Is Israel exploiting distrust between Syria's Druze and Damascus?
President Ahmad Al Shara's government deployed general security forces to the area, ostensibly to restore order. What followed were deadly confrontations and dozens of soldiers were killed. But residents of the Druze-majority city say the government's response was brutal. Populous neighbourhoods came under heavy shelling, forcing people to flee, and civilians were killed in the crossfire.
From across the border, Israel intervened with strikes on key government sites including the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Damascus. It stepped in to defend the Druze, Israeli officials said.
The violence killed hundreds of people before a ceasefire was announced on Wednesday. But what is at the root of the tension between this Druze minority and the new leadership in Syria? And why is Israel imposing itself on the conflict?
In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher digs deep into the many complex layers that brought bloodshed to Sweida this week. She speaks to Syria experts and academics Rahaf Aldoughli and Joshua Landis, and we also hear from a Druze fighter involved in the conflict.
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The National
22 minutes ago
- The National
Aid convoys enter Syria's Sweida after week of bloody clashes
The first humanitarian convoy entered the Druze-majority city of Sweida in southern Syria on Sunday, after a week of deadly clashes. A fragile ceasefire appeared to be holding after Druze fighters reasserted control of their heartland of Sweida city and government troops were sent to the province. Suwayda 24, a network of citizen journalists, said Syrian Red Crescent convoys had entered the city. 'It's the first convoy to enter after the recent events, and it has arrived and is now inside Sweida,' Syrian Red Crescent media and communications official Omar Al Malki told AFP. The aid group had said earlier on Sunday that it dispatched convoys carrying aid to the city that witnessed bloody clashes since Sunday that killed more than 1,000 people, according to UK-base Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The convoy of 32 vehicles was carrying basics including food, medical and fuel supplies as well as body bags, Mr Al Malki said. Residents of Sweida have been holed up in their homes without electricity and water, and food supplies have been scarce. He said the convoy came 'in co-ordination with the government bodies and the local authorities in Sweida', which are controlled by the Druze. 'Sweida experiences cautious calm' The Syrian Foreign Ministry had said that its own convoy of more than 40 lorries was unable to enter Sweida. 'Outlawed armed militias loyal to Hikmat Al Hijri denied the entry of the convoy', the ministry said, referring to one of the most influential Druze religious leaders. Mr Al Hijri welcomed 'all humanitarian aid' and called for a complete end to the clashes. 'Sweida has been experiencing a cautious calm', Sohr said, adding government security troops had blocked roads leading to the province in order to prevent tribal fighters from going there. The monitor, Druze factions and witnesses have accused government troops of taking the side of Bedouin fighters and carrying out executions in the city. A ceasefire announced by Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara on Saturday ended days of sectarian clashes that killed hundreds from both sides. Sources in neighbouring Jordan told The National on Sunday that the violence had subsided considerably, except for in one pocket near a stretch of Road 109 that connects Sweida to the bordering Deraa province. Syria at 'critical juncture' The Interior Ministry said overnight that Sweida city was 'evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city's neighbourhoods were halted'. The UN migration agency said more than 128,000 people in Sweida province have been displaced by the violence. US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said on Sunday that the country stood at a 'critical juncture', adding that 'peace and dialogue must prevail and prevail now'. Mr Barrack had announced a ceasefire between Syria and Israel the day before, after Israeli strikes bombed government troops in Sweida and Damascus in the last week. Israel claims to be protecting the Druze community – which it also hosts and members enrol in the army – but analysts and diplomats have expressed scepticism over Israeli intentions to use the minority to weaken the Syrian government. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday urged the Syrian government's security troops to prevent jihadists from entering and 'carrying out massacres' in the south, and called on Damascus to 'bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks'.
Gulf Today
an hour ago
- Gulf Today
Syrian govt says fighting in Sweida halted after tribal forces pull out
Fighting in Syria's Sweida "halted" on Sunday, 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. Syrian security forces deploy in Walga town. AFP 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. Earlier Saturday, an AFP 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. Bedouin fighters stand at an Internal Security Forces checkpoint. Reuters 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". 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. Bedouin fighters stand together with their weapons. Reuters 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 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
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
Doha agreement brings Democratic Republic (DR) Congo government and M23 rebels a step closer to peace
An agreement signed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) has been hailed by the UN peacekeeping mission in the country (MONUSCO) as 'an important step toward sustainable peace. In a statement released on 19 July, MONUSCO said that the Declaration of Principles, signed in Doha under the mediation of Qatar, 'reflects the parties' resolve to prioritize peaceful means, establish a ceasefire, and set up a joint mechanism to define its practical implementation.' 'This important declaration marks a shift toward easing tensions and protecting civilians seriously affected by the conflict,' declared Mr. Bruno Lemarquis, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC and Acting Head of MONUSCO. 'We commend the commitments made and call for their timely and good faith implementation.' Those commitments include measures to facilitate the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their places or countries of origin, and the encouragement of inclusive dialogue, seen as vital to addressing the root causes of the conflict and achieving lasting peace. Earlier this year, the M23 launched an offensive in North and South Kivu provinces, capturing cities and villages, including provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu. Thousands of civilians were killed, hundreds of thousands more were displaced, and serious human rights violations were committed. The Declaration of Principles comes less than a month after a peace agreement signed by Congo and Rwanda, long accused by the Congolese government of supporting the M23. The Mission's statement highlighted the Declaration's emphasis on civilian protection and support for the ceasefire, with assistance from MONUSCO and other partners, and reaffirmed its readiness to support the cessation of hostilities, particularly through the establishment of a credible and jointly agreed verification mechanism. MONUSCO's statement concluded by urging all parties to honour their commitments, act in good faith throughout the process, and prioritise human rights, security, and the aspirations of the Congolese people in all decisions. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
