Syrian government forces leave Suwayda following ceasefire
Syrian government forces have begun to leave Suwayda following a ceasefire agreement with Druze leaders. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr is on the outskirts of the city where she explains the security situation is still precarious.
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Al Jazeera
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Syria to hold first parliamentary elections since al-Assad's fall
Syria will hold parliamentary elections in September, said the head of a body tasked with organising the election process. Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, chairman of the Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections, told state news agency SANA on Sunday that elections will take place between September 15 and 20. They will be the first to take place under the country's new authorities after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December. One-third of the 210 seats will be appointed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, with the rest to be elected. In a recent interview with the Erem News site, another member of the elections committee, Hassan al-Daghim, said an electoral college will be set up in each of Syria's provinces to vote for the elected seats. Increasingly divided A temporary constitution signed by al-Sharaa in March called for a People's Committee to be set up to serve as an interim parliament until a permanent constitution is adopted and general elections held, a process that could take years. The announcement of impending elections comes at a time when the country is increasingly divided in its views of the new authorities in Damascus after sectarian violence broke out in the southern province of Suwayda earlier this month. The fighting killed hundreds of people and threatened to unravel Syria's fragile postwar transition. The violent clashes, which broke out two weeks ago, were sparked by tit-for-tat kidnappings between armed Bedouin clans and fighters from the Druze religious minority. Syrian government forces intervened, ostensibly to end the fighting, but effectively sided with the clans. Some government troops reportedly executed Druze civilians and burned and looted houses. Israel intervened, launching air strikes on government forces and on the Defence Ministry headquarters. Israel said it was acting to defend the Druze minority.
Al Jazeera
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Thailand and Cambodia to hold ceasefire talks in Malaysia
The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia are set to meet in Malaysia for talks aimed at resolving a deadly border dispute, even as both sides accuse one another of new artillery attacks in contested areas. Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will lead Bangkok's delegation on Monday in the mediation effort. The talks are scheduled to begin at 3pm local time (07:00 GMT). Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet is also expected to attend, Malaysian authorities confirmed. Kuala Lumpur currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, and has offered to mediate the crisis, which has left several soldiers dead in recent weeks. Tensions escalated after both nations exchanged fire along the disputed stretch of their shared border, prompting international concern. Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim proposed a ceasefire to both parties. Speaking to reporters in Scotland on Sunday, United States President Donald Trump said he warned both countries that future trade agreements with Washington would be suspended if hostilities continue. 'I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off [the phone], I think they want to settle now,' Trump said during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Turnberry. He added he believed the talks in Malaysia marked a step toward de-escalation. Cambodia and Thailand have traded accusations of artillery attacks in the hours since Trump said both countries had agreed to hash out a ceasefire. The attacks on Sunday came after both sides said they were willing to start talks to end the fighting over their border dispute after Trump spoke to their leaders late on Saturday. Four days after the worst fighting in more than a decade broke out between the Southeast Asian neighbours, the death toll stood above 30, including 13 civilians in Thailand and eight in Cambodia. More than 200,000 people have also been evacuated from border areas in the two countries, authorities said. Cambodia said it fully endorsed Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire. Thailand, on the other hand, said that while it was grateful to Trump, it could not begin talks while Cambodia was targeting its civilians, a claim Phnom Penh denied. 'We have proposed a bilateral between our foreign ministers to conclude the conditions for a ceasefire and drawing back troops and long-range weapons,' Phumtham told reporters before heading off to visit border areas. Cambodia's Ministry of National Defence said Thailand shelled and launched ground assaults on a number of points along the border. The ministry's spokesperson said heavy artillery was fired at historic temple complexes. The Thai army, meanwhile, said Cambodian forces fired shots into several areas, including near civilian homes early on Sunday, and were mobilising long-range rocket launchers. 'Both governments today … blaming the other side for initiating the attacks, saying they both want a ceasefire but the other side has to meet certain conditions first… We are reaching this sort of deadlock where neither side is able to stand back,' Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng said, reporting from the Thai province of Surin along the Thai-Cambodia border. 'We just checked in with some contacts on the border. They say they are still hearing exchanges of artillery fire. There were heavy barrages going in from Thailand, most of it from the Thai side going across into Cambodia, but some … rockets coming back in exchange.' Thailand and Cambodia have bickered for decades over undemarcated points along their 817km (508-mile) land border with ownership of the ancient Hindu temples of Ta Moan Thom and the 11th-century Preah Vihear central to the dispute. Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962, but tensions escalated in 2008 after Cambodia tried to list it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and skirmishes over several years killed at least a dozen people. Ceasefire push Trump on Saturday said he had spoken with Phumtham and Hun Manet and they agreed to meet immediately to quickly work out a ceasefire to end the fighting, which began on Thursday. 'Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace,' Trump wrote on social media, adding that tariff negotiations with both countries were on hold until the fighting stopped. Hun Manet said his foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, will speak with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to coordinate with the Thais and warned Bangkok against reneging on any agreement. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also urged both sides on Saturday to 'immediately agree to a ceasefire' and hold talks to find a lasting solution. As fighting continues, those evacuated from areas along the border in both countries are being 'relatively well cared for' at evacuation centres, Cheng said. 'They've got basic things like food, water, a little bit of bedding, but they came with virtually nothing, and they don't know if they're going to be here for days, weeks or even months,' he said from a centre in Surin, where 3,000 people are staying. Civilians on both sides are urging for a ceasefire to be implemented soon. 'For me, I think it is great if Thailand agreed to stop fighting so both countries can live with peace,' said Phnom Penh university student Sreung Nita. Thavorn Toosawan, a resident of Sisaket in northeastern Thailand, said, 'If there is a ceasefire, things will be better', adding, 'It's great that America is insisting on the ceasefire because it would bring peace.'
Al Jazeera
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Countries denounce Israel but keep trading with it
As Israel's killing of Palestinians continues fast and slow, through air strikes and starvation, the foreign ministers of 28 countries have signed a statement calling for an end to Israel's war on Gaza. As these countries deploy words months after the United Nations and other groups warned of an oncoming famine, there has been little action on other fronts. Some of these countries have recognised the Palestinian state while France last week angered Israeli officials by announcing it would do the same in September. Still, many critics have pointed out that as countries make these statements, many of them continue to benefit from trade with Israel and have not imposed sanctions or taken any other action that could push Israel to end its genocidal war on Gaza. The war has killed at least 59,821 people in Gaza and wounded 144,477. Here's all you need to know about the countries profiting from Israel while condemning its military action: How much do the signatories of the statement trade with Israel? Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom all have more than $1bn in imports, exports or both with Israel, according to 2023 figures from the Observatory of Economic Complexity. What do these countries trade with Israel? Among the top items being traded are cars and other motor vehicles, integrated circuits, vaccines and perfumes. About $3.58bn in integrated circuits is the largest individual product going to Ireland, making up the overwhelming majority of Ireland's imports from Israel. Meanwhile, Italy exports to Israel more than any other country that signed the statement. Its $3.49bn of exports included $116m in cars in 2023. Do these countries recognise Palestine? Of those countries that issued the statement, Ireland and Spain recognised Palestine in 2024 and have spoken strongly against Israel's actions in Gaza. Still, that hasn't stopped them from continuing trade with Israel. Seven other countries that signed the statement also recognise the State of Palestine, including Cyprus, Malta and Poland, all of which recognised Palestine in 1988, shortly after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. Iceland (2011), Sweden (2014), Norway (2024) and Slovenia (2024) also recognise the State of Palestine while France said it will do so in September at the United Nations General Assembly. Who signed the statement? Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. All of them are still trading with Israel. What was Israel's reaction to the statement? As expected. Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X that Israel rejects the statement, saying 'it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.' What else are countries trading with Israel doing? France, Germany and the UK called for an 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza and 'unconditional release of all hostages' after they held an emergency call to discuss the war and the hunger crisis created by Israel's siege and aid blockade on the enclave. Has any of this made Israel change its behaviour? Attention has turned heavily towards the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, leading even longtime Israeli stalwart supporters like former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to address the issue. Aid organizations report that thousands of children in Gaza are at risk of starvation while trucks full of food sit waiting across the border. The full flow of humanitarian assistance must be restored — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 24, 2025 This pressure has led Israel to announce 'tactical pauses' for 'humanitarian purposes' from 10am to 8pm (07:00 to 17:00 GMT) in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City. They started on Sunday. Despite the pauses, Israeli forces killed at least 43 Palestinians early on Sunday. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Sunday that it had recorded six more deaths over 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, including two children. This brings the total number of starvation deaths to 133, including 87 children.
