'Worse than murder': Ireland's dark history of criminalisation and diabolisation of unwed mothers
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Netanyahu may not care if the coalition falters, former Israeli ambassador says
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Netanyahu under mounting political pressure after party quits
Middle East
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Syrian forces accused of 'executions' in Druze area as Israel launches strikes
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US-NATO deal: How will US arms reach Ukraine?
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France's PM wants to scrap two public holidays to help fix public finances
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'The moment of truth': French PM Bayrou lays out budget cuts
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What's at stake in Syria's Sweida clashes?
15/07/2025
Gaza truce still out of reach after Doha talks as deadly strikes continue
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French prisoner who escaped in inmate's bag recaptured
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Euronews
2 hours ago
- Euronews
US said it agreed on 'specific steps' to bring end to Syria clashes
The different parties involved in the fighting in Syria agreed on "specific steps" to bring an end to the clashes, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday. "We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria. We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight," he wrote on X, calling on all parties to "deliver on the commitments they have made." Rubio's statement followed shortly after Israel struck the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters, located next to a busy square in the heart of Damascus. Syria's Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa denounced Israel's actions, claiming it sought to sow division in the country since the fall of the former regime, and said protecting Druze citizens was its top priority. "We reject any attempt, foreign or domestic, to sow division within our ranks. We are all partners in this land, and we will not allow any group to distort the beautiful image that Syria and its diversity represent," al-Sharaa said early Thursday in an address aired on state television. Israel said the airstrike was a response to recent escalation of violence against the Druze minotiry, and said it sought to protect the community. In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said "a recurring phenomenon of persecution of minorities to the point of murder and pogroms in Syria" was unfolding, involving both regime forces and militias that formed the country's transitional government after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The Israeli foreign minister said there was a noticeable pattern of violence against several minority groups over the last six months, including "mass murders against the Alawites in northwestern Syria, on a very large scale" and "constant acts of hostility" toward Kurds in the country's north. The unrest in Syria's Sweida province began with tit-for-tat kidnapping between Sunni Bedouins tribes and the Druze community. The violence, which erupted over the weekend, continued on Monday as government forces intervened to restore order and clashed with Druze fighters, also attacking some civilians. No official casuality figures have been released since the Interior Ministry said on Monday that 30 people had been killed since the start of the fighting. However, UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a higher number, claiming more than 300 people have been killed as of Wednesday morning.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
‘We are keen on accountability': Syria's al-Sharaa vows justice after deadly Druze clashes
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed Thursday that those behind violence against the Druze minority would be held accountable after deadly clashes in their southern heartland, saying security responsibility would be returned to local authorities. "We are keen on holding accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people, as they are under the protection and responsibility of the state," Sharaa said in a televised address. The Syrian government announced on Wednesday a new ceasefire in Sweida and a halt to military operations there after days of violence that killed more than 350 people, according to a war monitor. It also said the army had begun withdrawing from the Druze-majority city. Security forces had been deployed there a day earlier with the stated aim of overseeing a previous truce, following days of deadly clashes between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes. But witnesses said the government forces had joined the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians. Sharaa said that "responsibility" for security in Sweida would be handed to religious elders and some local factions "based on the supreme national interest". Before the government intervention, Druze areas were mainly controlled by fighters from the minority. Addressing the Druze, Sharaa said the community was "a fundamental part of the fabric of this nation... protecting your rights and freedom is one of our priorities". Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, have had strained relations with Syria's religious and ethnic minorities, and have been accused of not doing enough to protect them. 'Mediation' March saw massacres of more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians in their coastal heartland, with government affiliated groups blamed for most of the killings. Government forces also battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead. Sharaa said "outlaw groups", whose leaders "rejected dialogue for many months" had committed "crimes against civilians" in recent days. He said the deployment of defence and interior ministry forces had "succeeded in returning stability" despite the intervention of Israel, which has bombed the country's south and the capital Damascus. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the Syrian minority, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible. 13:57 "The Israeli entity resorted to a wide-scale targeting of civilian and government facilities," that would have pushed "matters to a large-scale escalation, except for the effective intervention of American, Arab, and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate", Sharaa said. He did not specify which Arab countries had mediated. Turkey is a key backer of Syria's new authorities, while Arab states including Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also shown key support for the new government.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Syria says local factions to secure violence-hit Sweida
Syrian forces had deployed to Sweida with the stated aim of overseeing a truce, following days of deadly clashes between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes that a war monitor said left more than 350 people dead. But witnesses said government forces had joined the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians. Israel responded by carrying out strikes on Syrian forces, including its army headquarters in Damascus, and said it would intensify its attacks if they did not withdraw from the south. Syria said Wednesday its army was withdrawing from Sweida and the United States -- a close ally of Israel that has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria -- said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, urging "all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made". Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a televised address Thursday that "responsibility" for security in Sweida would be handed to religious elders and some local factions "based on the supreme national interest". "We are keen on holding accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people, as they are under the protection and responsibility of the state," he said. 'Unknown fate' Before the government intervention, Druze areas were mainly controlled by fighters from the minority. Addressing the Druze, Sharaa said the community was "a fundamental part of the fabric of this nation... protecting your rights and freedom is one of our priorities". Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, have had strained relations with Syria's religious and ethnic minorities, and have been accused of not doing enough to protect them. March saw massacres of more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians in their coastal heartland, with government affiliated groups blamed for most of the killings. Government forces also battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead. Sharaa said "outlaw groups", whose leaders "rejected dialogue for many months" had committed "crimes against civilians" in recent days. He said the deployment of defence and interior ministry forces had "succeeded in returning stability" despite the intervention of Israel, which has bombed the country's south and the capital Damascus. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the Syrian minority, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed concern on Wednesday about the Israeli bombings, adding "we want it to stop". Rubio later announced on X that all sides had "agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end". "This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do," he wrote, without elaborating on the nature of the agreement. Sharaa hailed US, Arab and Turkish mediation efforts for preventing the conflict from spiralling. "The Israeli entity resorted to a wide-scale targeting of civilian and government facilities", he said, adding it would have sparked "large-scale escalation, except for the effective intervention of American, Arab, and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate". He did not specify which Arab countries had mediated.
