Syrian leader claims Israel is trying to destabilise country
The conflict escalated following the abduction of a Druze merchant, leading to clashes between Druze militias, Bedouin tribes, and government troops.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of attempting to destabilise Syria after Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus, including near the presidential palace and defence ministry.
Israel justified its intervention by stating its responsibility to protect the Druze population and demanding the demilitarisation of the region south of Damascus.
Reports indicate a high civilian death toll in Sweida, with one local journalist claiming over 500 bodies at the national hospital and human rights groups documenting at least 207 fatalities.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Syria's new president has won over Trump but his chequered past is still causing concern
It is no secret that Donald Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize. But the very man who could help him achieve this is also the man keeping the trophy at bay. The Israeli prime minister nominated Trump for the prize during a recent trip to Washington but Netanyahu's actions in Syria and Gaza over the past few weeks prompted yet another call from the president telling him to rein it in. But why this time? Firstly, because of Syria. Tribal fighting between the Druze minority community and Bedouins in the southern city of Sweida has seen over 1,000 dead and many more injured. Netanyahu has declared himself protector of the Druze across the region, partly because a large portion of that community live in the occupied Golan Heights and are loyal to him. The Druze also serve in the IDF. So, when a Druze leader asked him to help, he did. In an extraordinary way. Not only did he bomb the city of Sweida, but he launched a strike on military headquarters in the capital Damascus, a stone's throw away from the Presidential Palace. Groups flocked to Sweida to help fight against the tribe who called on Israel's aid, further fanning the flames of violence. A shaky ceasefire is now in place - brokered by the US which, for now, is standing firm behind Syria's new President Ahmed al Sharaa. It is firmly in the US's interests for Sharaa's vision of Syria to work. A reformed jihadist who cut his teeth in ISIS and al Qaeda is now calling for an equal and open Syria. His chequered past makes him an unlikely ally of President Trump. A man who once was in a group that chanted "death to America" now shakes the hand of the leader of the same country. It is also no secret that Trump respects Sharaa, calling him an "attractive, tough guy". But Trump has plans for the region that require a lasting peace in Syria. And right now, Sharaa is the only person promising to deliver this. Hungry for an expansion of the Abraham Accords and normalisation between Syria and Israel, Trump lifted sanctions and welcomed Sharaa to the world stage. But Israel and the Emiratis remain suspicious of the new president and are deeply sceptical of his promise of reformed jihadism. 1:37 Netanyahu's strikes were a warning as much as anything. Arab officials tell me that Sharaa can't even use the toilet without telling the Turks, but the Israelis have made it clear he will also have to watch his back. Trump was reportedly deeply angry at Israel's strike on the only Catholic Church in Gaza. The IDF said it was "unintentional" but the incident warranted a call from the president which led to a rare public statement from Netanyahu on the "tragic incident". Add to this the brutal murder of the Palestinian-American Saifullah Kamel Musallet in the West Bank by Israeli settlers, and an increase in violence against the Christian community in general, and you have all the elements in place to warrant criticism from a usually staunch ally: the evangelical MAGA base. US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called an arson attack on a Christian church in the West Bank "terrorism" in a recent trip to the village where the settler attack happened. This is a man who once said there is "no such thing" as the West Bank, calling it Judea and Samaria - a biblical term used by the right in Israel and America. "There's no such thing as a settlement," he continued. "They're communities, they're neighbourhoods, they're cities. There's no such thing as an occupation." Add to that Trump's original pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, who called into question Israel's investigation into what he called the "pattern of Israeli settler attacks", and MAGA diehard Marjorie Taylor Greene who proposed a slashing of America's funding to Israel by $500m. These are some of Trump's most loyal of followers now voicing a once rare criticism of Israel. Again, this will be frustrating to Trump - who as quickly as he tapes up one fissure within his base, sees another starting to tear.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Russia, Ukraine discuss more POW swaps; no deal on ceasefire or leaders' meeting
ISTANBUL, July 23 (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine discussed further prisoner swaps on Wednesday at a brief session of peace talks in Istanbul, but the sides remained far apart on ceasefire terms and a possible meeting of their leaders. "We have progress on the humanitarian track, with no progress on a cessation of hostilities," Ukraine's chief delegate Rustem Umerov said after talks that lasted just 40 minutes. He said Ukraine had proposed a meeting before the end of August between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added: "By agreeing to this proposal, Russia can clearly demonstrate its constructive approach." Russia's chief delegate Vladimir Medinsky said the point of a leaders' meeting should be to sign an agreement, not to "discuss everything from scratch". He renewed Moscow's call for a series of short ceasefires of 24-48 hours to enable the retrieval of bodies. Ukraine says it wants an immediate and much longer ceasefire. The talks took place just over a week after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days. There was no sign of any progress towards that goal, although both sides said there was discussion of further humanitarian exchanges following a series of prisoner swaps, the latest of which took place on Wednesday. Medinsky said the negotiators agreed to exchange at least 1,200 more prisoners of war from each side, and Russia had offered to hand over another 3,000 Ukrainian bodies. He said Moscow was working through a list of 339 names of Ukrainian children that Kyiv accuses it of abducting. Russia denies that charge and says it has offered protection to children separated from their parents during the war. "Some of the children have already been returned back to Ukraine. Work is under way on the rest. If their legal parents, close relatives, representatives are found, these children will immediately return home," Medinsky said. Umerov said Kyiv was expecting "further progress" on POWs, adding: "We continue to insist on the release of civilians, including children." Ukrainian authorities say at least 19,000 children have been forcibly deported. Before the talks, the Kremlin had played down expectations, describing the two sides' positions as diametrically opposed and saying no one should expect miracles. At 40 minutes, the meeting was even shorter than the two sides' previous encounters on May 16 and June 2, which lasted a combined total of under three hours. Oleksandr Bevz, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, said Kyiv had proposed a Putin-Zelenskiy meeting in August because that would fall within the deadline set by Trump for a deal. Putin turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet in person and has said he does not see him as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when Zelenskiy's five-year mandate expired last year. Trump has patched up relations with Zelenskiy after a public row with him at the White House in February, and has lately expressed growing frustration with Putin. Three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters last week that Putin, unfazed by Trump's ultimatum, would keep fighting in Ukraine until the West engaged on his terms for peace, and that his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance.
Channel 4
3 hours ago
- Channel 4
Inside Syria: Druze leader tells C4 his community being targeted for extermination
The Druze spiritual leader Hikmat Al-Hijri has told Channel 4 News he fears his community is being targeted in a campaign of extermination. Speaking after violent clashes between Druze and Bedouin groups in the south killed more than a thousand people, he said there's no longer any trust between him and Syria's interim government. A warning, there are distressing images in this report.
