Syria's armed Bedouins say they have withdrawn from Druze-majority city
The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition.
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Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins.
Syrian government security forces blocked Bedouin fighters, pictured in the background, from entering Sweida province (Omar Sanadiki/AP)
The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins.
A series of tit-for-tat kidnappings sparked the clashes in various towns and villages in the province, which later spread to Sweida city, the provincial capital.
Government forces were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted on Thursday, before withdrawing again.
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Interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, who has been perceived as more sympathetic to the Bedouins, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias.
Dozens of Bedouin fighters, right, remained on the outskirts of the city and were cordoned off by Syrian government security forces (Ghaith Alsayed/AP)
He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying that they 'cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country's affairs and restoring security'.
'We thank the Bedouins for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state's orders,' he said in an address broadcast on Saturday.
Dozens of armed Bedouin fighters alongside other clans from around the country who came to support them remained on the outskirts of the city and were cordoned off by government security forces and military police.
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They blame the clashes on the Druze factions loyal to spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and accuse them of harming Bedouin families.
'We will not leave until he turns himself in alongside those with him who tried to stir sedition. And only then will we go home,' Khaled al-Mohammad, who came to the southern province alongside other tribesman from the eastern Deir al-Zour province, told The Associated Press.
The Bedouins' withdrawal brought a cautious calm to the area, with humanitarian convoys on their way.
The Syrian Red Crescent said on Sunday that it had sent 32 trucks loaded with food, medicine, water, fuel and other aid, after the fighting left the province with power cuts and shortages.
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Syria's state news agency SANA reported that the convoy entered Sweida on Sunday, but accused Mr al-Hijri and his armed Druze supporters of turning back a government delegation that accompanied another convoy.
The foreign ministry in a statement said the convoy accompanying the delegation had two ambulances loaded with aid provided by local and international organisations.
Mr al-Hijri did not directly respond to the accusations but said in a statement that he welcomed any assistance for Sweida and slammed what he claims were distorted campaigns against him.
'We reaffirm that we have no dispute with anyone on any religious or ethnic basis,' the statement read.
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A convoy of vehicles loaded with food and other aid en route to Sweida (Omar Sanadiki/AP)
'Shame and disgrace be upon all those who seek to sow discord and hatred in the minds of young people.'
The UN International Organisation for Migration said 128,571 people were displaced during the clashes, including 43,000 on Saturday alone.
Washington's special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said the clashes and atrocities 'overshadowed' an initial cautious optimism about the country's post-war transition and the international community's lifting of sanctions.
'All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance,' Mr Barrack said on X.
'Syria stands at a critical juncture — peace and dialogue must prevail — and prevail now.'
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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Zelenskyy says at least 22 people killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine, hours after Trump put pressure on Moscow
Update: Date: 2025-07-29T10:37:29.000Z Title: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Content: At least 85 people injured in overnight attacks after Trump said he will shorten the deadline for reaching an agreement on a ceasefire to '10-12 days' Jakub Krupa Tue 29 Jul 2025 11.37 BST First published on Tue 29 Jul 2025 08.44 BST From 9.06am BST 09:06 Ukrainian president has just confirmed that at least 22 people were killed, and 85 injured in attacks targeting 73 Ukrainian cities and villages overnight, just hours after 'everyone once again felt hope for an end to the killings.' He described some of the attacks in more detail, including a strike on a city hospital in Kamianske which killed three, including a pregnant 23-year-old woman, and a 'deliberate' attack on a civilian penal colony in Zaporizhia. Zelenskyy said: Every murder of our people by the Russians; every Russian strike, when there could have been a ceasefire long ago, if Russia had not refused – all this shows that Moscow deserves very tough, truly painful, and therefore fair and effective sanctions pressure. They must be forced to stop the killings and make peace. He thanked US president Donald Trump for his comments on Monday, and to all leaders putting pressure on Russia, but added: Peace is possible, but only when Russia stops the war that it started and stops tormenting our people. 