Syria, Druze leaders agree to new truce as US calls clashes 'misunderstanding'
However, reports claimed that Israeli airstrikes continued even after the second ceasefire was declared.ISRAEL-SYRIA CONFLICT | WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
Israel's attacks destroyed part of Syria's Defence Ministry building, sending smoke billowing across Damascus as warplanes struck mid-afternoon. Israel said it was compelled to act to shield the Druze community in southern Syria, labelling the Islamist-led administration of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa as "barely disguised jihadists". Calls from Israel's own Druze minority further pushed the government to intervene.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on social media that Washington had secured commitments from all involved to end the fighting 'tonight', calling it a historic rivalry that had led to an "unfortunate misunderstanding".
Earlier, while speaking to reporters at the White House, Rubio said, "These are historic, longtime rivalries and it led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding. We are on our way towards a real de-escalation. In the next few hours, we hope to see some real progress to end what you have been seeing. It led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, it looks like, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side".
Fighting flared around Sweida this week between Druze fighters and Syrian government forces, despite claims of a ceasefire by a Druze leader and Syria's Interior Ministry. Israeli Druze even crossed the border fence to join Druze fighters on the Syrian side, according to news agency Reuters. Over 350 people have lost their lives this week in deadly clashes in and around Sweida, a city largely populated by the Druze community. The violence has seen Druze fighters battling government security units and armed members of Bedouin tribes.
The United Nations Security Council will convene later today to discuss the crisis between the two neighbouring nations. Israel's UN envoy demanded condemnation of attacks on civilians in the Islamist nation, while interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed once again to safeguard minority communities.
Videos circulating on social media show government-backed fighters forcibly shaving the mustaches of Druze sheikhs while stomping on Druze flags and portraits of religious leaders. In other clips, Druze fighters are seen assaulting captured government troops and posing beside their bodies. News agency Associated Press reporters on the ground witnessed homes that had been burned and looted.
- EndsMust Watch
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
33 minutes ago
- News18
Protests in eastern Yemen province intesify over prolonged power outages
Last Updated: Sanaa, Jul 30 (AP) Protests in eastern Yemen intensified for a third consecutive day as residents demonstrated Tuesday against long power outages during scorching heat. Hundreds of protesters in Mukalla, the capital city of Hadramout province, set up tents in the streets, blocked roads and chanted against the internationally recognised government based in Aden as they demanded the return of electricity, eyewitness Salem bin Mubarak told The Associated Press. The protests erupted Sunday in response to electricity blackouts that now last over 19 hours a day. The repeated outages this summer are due to fuel shortages, according to electricity officials with Aden's electricity institution, whose names were withheld because they were not authorised to speak publicly. At the peak of the demonstrations, protesters set up fire to tires and blocked the coastal city's port, security official Ahmed al-Dahdouh said. Protesters also besieged the building of the Public Corporation of Electricity in Hadramout Coast Tuesday afternoon. The fuel shortages have been caused by a lack of diesel and petroleum imports, corruption and budget deficits. The blackouts interrupt water supplies and increase fuel prices, according to a report issued Tuesday by SARI Global, a centre providing geopolitical and security analysis for NGOs and companies. 'Though economic decline and service interruptions are familiar realities in southern Yemen, the sheer scale of Mukalla's electricity crisis and the rapid spread of unrest mark a dangerous tipping point," the report said, warning of further instability. SARI Global said fuel shortages also are attributed to disrupted fuel transport routes to Muakalla and closed power plants, while fuel supplier PetroMasila has delivered fuel quantities on a weekly basis instead of daily. Hadramout's population has long suffered from the lack of daily life necessities, including electricity, water, proper education and health care, as well as local currency deterioration, Hadramout Tribes Confederacy, an association representing the province's tribes, said in a statement Monday. 'These are the main reasons for what is currently happening in the capital, Mukalla, and some of the districts, which is the result of accumulations that Hadhramaut is still suffering from," the statement said, citing internal corruption as part of the problem. Some regions in Yemen have experienced water insecurity in addition to power outages, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The organisation said in a statement Tuesday that low seasonal rainfall has worsened an already dire situation for Yemenis trying to access clean water in rural areas and cities, with rainfall expected to decline by 40 per cent. Yemeni journalist Abduljabar Bajabeer, the general director of TV3ad channel, was arrested Monday during the protests on unspecified charges and jailed in Mukalla, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which called for his immediate release. 'Bajabeer's arrest is yet another example of the systematic campaign to silence journalists in Hadramout and the areas controlled by Yemen's Internationally Recognized Government (IRG)," CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in a statement. Yemen's ruinous civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates intervened the following year in an attempt to restore the government. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council controls much of the south, which has been fractured by the civil war. The council advocates for the south's secession and has its own militia forces allied to the internationally recognised government fighting the Houthis. (AP) GRS GRS view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 18:15 IST News agency-feeds Protests in eastern Yemen province intesify over prolonged power outages Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
35 minutes ago
- News18
Trump Slams 'Cold Hearted' Israel for 'Starving' Gaza Kids, Bibi Warns Of 'Jihadist Threat" To UK
The US president, for the second day in a row, has remarked on the images of starving people and kids in Gaza. Donald Trump said that everyone who saw the images of starving kids in Gaza would declare it terrible 'unless they're pretty cold-hearted or, worse than that, nuts.'Earlier on July 28, Trump acknowledged that "real starvation" is happening in Gaza and vowed to set up food centers in the besieged enclave. Meanwhile, Britian has rejected criticism that it is rewarding Hamas by laying out plans to recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to improve the situation in came after Israeli PM Netanyahu hit out at the UK for its Palestinian state plan, saying it 'rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims.' 'A jihadist state on Israel's border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW,' Netanyahu posted on X, adding that 'Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails.' n18oc_world n18oc_crux0:00 INTRODUCTION3:02 GAZA ANNEXATION 'NOT REALLY ON THE TABLE'3:52 'MOVE TO RECOGNISE PALESTINE NOT REWARD FOR HAMAS'5:42 EX-US CONTRACTOR SPREAD 'FALSE NARRATIVE' ABOUT GHF?
