Sectarian Clashes in Syria Kill More Than 50, Health Official and Rights Group Say
The clashes in the southern province of Sweida underscore the difficulty the new government led by President Ahmed al-Shara has had in asserting control over the country since ousting the regime of Bashar al-Assad in December. The Druse militias have resisted efforts by the government to unify all armed groups under its authority.
In the clashes that began on Sunday, more than 150 people were injured, said a local health official who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.
More than two children were among the dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.
The Syrian government called for restraint and sent military forces to 'quickly and decisively' resolve the conflict, the Defense Ministry said in a statement released on social media. It added that its forces were providing safe passage for civilians trying to flee the area.
Eighteen soldiers who were sent to the region to quell the violence on Monday were killed, according to a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive matters related to military activities.
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Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Meet the refusers: The Israeli teenagers risking jail, friendships and family to refuse conscription to the IDF
Six months in an Israeli military prison and branded a traitor by friends; it has been a tough year for Itamar Greenberg. The 19-year-old Israeli Jew made the rare decision to refuse conscription to the IDF last August as it waged its devastating war in Gaza. Instead, Itamar accepted half a year behind bars alongside military criminals. 'I have lost friends, sadly,' he tells The Independent. 'I have a lot of friends who are soldiers, some of them decided to cut our connection. They actually think I'm a traitor. I understand what they feel, but obviously I don't agree.' Since his release four months ago, Itamar has continued supporting fellow young refusers willing to risk ostracisation from Israeli society by defying the mandatory order for all Jewish, Druze or Circassian citizens of Israel to serve years with the IDF. Men must serve at least 32 months in the army, while women must serve at least 24 months. Israeli Arabs, religious women, married individuals, and those deemed medically or mentally unfit are exempt from compulsory military service, the IDF says on its website. Last Tuesday, a group of young refusers burnt their army draft letters during a rally in Tel Aviv. Another protest also took place in Jerusalem on Tuesday this week, when ultra-orthodox Jews blocked a highway to protest military conscription – although their objection is centred around protecting their strong religious identity, as opposed to conscientious objections to the IDF's actions in Gaza. The refuser movement, activists say, is growing. But Itamar says they remain on the fringes, despised by some, disliked by many. The fear of being jailed, and of being shunned to the periphery of Israeli society after their release, drives many young adults who disagree with the IDF's actions to join the army nonetheless. 'I have friends that are afraid of going to prison and some of them are in the army,' Itamar explains. 'Some don't want to be in the army. They think it's immoral. They are joining it because they are afraid of Israeli society and the consequences on their social life.' Itamar recalls one of his good friends who came close to refusing service. When his family told him he would be kicked out of the house if he did not serve, the friend gave in – and is now with the IDF. Family life is complicated for Itamar, too. The son of an army officer, he avoids engaging in debates around politics and activism while at home, choosing instead to remain silent while his father discusses his work. 'He's proud of it, all of the family are proud of it,' Itamar says, explaining that bringing his activist views inside the family home would only damage their relationship to no avail. Last week's rally, which saw dozens take to the streets in support of a handful of young Israelis who set their draft on fire, came at a time of increasing international pressure on Israel. Starvation has torn through the devastated enclave, killing dozens of children, Palestinian health officials say. In recent weeks, catastrophic levels of hunger have seen the first hunger-related deaths spiral – something experts and UN officials say is a result of Israel's blockade on aid entering Gaza has pushed the strip to the brink of famine. Israel says the hunger crisis is because of a 'man-made shortage' of food, which is 'engineered by Hamas', Palestinian health officials say the IDF has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians since its bombardment began on 7 October 2023, soon after Hamas-led attacks killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. For the few on the Israeli left who have refused service on ideological grounds, the ongoing destruction in Gaza has added an unique complexity to their daily lives. 'It's very complicated to live in a society, to walk in the street and you know that most people around you are war criminals, or taking part in genocide,' Itamar says. Most Israelis who want the war to end, he adds, don't care about the lives of Palestinians, but rather they 'want the soldiers back home; they're afraid for their lives'. Yona Roseman, 19, was among those to burn her draft letter last week. She expects to be jailed when her conscription date passes in 24 days. 