11.37am BST 11:37 Meanwhile over in Brussels, EU trade spokesperson Olof Gill offered a bit more detail on what's going on with the EU-US agreement amid growing questions about some of the details of what was agreed and let's say less than whole-hearted support from some member states. Addressing the media at the European Commission's briefing just now, Gill said: 'Let me just be totally clear about what's happening here, folks. So on Sunday, the two presidents reached a deal, a political agreement. What we are doing now is taking that political agreement, fleshing out the details, making sure that everything we need to be in there is in there that will lead to a joint statement. I can't tell you precisely when that joint statement will be ready, but it should be soon. That joint statement itself is not a legally binding document, but rather it's a road map. It's a political commitment, a series of political commitments, if you like. And from that, we can generate the stability I talked about, the predictability I talked about, that we can get back to doing what we do best in terms of transatlantic trade and investment. Our companies are deeply integrated supply chains, moving products and services across the Atlantic on a daily basis, worth €1.6tn annually. And from there, we will look at further areas where we can reduce tariffs and other areas of cooperation. But the joint statement, we view it as a kind of a platform, a foundation, from which we can allow transatlantic trade to continue to grow and to develop.' He added: 'So we have now achieved and across the board, all inclusive tariff ceiling of 15%. That's not the perfect outcome for the EU, nor is it the perfect outcome for the US. We believe it gives us a platform for moving forward, for putting this kind of saga behind us, and focusing on allowing transatlantic trade to develop, to cooperate in key areas of economic and geopolitical importance in an unstable world. And we are confident that this can enjoy the backing of our member states, of our businesses, of our citizens. We are making the best of a challenging situation, and we are determined to make this deal work.' 11.03am BST 11:03 We are now getting a reaction from the Kremlin, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling journalists that Russia 'has taken note' of president Trump's comments yesterday. He then said that a 'special military operation' – that's their term for the illegal invasion of Ukraine – continues, but Russia 'remains committed to the peace process to resolve the conflict around Ukraine and secure our interests' – despite deadly attacks overnight. Peskov also confirmed that there was a 'slowdown' in Russian efforts to revive diplomatic relations with the US. 10.16am BST 10:16 Speaking of Russian and Russian-inspired attacks, Poland said today that it believed a Colombian national acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services carried out two arson attacks in Poland last year. The 27-year-old was trained by a person linked to Russian intelligence services, receiving detailed instructions on how to carry out the attacks, Polish authorities said. The man was also later involved in an arson attack on a bus depot in the Czech Republic and was planning to carry out another attack on a shopping mall before being detained by the Czech authorities. The Polish Internal Security Agency, or ABW, said that Russian intelligence services were using messaging service Telegram to 'systemically and at large scale recruit people of Latin American origin and with previous military experience' to carry out attacks, later distributing photos and videos online for propaganda reasons. The man was already sentenced to eight years in prison in the Czech Republic, and faces another sentence in Poland. The disclosure from the Polish authorities come after the Czech intelligence services warned in their annual report that Russian recruiters particularly targeted poorer economic migrants from outside the EU to carry out attacks (Europe live earlier this month). Updated at 10.21am BST 9.39am BST 09:39 9.06am BST 09:06 Ukrainian president has just confirmed that at least 22 people were killed, and 85 injured in attacks targeting 73 Ukrainian cities and villages overnight, just hours after 'everyone once again felt hope for an end to the killings.' He described some of the attacks in more detail, including a strike on a city hospital in Kamianske which killed three, including a pregnant 23-year-old woman, and a 'deliberate' attack on a civilian penal colony in Zaporizhia. Zelenskyy said: Every murder of our people by the Russians; every Russian strike, when there could have been a ceasefire long ago, if Russia had not refused – all this shows that Moscow deserves very tough, truly painful, and therefore fair and effective sanctions pressure. They must be forced to stop the killings and make peace. He thanked US president Donald Trump for his comments on Monday, and to all leaders putting pressure on Russia, but added: Peace is possible, but only when Russia stops the war that it started and stops tormenting our people. 