Syrian government deploys forces to restive south after week of violence
Clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes have continued in Suwayda since last week, threatening the stability of the government in Damascus as it tries to exert control over Syria's complex and volatile sectarian landscape.
The violence prompted Israel to carry out strikes against Syrian government forces, which it said were to protect the Druze, who are a significant minority in both countries. Israel has also expressed alarm about the new Islamist-led government in Syria despite contacts between the two on ensuring security.
Both Bedouin and Druze groups issued statements indicating they were prepared to accept the ceasefire, but one Druze faction then demanded that Bedouin leave Suwayda
Geolocated video showed continuing clashes in western parts of Suwayda city. Security forces were present in rural areas to the west, but not in the city itself, the scene of the heaviest clashes.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Dean Baba said that 'Following the bloody events caused by outlaw groups… Internal Security Forces have begun deploying in Suwayda province as part of a national mission with the primary goal of protecting civilians and restoring order.'
A short while later, Syria's presidency declared what it called an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in the province, calling on everyone to allow the state 'to implement this ceasefire responsibly, ensuring stability and halting the bloodshed.'
In a televised statement Saturday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that events in Suwayda had 'marked a dangerous turning point in Syria's security and political landscape.'
Al-Sharaa also referred to the Israeli airstrikes in Suwayda and Damascus last week, which he said had 'reignited tensions, pushing the country into a critical phase that now threatens its stability.'
Referring to Israeli support for some Druze groups in Suwayda, al-Sharaa said that 'some figures, emboldened by foreign support, have shown separatist ambitions and led armed groups that committed acts of killing and abuse.'
He again pledged to protect the Druze, who have been wary of his government, and called for national unity.
'Syria is not a playground for separatism or sectarian incitement. Now more than ever, it is essential to return to the path of reason and come together on a unified national foundation,' al Sharaa said.
After US mediation aimed at ending the violence and halting Israeli airstrikes, al-Sharaa thanked the Trump administration for its 'commitment to the country's stability.'
Al-Sharaa's statement followed the announcement late Friday by the US envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, that Syria and Israel had agreed to a new ceasefire in Suwayda.
Geolocated video from the city of Suwayda early Saturday showed columns of dark smoke rising and the sound of sporadic gunfire. But Druze and Bedouin groups indicated they would accept the ceasefire once government forces were deployed.
Bedouin groups represented by the Southern Tribes Gathering said they were declaring 'an immediate and comprehensive cessation of all military actions,' and called for 'channels for dialogue and coordination to ensure that what happened does not recur.'
One Druze group heavily involved in the clashes said Saturday that it was ready to accept a ceasefire. The Spiritual Leadership faction, led by Hikmat al-Hijri, said it was renewing a call to 'return to our shared humanity.'
But al-Hijri, who had rejected a previous ceasefire, later demanded that Syrian security forces should only be deployed at the border of the province, and called for Bedouin to leave the province altogether.
The Israeli government has insisted that Suwayda should be a demilitarized zone out of bounds to government forces.
But amid the ongoing violence Israel said Friday that it would allow a limited presence of internal security forces to restore order in Suwayda.
On Friday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said it had documented the deaths of at least 321 people in Suwayda since last Sunday, when clashes began. It said there had been 'extrajudicial killings, mutual shelling, as well as airstrikes carried out by Israeli occupation forces.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
6 minutes ago
- CNN
5 things to know for July 23: Lawmaker security, Gaza, Texas floods, Columbia University, Japan trade deal
In February, President Donald Trump made an aggressive push to reshape the Kennedy Center by firing its leader, naming a longtime confidant as interim executive director, dismissing board members appointed by Democrats and then appointing his own trustees who promptly elected him as chair. Now, House Republicans are trying to name the performing arts center's opera house after first lady Melania Trump. Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day. The House of Representatives is increasing funding and resources for lawmakers to provide them with additional security options. The 'pilot program,' which is meant to assist lawmakers returning to their districts for the five-week recess, was created following the deadly attack on Minnesota state lawmakers in June. According to a release from the Committee on House Administration, House members will receive $20,000 to increase the security of their homes. An additional $5,000 per month will be disbursed to each lawmaker to pay for personal security through the end of the year. In 2024, the US Capitol Police investigated more than 9,000 threats against lawmakers, marking an 83% increase from the previous year. During that same period, Trump was targeted in two apparent assassination attempts. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has only worsened since Israel launched its blockade of aid last March, leaving millions of Palestinians facing starvation. Now, a coalition of international organizations says the blockade is also endangering the lives of doctors and aid workers. In a joint statement, more than 100 humanitarian groups called on Israel to restore the full flow of food, clean water and medical supplies to Gaza and agree to a ceasefire. The coalition warned that supplies were 'totally depleted' and that their organizations were 'witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes.' International news agency, Agence France-Presse (AFP), also announced plans to try and evacuate its remaining freelance staff from Gaza because they are starving and too weak to work. 'Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die,' AFP's main journalist union said in a statement. Texas lawmakers will hold a special hearing today to investigate the state's response to the deadly flash floods that hit over the July 4th weekend. At least 135 people were killed in central Texas, including more than 100 in Kerr County, where children's camps and RV parks sat on the banks of the Guadalupe River. The joint select committee's inquiry will include testimony from officials in charge of managing the rivers in the area as well as the head of the Division of Emergency Management and members of the state police. The lawmakers are expected to seek details about flood planning, disaster preparedness and response and communications. 