Israel says sending humanitarian aid to Druze in Syria
Israel said Friday it was sending humanitarian aid to Syria's Sweida province, following days of deadly clashes in the Druze heartland.
"In light of the recent attacks targeting the Druze community in Sweida and the severe humanitarian situation in the area, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has ordered the urgent transfer of humanitarian aid to the Druze population in the region," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The two million shekel (nearly $600,000) package includes food parcels and medical supplies, the ministry said, noting it had previously sent humanitarian aid to the Druze in Syria in March.
The Sweida area witnessed sectarian bloodshed this week, with hundreds reportedly killed in clashes pitting Druze fighters against Sunni Bedouin tribes and the army and its allies.
Israel carried out air strikes against government troops in and around Sweida area, with the stated objectives of preventing a build-up of the Syrian military near its borders and protecting the Druze community.
It also shelled government buildings in Damascus on Wednesday to pressure Syria's Islamist-led government to withdraw its troops from the Druze heartland.
Government forces pulled out of the area on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 594 people had been killed in the clashes.
Earlier on Friday, the Israeli army denied reports on the Syrian state news agency, SANA, that it had conducted additional strikes near Sweida on Thursday night.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israel bets on MAGA influencers to win over US youth
Israel's Foreign Ministry plans to fund a visit for figures aligned with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) and America First movements, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. These conservative groups represent a key part of President Donald Trump's base. In order to counter what authorities consider a decline in support for Israel among young Americans, the tour will bring together 16 U.S.-based social media personalities under the age of 30, each with several hundred thousand to several million followers. The ultimate goal is to encourage the spread of pro-Israel messages in line with government. The contract has been awarded to the NGO Israel365, which will receive 290,000 shekels (about $86,000). The organization was selected because of its "unique position to advocate a pro-Israel vision close to the MAGA and America First movements." Founded in 2012, Israel365 promotes support for its state on "spiritual, biblical, and political" grounds. Its website states that it "unequivocally defends the divine right of the Jewish people to all of the land of Israel." The two-state solution is described there as a "delusion." The NGO says its mission is to "protect Western civilization against the dual threat of left-wing extremism and global jihad." According to Haaretz, ties between Israel365 and the MAGA movement have only grown stronger since the Hamas attacks in October 2023. This project is expected to mark a major turning point in the way the Israeli state communicates with the American public, according to the daily. The objective is now to reverse the trend and leverage the huge audiences of young influencers to bolster Israel's image in the United States. "While older Republicans remain supportive of Israel, positive views of Israel are declining across all younger age groups," sources from the Foreign Affairs Ministry told Haaretz. These officials acknowledge the effectiveness and impact of influencers on young people, stating that "their networks are immensely successful and their messages are more effective than if they came directly from the ministry." A strategy that has already proven successful during the recent 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June. Pro-Israel messages were viewed 1.8 billion times online, thanks in particular to social media influencers who have millions of followers. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has set a goal of bringing 550 delegations of influencers to Israel by the end of 2025 to continue this work.
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Death toll from violence in Sweida rises to more than 1,260
The violence in Syria's Sweida province (south) has left more than 1,260 dead before a cease-fire took effect Sunday, according to an updated toll published Monday by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The NGO said it has documented new deaths that occurred before the truce began. Among the dead are 505 Druze fighters and 298 Druze civilians, including 194 who were "summarily executed by members of the Defense and Interior Ministries." The toll also includes 408 members of government security forces and 35 Sunni Bedouins, including three civilians "summarily executed by Druze fighters." Fifteen government soldiers were also killed in Israeli strikes, according to SOHR.
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Bedouins evacuated from Druze areas in Sweida as cease-fire holds
Syrian authorities on Monday evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,100 people. The violence, which followed massacres of Alawites in March and clashes involving the Druze in April and May, has shaken the Islamist rule of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to protect minorities in a country devastated by 14 years of war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the ceasefire was largely holding despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city with no reports of casualties. An AFP correspondent saw a convoy of buses and other vehicles enter the provincial capital and exit carrying civilians, including women and children. State news agency SANA said 1,500 people from Bedouin tribes were to be evacuated. The ceasefire announced Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that has left more than 1,100 dead, most of them Druze fighters and civilians, according to the Observatory, whose toll also includes several hundred government security personnel. Fatima Abdel-Qader, 52, a Bedouin who was leaving the city on foot, said that "we've been surrounded for 10 days, unable to leave or come back -- anyone who wanted to go out risked gunfire and clashes." "We were afraid that someone would come to our home and kill us all," she told AFP, adding that they had no way of even getting food or water. Damascus has accused Druze groups of attacking and killing Bedouins during the clashes. 'Unthinkable' Clashes began on July 13 between Druze and Bedouin tribes, who have had tense relations for decades. Witnesses, Druze factions and a monitor have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week, while Sunni Arab tribes also converged on the area in support of the Bedouin. The cease-fire effectively began on Sunday after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city and Druze groups regained control. The U.S. special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said Monday that what had happened in Sweida was "unthinkable". "You have a Syrian government in effect. They need to be held accountable. They also need to be given the responsibility that they're there to do," told a press conference on a visit to neighbouring Lebanon. The weekend cease-fire announcement came hours after Barrack said the United States had negotiated a truce between Syria's Islamist government and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defense of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. The AFP correspondent said security forces had erected sand mounds to block some of Sweida's entrances. Sunni tribal fighters were sitting on the roadside beyond the checkpoints. Aid convoy At the main hospital in Sweida city, dozens of bodies were still waiting to be identified, with a forensic medicine official at the facility saying that "we still have 97 unidentified corpses". According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult. More than 450 of the dead had been brought to the Sweida national hospital by Sunday evening, with more still being recovered from the streets and homes. "The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital," said nurse Hisham Breik, who had not left the facility since the violence began. "The situation has been terrible. We couldn't walk around the hospital without wearing a mask," he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with "reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns". Humanitarian access to Sweida "remains highly constrained", it said in a statement late Sunday. On Sunday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies. A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags.