'It's scary,' she says of a looming stint in prison. Yona's parents, while they have come to understand her choice, were initially not very supportive of her decision. 'But I don't have any second thoughts about it. It's very much what needs to be done.' Like Itamar, Yona says the decision has made her an 'outcast' in Israel. 'It's a decision which takes you out of mainstream society. I have friends from my class who cut ties with me over my decision. My social circle these days is made up of people who are with me in this sort of activism, so I have a community, but it's disconnected from the rest of society.' Yona and Itamar are tentative in their hopes for any significant change in public mood in Israel. They both note that interest in the refuser movement is growing, but Yona believes that almost everyone who could have refused would have done so by now. 'I don't know what could change for them to stop showing up and fighting,' she says. Instead, the young activists hope that those who are already serving in the army will turn their backs on it. Itamar speaks of a friend who serves in the IDF and is 'not a leftist'. He says the friend recently messaged into a group chat: 'I don't know how to say it, but it's started to look like we're doing genocide.' Yona also has friends in the IDF who tell her that they lack the bravery to be a refuser. 'I feel for them, but really, they should just get out of that. It's not an easy process, but it's not a complicated decision.' But despite being part of an ostracised group in Israeli society, losing several friends and spending a six-month stint in prison, Itamar wishes he could do more. He says: 'I just feel that I don't do enough, even though almost all my life has been for stopping [occupation]. I just don't know how.'
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Hamas pushes back on Trump and Witkoff's criticisms, demands US pressure Israel
Hamas rejected criticism from top U.S. officials after ceasefire talks with Israel broke down earlier in the week. "We are appalled by the statements of U.S. President Trump and earlier by U.S. special envoy Witkoff, which contradict the mediators' assessment of Hamas' position and are inconsistent with the actual progress of negotiations that had been acknowledged by mediators, particularly Qatar and Egypt, as they expressed satisfaction and appreciation for our serious and constructive stance," Izzat Al-Rishq, member of Hamas Movement's Political Bureau, said in a statement. Al-Rishq went on to claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government was "the real obstructionist to all agreements," accusing Israeli officials of continuing to "put up obstacles, deceive, and evade commitments." He then demanded that the U.S. put more pressure on Israel "to seriously engage in ending the aggression and achieving a prisoner exchange deal," presumably referring to the remaining hostages in Gaza and Palestinians in Israeli prisons. The Trump administration has spent months trying to end the war between Israel and Hamas, with no resolution in sight. Hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza dimmed further after the U.S. pulled its delegation out of Qatar. U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said in a statement that this was because Hamas' response to negotiations showed "a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza." "While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza," Witkoff said in a statement Thursday. Witkoff added that it was a "shame" Hamas has acted in such a "selfish way" and that the U.S. stands resolute in its efforts to bring permanent peace to the region. On the same day the U.S. announced its negotiators would leave Qatar, Netanyahu's office said the Israeli team would also withdraw, citing Hamas' response. President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment in Hamas' handling of the negotiations while speaking with press outside the White House on Friday. He speculated that Hamas did not want to make a deal because "they know what happens after you get the final hostages" out of Gaza. "Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it's very, very bad," Trump said. "It got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job." Qatar and Egypt, which have acted as mediators in the talks, issued a joint statement on Friday in which the countries confirmed they would continue to work on securing a ceasefire. "The two countries, in partnership with the United States of America, reaffirm their commitment to continuing efforts toward reaching a comprehensive agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip," Qatar and Egypt's joint statement read. While the breakdown of negotiations is a clear setback, talks are expected to resume next week, according to Reuters, which cited Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Prediction: President Trump Wants to Fast-Track U.S. Drone Production, but Kratos and AeroVironment Stocks Are the Wrong Way to Play This New Defense Policy