'We need to find out what happened. We need to know for us to go forward and make sure that we prevent the loss of life on the scale,' said José Menéndez, a Democratic state senator who will be on the joint select committee. Columbia University has sanctioned more than 70 students for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. According to a source familiar with the disciplinary action, around 80% of those students received suspensions, expulsions or degree revocation. The punishments were announced as the school works behind the scenes to get the Trump administration to restore its federal funding. Earlier this month, CNN reported that Columbia was on the verge of striking a deal that would require it to pay a multimillion-dollar settlement, implement changes to its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, boost transparency in hiring and admissions efforts, and take other steps to improve security for Jewish students. In return, the university would regain access to over $400 million in federal funding the Trump administration stripped away earlier this year. After months of negotiation, President Trump announced a trade agreement with Japan on Tuesday night. The deal will see US importers pay 15% 'reciprocal' tariffs on Japanese goods exported to the states. The 15% rate will also extend to Japanese autos and car parts, putting the country at an advantage over other major vehicle exporters, which have faced a 25% levy on automotive sector exports since April. Additionally, Japan will invest $550 billion in the US, Trump said. 'This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,' he posted on his social media site. In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hailed the deal as 'the lowest figure to date for a country that has a trade surplus with the United States.' GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. The decade-old policy helped customers save some extra cash. Not anymore. The beverage company hopes its new soda will appeal to consumers who buy sparkling waters and hydration drinks. The onstage fight that ended last year's tour has taken a new turn. The stars reveal why fans have had to wait for more than 20 years for another movie. The Black Sabbath frontman, who died on Tuesday at 76, was remembered as a 'pioneer' and 'dear friend.' 74That's how many counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon Fernando Ramirez is facing in connection with a car crash outside a Hollywood nightclub over the weekend that injured at least 37 people. 'These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' — Patrick Rodenbush, spokesman for former President Barack Obama, after President Trump made allegations of treason and sedition during an Oval Office meeting. 🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect. In case you've always wanted to take a closer look at our host star without going blind. Today's edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN's Andrew Torgan.
The Hill
35 minutes ago
- The Hill
Syria fighting intensifies sanctions debate: Repeal or go slow?
An outbreak of brutal, sectarian violence in Syria has intensified debate in Congress over whether to follow President Trump's directive to lift all sanctions on the country. While Trump has put his support behind Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who with his allies was responsible for overthrowing Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in December, some Republicans and Democrats are skeptical that al-Sharaa has completely shed his terrorist past. The violence in Sweida, located in southern Syria — which included the reported killing of an American citizen — cast a harsh light on the enormous challenges facing the new Syrian leaders in exercising control over warring militias and minority groups. Still, there's also bipartisan support for advancing Trump's directive, in particular repealing the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 — landmark legislation that imposed a harsh sanctions regime meant to isolate Assad and quicken his downfall. 'There are a number of different ideas on where and how far to go, and that's a debate that we're having right now,' Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told The Hill on Tuesday. Mast held back from taking a position on repealing or taking a more calibrated approach to sanctions relief. That divide was on display Tuesday at a meeting of the House Financial Services Committee. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) introduced legislation advanced by the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday to amend the sanctions legislation to allow the administration to waive sanctions beyond the six-month period currently allowed, and to give the president more flexibility to lift sanctions when certain conditions are met. Lawler's bill was backed by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who offered an amendment calling for the government to demonstrate its commitment to protecting minorities. 'We cannot expect perfection, we are not looking for Jeffersonian democracy in Syria, but we are also looking for a government to do all it can to prevent seven Druze, including one U.S. citizen, from being executed,' he said, referring to the violence last week. Sherman told The Hill he was not in favor of repealing the act completely. Israel intervened in Syria last week, launching strikes on the capital Damascus and the southern Druze-majority city of Sweida last week, in what it said was in defense of the Druze community. The move frustrated and reportedly surprised the Trump administration. The U.S. last week helped put in place a ceasefire between the Druze, Bedouin, Israel and Syrian government forces after days of fighting resulted in the death of approximately 300 people. Nearly 100,000 people are displaced because of the fighting. On Tuesday, the State Department confirmed that Hosam Saraya, a Syrian American citizen of Druze descent, was murdered alongside dozens of other men held captive by local forces in Tishreen Square, located in the center of Sweida. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that despite the recent violence, she is still supportive of legislation she introduced in June to repeal the sanctions legislation. 'Part of what we've got to do is show Syrians that there is an opportunity for a better life,' she said, adding she wants Israel to stop bombing the country. 'That would go a long way towards providing peaceful conditions under which people can negotiate,' she said. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Finance committees, has introduced legislation in the House for a full repeal. 'To give Syria a chance, the best way to do that is we repeal,' he told The Hill. Wilson was backed by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Financial Services panel, who introduced an amendment to Lawler's legislation directing the legislation's full repeal. 'We in the African American community know, when we are trying to do business, we get just enough resources to fail, and that's what you're doing here,' Waters remarked to Lawler. 'There will be great expectations of the government — they cannot fulfill with your little bitty partial removal of sanctions,' she continued. 'It's got to be full, it's got to be meaningful, it's got to be done in a way that ensures.' Trump's special envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, has also called for a full repeal. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the state of the debate. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he is comfortable keeping the six-month waiver in place and is cautious in dealing with the al-Sharaa government. 'Whether it's a complete repeal or whether or not we move into it slowly, that's up to the president,' Risch said. 'I want to give Syria the opportunity, this is a real opportunity for us, I want to make that happen. Having said that, I also want to be cautious as we move forward,' he added. 'I think they've got enough in place with the waivers to do what they need to do,' Risch continued, responding to arguments that investors and businesses are discouraged from working in Syria over uncertainty about whether the country will remain free from financial penalty. Trump issued an executive order last month directing the State Department to review the specially designated terrorist label on al-Sharaa and the group he led to oust Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). While the Biden administration lifted a $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa, it's not clear if his terrorist designation has been fully lifted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio removed HTS's terrorist designation earlier this month. Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is another advocate for limited sanctions relief and backed Lawler's bill on Tuesday. That position has put him at odds with a community he has worked closely with for years, in particular on the original passage of the Caesar Act. The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) is an Arkansas-based humanitarian organization that was responsible for bringing before Congress the whistleblower, code-named Caesar, testifying to Assad's torture and murder of Syrian citizens, and that served as a basis for the Caesar Act. On Tuesday, the SETF put out a statement rejecting Lawler's legislation. 'President Trump's administration has a clear policy on Syria to lift sanctions and give Syria a chance, this bill does the opposite,' the SETF said in a statement. 'It is the moral obligation of Congress to fully repeal Caesar, which was about punishing Assad and not the Syrian people.' Stephen Rapp, a member of the board of trustees for SETF who served as ambassador-at-large for global criminal justice during the Obama administration, said the Caesar Act served its purpose in ushering in the fall of Assad, and that repealing the law would not harm the president's ability to wield sanctions on the al-Sharaa government if necessary. 'I don't think we need the Caesar sanctions, and it's important to send a symbolic message to Syria that you've overthrown a dictatorship and did something that most of us never dreamed as possible,' he said. 'And now we want to, certainly work with you to achieve justice, and certainly enforce human rights. And we do that by engagement, by doing what the administration has done so far, suspending the Caesar sanctions and lifting these others.' Michael Rubin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, argues that calibrating sanctions relief ensures crucial leverage in deterring against violence toward civilians and minority groups. And he warned against a double standard when it comes to relations with al-Sharaa's government. 'The atrocities under Assad were so grave, that it is crucial to keep the legal mechanism in place, especially as the change in the Syrian regime might allow for some investigation breakthroughs,' he said. Assad's atrocities include leading the regime charged with killing more than 200,000 civilians, disappearing more than 96,000 people, torturing to death more than 15,000 people, and carrying out grievous attacks against civilians using chemical weapons, cluster munitions, and incendiary bombs. But Rubin also pointed out that al-Sharaa's terrorist background — with ties to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group — should not be swept under the rug. 'It is equally important, however, to recognize that al-Sharaa and his cohort have engaged and increasingly engage in equally atrocious human rights violations. If the United States selectively prosecutes and sanctions some violators but not others for the same crimes, then we delegitimize the entire human rights mechanism.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Russian delegation heads to Turkey for talks with Ukraine, news agencies say
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian negotiators are flying to Turkey for the first peace talks with Ukraine in more than seven weeks, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. State agency TASS said talks would take place later on Wednesday in Istanbul. Data from tracking site Flightradar24 showed the plane used by Russian delegation chief Vladimir Medinsky to fly to previous talks in Istanbul had taken off from Moscow. The warring sides held two previous rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But they have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump last week threatened heavy new sanctions on Russia and countries that buy its exports unless a peace deal was reached within 50 days. But three sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin, unfazed by Trump's ultimatum, would keep on fighting in Ukraine until the West engaged on his terms for peace, and that his territorial demands may widen as Russian forces advance.