9.00am BST 09:00 Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels Pharmaceutical exports from the EU to the US could be hit by 15% tariffs as soon as Friday, according to the White House. It published a text on the EU trade deal stating pharma will be taxed at the base rate agreed in deal sealed at Donald Trump's golf course on Sunday. But it has caused yet more confusion because it comes less than 24 hours after EU officials were told that pharma would remain duty free until Trump's 232 national security investigations into pharma and semiconductors concluded. As part of President Trump's strategy to establish balanced trade, the European Union will pay the United States a tariff rate of 15%, including on autos and auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors. However he had also said earlier this month he was going to phase in tariffs for pharma this week. The text also says that the EU has agreed not to introduce a tech tax. It says: 'The United States and the European Union intend to address unjustified digital trade barriers. In that respect, the European Union confirms that it will not adopt or maintain network usage fees. Furthermore, the United States and the European Union will maintain zero customs duties on electronic transmissions.' 8.53am BST 08:53 Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels The EU is considering partially suspending Israel from its flagship Horizon Europe science research programme, in the first concrete sanction of Benjamin Netanyahu's government since the killing of civilians in Gaza started. It is understood the move will need qualified majority of support from member states, meaning no one country can block it. As world continues to condemn the humanitarian catastrophe including demands by Donald Trump yesterday that the starvation of Gazan people must stop, it is the first sign that the bloc is prepared to take a concrete action. 'While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting and has met some of its commitments under the common understanding on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains severe,' said a statement released by the Commission on 28 July. It added that the suspension would flow from its review of the trade association agreement with Israel, prompted by calls for a review of the agreement by the Netherlands backed by 17 countries in May. 'This suspension comes as a reaction to the review Art. 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Respect for these obligations constitutes an essential part of EU-Israel cooperation under the Agreement, including for bilateral scientific and technological cooperation between the two parties.' The decision was been taken by the college of European commissioners on Monday and will be put to the council of member states. Updated at 9.07am BST 8.44am BST 08:44 Jakub Krupa More than 20 people were killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine overnight, just hours after US president Donald Trump sought to put more pressure on Moscow by shortening the deadline for reaching an agreement on a ceasefire to '10-12' days. At least 16 people were killed in an attack on a Ukrainian prison, with more than 35 injured. More people died in other attacks in different parts of the country, including on a hospital and a private home, authorities reported. Andriy Yermak, top aide to Ukraine's president , said: This is another war crime by the Russians, who will not stop if they are not stopped. He added: 'Putin's regime, which also issues threats against the United States through some of its mouthpieces, must face economic and military blows that strip it of the capacity to wage war.' President Zelenskyy expressed Ukraine's high hopes last night, saying that Trump's declaration was 'right on time, when a lot can change through strength for real peace.' Let's see if we get any further reaction to the overnight attacks. Elsewhere, we will be looking for more reactions from the EU and across the bloc to the EU-US trade deal signed at the weekend, the latest on German response to Gaza as chancellor Friedrich Merz meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II, and more news from across the continent. I will bring you all key updates from across Europe here. It's Tuesday, 29 July 2025, it's Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Labour's non-dom tax raid triggers £700m property sell-off
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BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
More than 60,000 people killed in Gaza during Israel offensive, Hamas-run health ministry says
More than 60,000 people have been killed as a result of Israel's military campaign in Gaza since October 2023, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday that the death toll had reached at least 60,034, with 145,870 others injured. At least 112 people were killed in the 24 hours before late Tuesday morning, with 22 people killed while trying to get aid, the ministry saidIsrael launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. The latest figures come as UN-backed global food security experts warn that the worst-case scenario of famine is "currently playing out" in the Gaza Strip. While Israel continues to insist it is not responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and does not impose restrictions on aid entering Gaza, those claims are not accepted by its close allies in Europe, or the United Nations and other agencies active in Sunday, Israel, which controls all entry of goods into Gaza, began what it said would be daily 10-hour "tactical pauses" to allow for humanitarian aid delivery, and announced the establishment of "designated secure routes" for aid has also allowed aid drops by foreign countries to resume, despite humanitarian agencies warning that the method was ineffective and dangerous.
