Latest news with #AhmedAl-Sharaa

Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel-Syria ‘War' Explodes; Druze REJECT Netanyahu As New Ceasefire Crumbles
Druze community leader in Lebanon Sheikh Al-Muna said that the ethnic minority community in Syria doesn't need Israel protection. His comments came hours before a new ceasefire between Israel and Syria that was announced by the U.S. Clashes have reignited in Druze heartland of Sweida, as Arab fighters entered the city after Ahmed Al-Sharaa's speech. Watch. Read More


Qatar Tribune
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Syria declares new Suwayda truce, deploys forces to ‘restore security'
Syria's security forces have begun deploying in the restive southern province of Suwayda, a Ministry of Interior spokesperson has said, where heavy fighting between Druze and Bedouin armed groups and government forces has left hundreds dead, compounded by Israeli military intervention. The deployment on Saturday came hours after the United States announced that Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire, an as yet uncertain truce amidst overnight fighting. Syria's government announced the ceasefire early on Saturday, saying in a statement it is being enacted 'to spare Syrian blood, preserve the unity of Syrian territory and the safety of its people'. The country's president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in a televised address, stated that he 'received international calls to intervene in what is happening in Suwayda and restore security to the country'. Israeli intervention has 'reignited tensions' in the city, with fighting there taking 'a dangerous turning point', he said, also thanking the US for its support. (Agencies) page 5

Kuwait Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Sharaa slams Zionist meddling
President vows to protect Druze as ceasefire holds • Troops quit Sweida, leaving bodies on streets DAMASCUS: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa accused the Zionist entity of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority on Thursday, after US intervention helped end deadly fighting between government forces and Druze fighters in the south. Overnight, the Islamist-led government's troops withdrew from the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where scores of people have been killed in days of conflict pitting Druze fighters against government troops and Bedouin tribes. One local journalist said he'd counted more than 60 bodies in the streets of Sweida on Thursday morning. Ryan Marouf of Suwayda24 told Reuters he had found a family of 12 people killed in one house, including women and an elderly man. Violence in Syria escalated sharply on Wednesday as the Zionist entity launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying Zionist entity aimed to protect Syrian Druze – part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and the Zionist entity. (Left) People take to the streets of Hama to protest against Zionist interference in Syria on July 16, 2025. — AFP The Zionist entity, which bombed Syria frequently under the rule of ousted president Bashar Al-Assad, has struck the country repeatedly this year, describing its new leaders as barely disguised jihadists and saying it will not allow them to deploy forces in areas of southern Syria near its border. Addressing Syrians on Thursday, interim President Sharaa accused the Zionist entity of seeking to 'dismantle the unity of our people', saying it had 'consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime'. Sharaa, who was commander of an Al-Qaeda faction before cutting ties with the group in 2016, said protecting Druze citizens and their rights was 'our priority' and rejected any attempt to drag them into the hands of an 'external party'. He also vowed to hold to account those who committed violations against 'our Druze people'. Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Zionist entity had established a policy demanding the demilitarization of a swathe of territory near the border, stretching from the Zionist-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida. He reiterated the Zionist entity's policy to protect the Druze. Syria had sent 'its army south of Damascus into an area that was supposed to remain demilitarized, and it began massacring Druze. This was something we could not accept in any way,' he said, adding: 'It is a ceasefire achieved through strength'. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said it had documented 193 dead in four days of fighting, among them medical personnel, women and children. The Network's head Fadel Abdulghany told Reuters the figure included cases of field executions by both sides, Syrians killed by Zionist strikes and others killed in clashes but that it would take time to break down the figures for each category. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said more than 370 people have been killed in sectarian clashes in the city since Sunday. A Sweida resident, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Amer, out of fear of reprisals, shared a video of his neighbors slain in their home. It showed a lifeless man in a chair, an elderly man with a gunshot wound to his right temple on the floor and a younger man, face down in a pool of blood. Amid reports of revenge attacks on Bedouin on Thursday, leading Druze Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hajari called for peaceful Bedouin tribes to be respected and not harmed. One reporter in Sweida this week saw government fighters loot and burn homes, including just before they departed Sweida overnight. Fighters also shaved off the moustaches of Druze men. Moustaches are worn by Druze sheikhs and many other Druze men as a symbol of religious and cultural identity with spiritual significance. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late on Wednesday the United States had engaged all the parties involved and that steps had been agreed that would end 'this troubling and horrifying situation'. Sharaa credited US, Arab and Turkish mediation for saving 'the region from an uncertain fate'. The violence has underlined the challenges that Sharaa faces in stabilizing Syria and exerting centralized rule over the country, despite his warming ties with the United States and his administration's evolving security contacts with the Zionist entity. Zionist airstrikes on Wednesday blew up part of Syria's defense ministry and hit near the presidential palace as it vowed to destroy government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria. — Agencies


Roya News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Arab, regional ministers back Syria's unity, condemn 'Israeli' strikes
Foreign ministers from Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Egypt concluded two days of intensive talks on the situation in Syria, culminating in a joint statement expressing unified support for the Syrian government's efforts to restore security, stability, and sovereignty across the country. The ministers reaffirmed their collective support for Syria's unity and territorial integrity, emphasizing the need to preserve its sovereignty and reject all forms of foreign interference in its internal affairs. In their statement, the ministers welcomed the agreement reached to end the crisis in sweida, urging its full implementation as a means to protect civilians, preserve national unity, and uphold state authority and the rule of law. They also praised Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's commitment to holding accountable those responsible for violations against civilians in sweida, and expressed support for all efforts to reestablish law, order, and civil peace in the province and across Syria. The statement included a strong condemnation of repeated 'Israeli' attacks on Syrian territory, describing them as blatant violations of international law and an assault on Syria's sovereignty. The ministers warned that such attacks undermine regional stability and obstruct Syria's reconstruction efforts. Declaring that Syria's security is essential for regional peace, the ministers called on the international community to support Syria in its rebuilding process. They also urged the UN Security Council to take responsibility for ensuring Israel's full withdrawal from all occupied Syrian territories, halting hostilities, and enforcing international resolutions, including Resolution 2766 and the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.


Cedar News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Cedar News
Al-Sharaa Responds to Sweida Clashes: Local Factions and Sheikhs Tasked with Security
Following deadly armed clashes in the southern province of Sweida, Syria's President Ahmed Al-Sharaa announced in a televised address that he has officially delegated responsibility for maintaining security and order in the region to local factions and religious sheikhs. The president described the recent Sweida clashes as part of a broader foreign-driven attempt — led by Israel, he claimed — to destabilize Syria and ignite internal conflict. He vowed that the Syrian state will hold all aggressors accountable, especially those who targeted civilians and sought to exploit sectarian divisions. 'What happened in Sweida is not an isolated incident, but a continuation of the Israeli project to spread chaos and destroy the national fabric of Syria,' Al-Sharaa declared. Al-Sharaa emphasized that the Syrian state remains the umbrella for all Syrians, and that unity is the only path forward. Addressing the Druze community directly, he reaffirmed their central role in Syria's identity and warned against any external efforts to divide the nation. The president also said some armed groups in Sweida resisted reconciliation efforts and rejected dialogue, choosing instead to escalate violence for personal or political gain. Despite the recent violence, he said the government has managed to restore a degree of stability in the province and prevent the outbreak of a wider conflict through regional mediation. 'We are not afraid of war, but we chose national interest and the safety of our people over chaos and destruction,' Al-Sharaa added. The decision to assign security duties to trusted local leaders and sheikhs is seen as a strategic move to ease tensions on the ground and restore confidence among Sweida's residents.