Syrian President Condemns Israeli Airstrikes on Damascus
In a televised statement, Mr. al-Shara condemned Israel for the 'wide-scale targeting of civilian and government facilities' after it intervened following clashes between Syrian government forces, local Bedouin groups and militias from the Druse religious minority.
Mr. al-Shara's speech was his most direct condemnation of Israel since he took power in January and came after multiple days of deadly clashes in the southern Syrian province of Sweida, the heartland of the country's Druse minority and a strategically important region near Jordan and Israel.
The violence erupted on Sunday with clashes between mostly Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druse militias in Sweida. As the unrest escalated, the Syrian government deployed military forces to Sweida to quell the conflict. But some Druse militia leaders — who deeply distrust Syria's new authorities — thought that the government forces were coming to attack the Druse. The militias then mobilized to repel the incoming government forces.
The violence prompted fears that the fighting could swell into a wider sectarian conflict. It also drew in neighboring Israel, which is home to a sizable Druse minority population and has pledged to protect the minority community.
Amid the clashes, Israel launched airstrikes on government forces in both Sweida and Damascus. The attacks in the capital, Damascus, on Wednesday came as the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, threatened to intensify strikes unless the Syrian government withdrew its forces from Sweida.
Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes and carried out incursions into southern Syria since a rebel group led by Mr. al-Shara overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad in December, but the strikes on Wednesday were a significant escalation of its bombing campaign.
At least 350 people have been killed in Sweida since Sunday, including government forces, Druse fighters and civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain.
By early Thursday, the situation appeared to have calmed down. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said on social media that the United States had helped broker an agreement between all parties involved in the clashes.
In his televised address, Mr. al-Shara said that the Israeli strikes could 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.'
The Syrian government and a prominent Druse spiritual leader also announced a cease-fire, and Syria's state news agency reported that troops were leaving Sweida on Wednesday night. Mr. al-Shara said that the 'responsibility' for security in Sweida would be handed over to elders and local factions as part of that agreement.
The Syrian president added that those responsible for the violence against the Druse would be held accountable as the community was 'under the protection and responsibility of the state.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Syria signs $14bn infrastructure deals, will revamp Damascus airport
Syria has signed a series of investment deals with international companies, covering 12 major strategic projects in infrastructure, transportation and real estate valued at a total of $14bn, the latest lifeline aimed at reviving its war-ravaged economy. The plans included a $4bn investment project for Damascus airport signed with Qatar's UCC Holding and a $2bn deal with the United Arab Emirates national investment corporation to establish a metro in the Syrian capital, Talal al-Hilali, head of the Syrian Investment Authority, said during the ceremony at the presidential palace in Damascus on Wednesday. It's a welcome development for President Ahmed al-Sharaa's new government as it has been grappling with the heavy fallout from sectarian violence that broke out on July 13 in the southern province of Suwayda between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Government troops were deployed to quell the conflict. The bloodshed worsened, and Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and also bombed the heart of the capital Damascus, under the pretext of protecting the Druze. Other major developments on the investment front destined for Damascus include the $2bn Damascus Towers project signed with the Italian-based company UBAKO, a $500m deal for the Baramkeh Towers project and another $60m agreement for Baramkeh Mall. Since the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December in a lightning rebel offensive, Syria's new authorities have worked to attract investment for the reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed in the country's devastating, nearly 14-year-long civil war. The projects 'will extend across Syria and represent a qualitative shift in infrastructure and economic life', al-Hilali said on Wednesday, adding that the agreements were 'a turning point' for Syria's future. Al-Sharaa and United States special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack were both present at the signing ceremony, Syria's official SANA news agency reported on Wednesday. Barrack congratulated Syrian authorities on 'another great accomplishment', saying they will witness the rise of a 'new hub' in 'trade and prosperity'. The United Nations has put Syria's post-war reconstruction costs at more than $400bn. Several deals have already been announced. Last month, Saudi Arabia signed major investment and partnership deals with Syria, valued at $6.4bn. Also in July, Syria signed an $800m deal with UAE-based company DP World to develop the port of Tartous, state media reported. In May, Syria signed a $7bn energy deal with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish and US companies as it seeks to revive its crippled power sector. The US and European Union have recently lifted sanctions on Syria in the wake of al-Assad's ouster, opening the nation to further investment and trade deals. 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
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump tells European leaders he'll continue Russia talks through in-person meetings with Putin
President Donald Trump told European leaders Wednesday he intends to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in person and later hold a trilateral with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — suggesting Trump still sees a possibility of ending the conflict through diplomacy. A German official told POLITICO that the U.S. president informed European leaders of this plan during a Wednesday call following a meeting between Putin and Trump envoy in Moscow. On this call were German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Zelenskyy, and other leaders. The official was granted anonymity to discuss the contents of the high-level phone call between Trump and European counterparts. No U.S. president has met with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, though Trump has held several phone calls with the Russian leader since taking office. The New York Times previously reported on the plan for the meeting, which the Times said will occur as soon as next week. The German official did not provide any details on the timing of the planned meetings. The White House has not confirmed such a proposal was outlined with the European leaders. Earlier Wednesday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump remained open to the prospect of meeting with Putin, but declined to say whether such a proposal was outlined in the phone call. At a White House event Wednesday, Trump said that "there's's a really good prospect that" there will be a meeting with Zelenskyy and Putin. But he disagreed with the suggestion that it amounted to a "breakthrough." Secretary of State Marco Rubio added in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday that "an opportunity will present itself very soon for the president to meet both with Vladimir Putin and with President Zelenskyy at some point here, hopefully in the near future." Rubio however added that "a lot has to happen before that can occur." Earlier Wednesday, Trump described that three-hour meeting between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin at the Kremlin as "highly productive," but did not provide further details. It's unclear what the planned meeting with Putin means for Trump's Friday deadline for imposing sanctions against countries who purchase Russian energy – which he has said he will do to punish Moscow if it doesn't make more progress towards a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine. Earlier Wednesday, a senior administration official, granted anonymity to speak freely about the administration's decision-making process, said that it was "still expected" Trump would honor the Friday deadline. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine 'on day one' of his second presidency. But Russia has stymied peace talks, infuriating both Ukrainian and American negotiators by continuing to conduct airstrikes on civilian targets in Ukraine. Trump threatened in July to impose hefty new sanctions and secondary measures to punish the Russian economy, targeting oil sales that have allowed it to stay economically afloat despite becoming a global economic pariah since the invasion. Felicia Schwartz contributed to this report.
