings from groups that fear Islamist rule. In March, mass killings of members of the Alawite minority exacerbated the mistrust. Druze, followers of a religion that is an offshoot of Islam, are spread between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Following calls in Israel to help Druze in Syria, scores of Israeli Druze broke through the border fence on Wednesday, linking up with Druze on the Syrian side, a Reuters witness said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military was working to save the Druze and urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border. The Israeli military said it was working to safely return civilians who had crossed.
Cedar News
6 hours ago
- Cedar News
Al-Sharaa Responds to Sweida Clashes: Local Factions and Sheikhs Tasked with Security
Following deadly armed clashes in the southern province of Sweida, Syria's President Ahmed Al-Sharaa announced in a televised address that he has officially delegated responsibility for maintaining security and order in the region to local factions and religious sheikhs. The president described the recent Sweida clashes as part of a broader foreign-driven attempt — led by Israel, he claimed — to destabilize Syria and ignite internal conflict. He vowed that the Syrian state will hold all aggressors accountable, especially those who targeted civilians and sought to exploit sectarian divisions. 'What happened in Sweida is not an isolated incident, but a continuation of the Israeli project to spread chaos and destroy the national fabric of Syria,' Al-Sharaa declared. Al-Sharaa emphasized that the Syrian state remains the umbrella for all Syrians, and that unity is the only path forward. Addressing the Druze community directly, he reaffirmed their central role in Syria's identity and warned against any external efforts to divide the nation. The president also said some armed groups in Sweida resisted reconciliation efforts and rejected dialogue, choosing instead to escalate violence for personal or political gain. Despite the recent violence, he said the government has managed to restore a degree of stability in the province and prevent the outbreak of a wider conflict through regional mediation. 'We are not afraid of war, but we chose national interest and the safety of our people over chaos and destruction,' Al-Sharaa added. The decision to assign security duties to trusted local leaders and sheikhs is seen as a strategic move to ease tensions on the ground and restore confidence among Sweida's residents.
