Syrian forces to return to Druze area after more violence
Israel had repeatedly said it would not allow Syrian troops to deploy to the country's south, but yesterday it said it would grant them a brief window to end renewed clashes there.
'In light of the ongoing instability in south-west Syria, Israel has agreed to allow limited entry of the [Syrian] internal security forces into Sweida district for the next 48 hours,' the official, who declined to be named, told reporters.
Thousands of people remained displaced by the violence and the United Nations has been unable to bring in much-needed humanitarian and medical aid because of ongoing clashes.
Syrian government forces pulled out of the Druze-majority province of Sweida after days of clashes with militias linked to the religious minority that threatened to unravel the country's fragile post-war transition.
The conflict drew airstrikes against Syrian forces by Israel in defence of the Druze before most of the fighting was halted by a truce announced on Wednesday that was mediated by the US, Turkey and Arab countries. Under that agreement, Druze factions and clerics would be left to maintain internal security in Sweida, Syria's interim president Ahmad Al-Sharaa said on Thursday.
The clashes initially began between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes on Sunday before the Syrian government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up taking the Bedouins' side against the Druze.
The fighting killed hundreds of people over four days, with allegations government-affiliated fighters executed Druze civilians and looted and burnt homes.
After the ceasefire and withdrawal of government forces, clashes once again flared between the Druze and Bedouin groups in parts of Sweida province.
State media reported Druze militias carried out revenge attacks against Bedouin communities, leading to a wave of displacement.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
South Korea looking at ways to improve relations with North, says Ministry spokesperson
South Korea is studying various plans to improve relations with North Korea, a spokesperson for South Korea's Unification Ministry said. The remarks came in response to a media report that Seoul is considering allowing individual tours to North Korea. Koo Byung-sam, a spokesperson for the ministry that handles inter-Korea affairs, refused to comment on a "particular issue". But said he understood individual tours were not in violation of international sanctions. Tourism is one of a narrow range of cash sources for North Korea that are not targeted under United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programmes. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to improve strained relations with Pyongyang that have reached their worst level in years. In a bid to ease tensions, the president suspended anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts along the border and ordered a halt to leaflet campaigns criticising the North's leaders by anti-Pyongyang activists. The president has said he will discuss further plans with top security officials to resume dialogue with North Korea that is technically at war with the South. North Korea recently opened a beach resort in the city of Wonsan, a flagship project driven by leader Kim Jong Un to promote tourism. . North Korea first needs to open the area to the outside world, the Unification Ministry spokesperson said, asked if South Koreans could travel to Wonsan. South Korea once ran tours to North Korea's Mount Kumgang area, but suspended them in 2008, when a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier.
Irish Examiner
19 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Syria's armed Bedouins say they have withdrawn from Druze-majority city
Syria's armed Bedouin clans announced on Sunday that they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida after week-long clashes and a US-brokered ceasefire. 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. 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. 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. 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. We reaffirm that we have no dispute with anyone on any religious or ethnic basis. Shame and disgrace be upon all those who seek to sow discord and hatred in the minds of young people 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. 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. 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.'
The Journal
a day ago
- The Journal
Fighting in south of Syria 'halted' after sectarian violence leaves more than 900 dead
FIGHTING IN SYRIA'S Sweida 'halted' today, the government said, after the southern city was recaptured by Druze fighters and state forces redeployed to the region where more than 900 people have been killed in sectarian violence. Druze fighters had pushed out rival armed factions from the city on Saturday, a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. Sweida was 'evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted', Syria's interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a post on Telegram. Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. Syrian security forces ride in the back of a pickup truck on the international highway near Izraa, in rural Daraa province, Syria, Saturday, July 19. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Yesterday, an Associated Foreign Press correspondent saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and armed men setting fire to shops after looting them. But in the evening, Bassem Fakhr, spokesman for the Men of Dignity, one of the two largest Druze armed groups, told AFP there was 'no Bedouin presence in the city'. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also said 'tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday evening' after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack. Fighting nonetheless persisted in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria. Israel sceptical The deal between the Islamist-government and Israel had been announced by Washington early Saturday. US pointman on Syria Tom Barrack said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'have agreed to a ceasefire' negotiated by the United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later called on the Syrian government's security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and 'carrying out massacres', in a post on X. He also urged the Syrian government to 'hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks'. Advertisement Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. 'We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours,' he wrote on X. Barrack later held a meeting in Amman with the Syrian and Jordanian top diplomats, during which they 'agreed on practical steps to support Syria in implementing the agreement', the US envoy said in a later post on X. The US administration, which alongside Turkey and Saudi Arabia has forged ties with the Islamist president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's recent air strikes on Syria and had sought a way out for Sharaa's government. Sharaa followed up on the US announcement with a televised speech in which he announced an immediate ceasefire in Sweida and renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. 'The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country… We condemn all crimes committed' in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the 'important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability'. But Israel expressed deep scepticism about Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, pointing to deadly violence against Alawites as well as Druze since he led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. In Sharaa's Syria 'it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority — Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian', Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. Humanitarian corridors The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 940 people had been killed in the violence since last Sunday. They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory. They also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were 'summarily executed by Druze fighters'. Another 15 government troops were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory said. Syria's Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on Saturday evening said that after the first phase of the ceasefire, which began on Saturday and involved the deployment of security forces to the province, a second phase would see the opening of humanitarian corridors. According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced least 87,000 people. © Agence France-Presse