Key Points Drones have become crucial weapons systems in foreign conflicts. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to fast-track the production and acquisition of cheap FPV drones for the U.S. Army. The best-known defense contractors in the drone space build drones that cost too much, so they are unlikely to win these new contracts. 10 stocks we like better than AeroVironment › 2025 is shaping up to be "the year of the drone." According to data from online newspaper The Kyiv Independent, Russia launched more than 1,300 drone strikes (and 250 missiles) at Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv in 2024. That may sound like a lot, but over the course of the evening of July 9, 2025, Russia launched more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine in a single night. Ukraine famously responded to its ongoing bombardment with a drone mission of its own in June -- "Operation Spiderweb," in which a few hundred drones, smuggled into Russia and controlled by remote pilots transmitting over that country's own cellphone networks, wreaked havoc on Russia's strategic bomber fleet, damaging or destroying more than three dozen aircraft in a matter of minutes. Drones have also played a part in the recent Israel-Iran conflict. Israel's surprise attack on Iran on June 13, for example, involved drones launched from within Iran to take out its air defense systems preparatory to a wider bombing campaign. Iran's response reportedly involved the launching of more than 1,000 drones in an attack on Israel. Numbers like these cannot fail to have captured the attention of Washington, D.C. In fact, they have captured Washington's attention. Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promised to "support our industrial base, reform acquisition, and field new technology" needed to equip the U.S. military "with the lethal small drones the modern battlefield requires." But what does this mean to investors? A hard deadline for drone production -- and a hard target Hegseth has proposed that every squad in the U.S. Army be equipped with "small, one-way attack drones" -- sometimes known as kamikaze drones or first-person view (FPV) drones -- by the end of the government's fiscal 2026. (That's Sept. 30, 2026.) That gives us a firm calendar deadline: We can expect this directive to play out over the next 12 to 14 months. As reported by Hegseth's primary focus is on small Group 1 and Group 2 drones, which weigh about 55 pounds or less. The Pentagon will be inviting bids from companies that can produce such drones for under $2,000, aiming to purchase 10,000 small drones over the next year. As Pentagon programs go, this is pretty small potatoes, implying initial purchases of perhaps $20 million worth of hardware -- but this could be only the beginning. As one Army colonel interviewed by explained, the Army will be using these first drones to help it answer questions like how many drones it actually needs to accomplish its mission. And the answer may turn out to be "a whole lot more than 10,000." In that case, the size of this drone purchase program could grow dramatically. Round up the usual suspects Knowing this, drone technology companies like AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) and Kratos Defense and Technology (NASDAQ: KTOS) are certain to want to get in on the action. The big question, though, is whether they would be able to deliver the quantities of drones the Army will need at prices the Army is willing to pay. AeroVironment stock, for example, has surged nearly 50% since the start of June, when drones began dominating headlines. Problem is, the company's highest-profile FPV drone model -- the Switchblade -- is reported to cost anywhere from $50,000 to $170,000 each. Likewise with Kratos. The stock's up more than 55% over the past several weeks. But Kratos is developing entirely different types of drones from those the Pentagon now wants. The company's XQ-58A Valkyrie drone, designed to accompany Air Force fighter jets as a "loyal wingman," is reportedly priced in excess of $4 million. Other defense companies may have offerings that hit closer to the mark. For example, Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR), a defense stock up-and-comer and a specialist in the kind of artificial intelligence that can be useful for guiding drones to their targets, has reportedly teamed up with lower-cost drone producer Red Cat. But Red Cat's Edge 130 drone still has a price tag of $43,000 -- cheaper than AeroVironment's and Kratos's offerings, but still much more expensive than the drones Hegseth is looking for. Privately held defense contractor Anduril is likewise working to make affordable FPV drones, offering a Bolt-M variant that costs "in the low tens of thousands of dollars," according to the company. Again, that's closer to the mark, but still probably too costly for a drone whose day job is to be an expendable munition. What it means for investors Long story short, the competition to become the U.S. Army's provider of choice for cheap, reliable, FPV drones still looks wide open to me -- and there's no way to guess what company will win it. All I can say for sure at this point is that with drones that cost many times more than what Secretary Hegseth wants to pay for the uses he's envisioning, AeroVironment and Kratos aren't leading this race. They're losing it. Should you buy stock in AeroVironment right now? Before you buy stock in AeroVironment, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and AeroVironment wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $636,774!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,942!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,040% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AeroVironment and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Prediction: President Trump Wants to Fast-Track U.S. Drone Production, but Kratos and AeroVironment Stocks Are the Wrong Way to Play This New Defense Policy was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