CNN
11 hours ago
- CNN
Russian drones hunt civilians as Putin zeroes in on Ukraine's Kherson
Russia has launched a new bid to exert control over the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson by threatening key access roads with its drones and trying to split it in two by striking a vital bridge. On Sunday, a wave of airstrikes damaged a key bridge between Kherson's island, Korabel, and the main city, sparking a widespread effort to evacuate the estimated 1,800 Ukrainian civilians who still live there. Russian forces appear not to have targeted the evacuation effort over the past three days, according to locals and rescuers, a rare moment of respite from the daily barbaric drone strikes on civilians across the city of recent months. Later Wednesday, videos posted online showed significant Russian strikes had resumed near the bridge and on the island, where some Ukrainain military are also thought to be based. Russian military bloggers have also warned Kherson residents the main access road to the city, from the north, would now be targeted by longer-range drones. It was unclear how impactful the threats had been Wednesday when CNN witnessed traveling along the road significant freight and civilian traffic, including a large group of cyclists, at times protected by netting hung above the asphalt to block drones. The capture of Kherson city and region – seized in the opening days of the war and then freed by a swift Ukrainian counter-offensive in November 2022 – remains one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's main goals for the conflict, and the renewed pressure to separate Korabel from the rest of the city has raised concerns Russian forces might seek to bombard and then land upon the flat terrain in the weeks ahead. Evacuations from Korabel continued Wednesday, with rescuers telling CNN of calm when they collected some of the 925 people removed by the end of the day from the island. Shelling continued apace on the peninsula, locals reported, but drones appeared to leave the evacuation convoys alone. Exhausted locals wept both relief and anxiety for their future when they reached an aid point. Nadiya, sat in the back of the armored van that whisked her out, said: 'They are hitting so hard since the morning. When is all of this going to be over? We already went crazy from all of this. When will they ever come to their senses? Causing such horror, killing everyone for the 'peace'?' She said drones had been 'whizzing' that day, but not reached her area. 'We are already tired of this. When Trump is going to come, or someone … we don't deserve such old age year as we have here.' She said she had heard of the deadline set by US President Donald Trump for a peace deal with Russia, but it had changed nothing for her. Most of the elderly evacuees had been promised lodging elsewhere in the city, but had few other options. Nina, 85, was exhausted in the 35 degree Celsius (95 degree Fahrenheit) heat, grasping her crutch, already separated from her bags by rescuers. 'There is no plan, I will live where they put me,' she said. 'I am on one leg. I am so tired of this shooting that my nerves can't take it anymore.' Local Ukrainian officials stressed any Russian pause in drone attacks on the evacuation convoy paled into insignificance after months of repeated strikes on civilian targets. 'They absolutely do not care what the targets are,' said Yaroslav Shanko, head of Kherson city military administration. 'Talking about any humanity from the Russians is absolutely pointless. Strikes on the community and the city are constant.' Civilians are regularly hunted by Russian drones, whose operators flaunt their ruthless strikes in online posts. Kherson's main hospital contained 25 patients from shelling or drone injuries, three new that morning and another two that afternoon, according to health workers there. Oleh, 62, was hit at 4 a.m. Wednesday when he ran outside to help after a drone strike set fire to his neighbors' home. Then another 'double-tap' drone attacked. He fell backwards over a fence, but his legs dangled over its top, protecting his torso and not his legs. Ankle bandages hid the shrapnel damage to his feet. 'It's dangerous there, you have to listen carefully,' Oleh said of detecting drones. 'A double tap. That's how they operate. They destroy a house, it burns. A minute later, another one comes, checking whether the house is burning or someone is trying to extinguish it. And then they kill and destroy further.' Oleh is one of many patients who live alone and cannot quickly be released from hospital as he is unable to walk, swelling occupancy on the ward. Three drones hovered over the facility during CNN's visit, according to local officials. The crackle of gunfire and the buzz of their engines carried through the hospital's window netting.