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Hum unko biryani khilane chale': JP Nadda slams former UPA regime for ‘no action' over terrorism
BJP national president and Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha JP Nadda launched a scathing attack on the Opposition in the Parliament, saying that the nation lived in "darkness" during the previous Congress-led UPA regime in India. From 2005 Delhi serial bomb blasts to 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts, JP Nadda listed the terror attacks that took place under the former UPA government. (Screengrab/Sansad TV) He said while Pakistan pounded the nation with bullets, the Indian government back then was feeding them 'Biryani'. Follow Parliament Monsoon Session Live Updates Participating in the special debate on Operation Sindoor, JP Nadda listed the bombings and terror attacks that occurred under the UPA government and said that the administration took "no action". "Delhi serial bomb blasts, 29th October 2005, occurred in Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj, and Govindpuri. The attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba. How many people were killed? 67. How many were injured? 200. These blasts happened just before Diwali. Try to imagine the atmosphere at that time, and understand the insensitivity of the government then. No action was taken," he said in Rajya Sabha. Nadda recounted the 2006 bomb blast at Varanasi's Sankat Mochan Temple and the railway station on March 7, saying that the attack by Harkat-ul-Jihad killed 28 people and injured 100 others. "Again, no action was taken," he added. "The Mumbai train bomb blasts followed on 11th July 2006. Indian Mujahideen, in coordination with Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out the attack. How many people were killed? 209. And 700 were injured," Nadda said. He said that the then government went on to form a joint anti-terrorism mechanism after these attacks, meant to develop a state policy against terror. "But what happened? The first meeting took place two months later, and the second, seven months after that. No meaningful action was taken. Even as terror attacks continued, trade with Pakistan went on. Tourism continued. Telecommunications were not disrupted. Agricultural exchanges carried on. Talks with Pakistan were still being held," the Union minister said in Rajya Sabha. Nadda also recalled the serial bomb blast that was carried out by Harkat-ul-Jihad in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur in 2007, and which killed 11 people. He said that the same year, serial blasts also took place in Lucknow, Ayodhya, and Varanasi, again. 'Hum unko biryani khilane chale…' Despite these acts of terror, Nadda said, the then government permitted goods carriers to cross both sides of the Wagah and Attari borders. "Yeh, main isliye aapko ye yaad dilana chahara hu, kyunki aapko poornmasi tab samajh mein aayegi, jab aap amavasya ke dino ko jaanenge. (I'm reminding you of these events because you can only appreciate the full moon when you've understood the darkness of the new moon)," he said in Rajya Sabha. Nadda also raked up the bomb blasts that the Indian Mujahideen carried out in Jaipur in 2008, saying that after that, India and Pakistan agreed on specific building measures. "Woh hume goliyoon se bhunte rahe aur hum unko biryani khilane gave permission for a triple-entry permit to cross LoC," he added. Nadda noted that at the 2009 Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit as well, no mention of the bomb blasts was made. He also cited a former defence minister, from the UPA regime, and quoted him, "India has a policy that the best defence is to not develop the borders. Undeveloped border is safer than developed border." 'Average life of terrorists just 7 days now' Following this, Nadda highlighted how under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, terror attacks was stopped in the country except in Jammu and Kashmir. Citing the 2016 Uri surgical strikes, Nadda said that it was the first time after 1947 that the nation's Prime Minister went on record to say that perpetrators of the attack would not be spared. "And within 3 days, surgical strikes were conducted and terror launching pads were is the changing the political will in comparison to those who said that we will see what to do," he added. Nadda noted that in the last three years, the Kashmir Valley has not been closed even for a day. He said that local terrorism has ended in the valley, and only foreign terrorists remain. "The average life of a terrorist is only 7 days now. This is a result of zero tolerance towards terrorism."
