Syria's al-Sharaa says unifying country 'should not be with blood'
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war "should not be with blood", rejecting any partition and accusing Israel of meddling in the south.
His remarks, released by state TV on Sunday, came as hundreds demonstrated in south Syria's Sweida province, denouncing sectarian violence last month and calling for the right to self-determination for the Druze-majority province.
"We still have another battle ahead of us to unify Syria, and it should not be with blood and military force... it should be through some kind of understanding because Syria is tired of war," Sharaa said during a dialogue session involving notables from the northwest province of Idlib and other senior officials.
"I do not see Syria as at risk of division. Some people desire a process of dividing Syria and trying to establish cantons... this matter is impossible," he said according to a recording of the meeting, distributed overnight by state media.
"Some parties seek to gain power through regional power, Israel or others. This is also extremely difficult and cannot be implemented," he said.
At the protest in Sweida, some demonstrators waved the Israeli flag and called for self-determination for the region.
A week of bloodshed in Sweida began on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces, with Israel also carrying out strikes.
Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze, including summary executions.
Sharaa said that Sweida "witnessed many violations from all sides... some members of the security forces and army in Syria also carried out some violations".
The state is required "to hold all perpetrators of violations to account", whatever their affiliation, he added.
"Israel is intervening directly in Sweida, seeking to implement policies aimed at weakening the state in general or finding excuses to interfere in ongoing policies in the southern region," Sharaa said.
Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it has acted to defend the minority group as well as enforce its demands for the demilitarization of southern Syria.
Syria's new authorities are also in talks with a semi-autonomous Kurdish administration that runs swathes of the country's north and northeast and has called for decentralization, which Damascus has rejected.
Implementation of a March 10 deal on integrating the Kurds' semi-autonomous civil and military institutions into the state has been held up by differences between the parties.
"We are now discussing the mechanisms for implementation" of the deal, Sharaa said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Is Sudan on its way to becoming a hub for captagon trafficking?
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 in Syria, whose regime was accused of running a narco-state at the helm of global captagon production, the spot has become up for grabs. Syrian authorities reportedly destroyed nearly 200 million pills discovered after the Assad clan's collapse, compared to almost 300 million tablets seized in 2023, according to a World Bank studies are still lacking on who has definitively taken over supply — especially to Gulf countries, the main consumers — an increasing number of reports point to new production centers in Sudan. A few laboratories were uncovered and dismantled by Khartoum before April 2023, when civil war erupted between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The war, however, appears to have acted as a catalyst, particularly since Sudan borders the Red Sea across...
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Rifi threatens to take to the streets against Hezbollah
Tripoli MP Ashraf Rifi threatened to take to the streets against Hezbollah if the party decides to confront the Lebanese domestic scene, he said in remarks to MTV. "I warn Naim Qassem against a reckless choice for which he will pay the price. We will confront you in the streets if we have to defend ourselves and we are capable of doing so," Rifi said, calling to "cut ties with Iran." Last Friday, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qassem reiterated warnings to the Salam government and President Joseph Aoun, stating that Hezbollah was ready for confrontation if disarmament were imposed on it. These statements prompted widespread criticism from several political officials. Softening Qassem's comments, Hezbollah's vice president of the political council, Mahmoud Qomati, said Saturday that the party was not "in an internal Lebanese confrontation," but that "the weapons of the resistance cannot be surrendered during occupation." The Salam government adopted at the beginning of August the roadmap proposed by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, which calls for the disarmament of armed groups — including Hezbollah — before the end of the year. The Israeli army continues to occupy five areas in southern Lebanon and carries out almost daily strikes in the country, despite the cease-fire that went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, between Hezbollah and Israel.
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Monopoly on weapons: No one wants a confrontation with the Lebanese Army, Mitri says
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said Sunday in an interview with Al Jazeera that the government is working towards having only state authorities to control weapons, but disagreements remain on how to achieve the goal. He also urged avoiding 'accusations of treason, intimidation and threats.' His remarks followed a speech Friday by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, who escalated threats against Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government, warning that Hezbollah was ready for confrontation if forced to disarm. Mitri said all ministers agreed on the state's monopoly over weapons, but differed on how to implement and manage the issue. He stressed that discussions were ongoing on how to approach Hezbollah's disarmament, according to Al Jazeera. He added that the government wanted to safeguard civil peace and that no one sought a confrontation with the Lebanese Army, which is due to present its weapons control plan to Cabinet at the end of August. Addressing the wider political debate, Mitri said, 'We should instead discuss how to put an end to Israeli aggressions and avoid internal divisions.' Qassem's remarks Friday — in which he declared Hezbollah would not surrender its weapons and was prepared for confrontation if forced to do so — drew sharp reactions from across the political spectrum. Seeking to temper the rhetoric, Hezbollah political council deputy chief Mahmoud Qomati said Saturday that the party was not 'in an internal Lebanese confrontation,' but insisted that 'the weapons of the resistance cannot be handed over during an occupation.' At the beginning of August, Salam's government adopted the roadmap of U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, which calls for the disarmament of armed groups, mainly Hezbollah, by the end of the year. The Israeli army, meanwhile, continues to occupy five hills in southern Lebanon and carries out near-daily strikes despite the cease-fire that took effect Nov. 27, 2024. Iranian pressure Mitri said implementation of the disarmament plan is hampered by both internal and external pressures. He noted that Iran is pushing for Hezbollah to retain its weapons, while Western countries are pressing for disarmament. He urged that Lebanon's interests be safeguarded and called for wisdom in handling the issue. He recalled that the previous government approved security arrangements under French and U.S. auspices on Nov. 27, 2024, to end the 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel. Those measures, he said, were endorsed by all ministers, including Hezbollah and Amal representatives. Mitri added that the American roadmap recently adopted by the Cabinet reaffirmed the cessation of hostilities.
