Latest news with #AhmedalSharaa
Wall Street Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
The Fallout From Syria's Massacres
Syria is set to release an internal report Tuesday concerning responsibility for the March massacres of some 1,500 Alawites by regime forces and militias. Its findings arrive with impeccable timing—right after new massacres by regime-aligned forces have wound down in Sweida in southern Syria. This time they targeted the Druze minority. Syria's ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa can tell his investigative committee to get back to work, but hard questions remain about the former al Qaeda commander's regime. Why, after Syrian regulars withdrew from Sweida on Thursday morning for a cease-fire—after executing dozens of Druze in the field—were large forces of irregulars from Bedouin tribes then allowed to attack the non-Muslim minority? Hundreds have died since July 13, and videos circulated of atrocities on both sides, including one of three Druze men forced to jump off a building. Trump envoy Ric Grenell shared a report of a Druze American from Oklahoma executed with his Syrian family. For crucial days Damascus declined to block the few roads carrying Sunni tribal forces pledging revenge against the Druze to the fighting in Sweida. 'We are grateful to the tribes for their heroic actions,' Mr. Sharaa said on Saturday. He asked merely that they let the state handle security. When will the tribes be disarmed, as he demands of the Druze and Kurds?
Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Bedouin civilians leave Syria's Sweida as tense truce holds
DAMASCUS, July 21 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday as part of a U.S.-backed truce meant to end days of bloodshed in southern Syria, state media and witnesses said. With hundreds reported killed, the violence in the southern province of Sweida has posed a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, drawing Israeli airstrikes last week and deepening fissures in a country fractured by 14 years of war. A ceasefire took hold on Sunday as interior ministry security forces deployed on Sweida's outskirts. Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday the truce would allow for the release of hostages and detainees held by the sides. The fighting began a week ago, pitting Druze fighters who distrust the Islamist-led government against Sunni Muslim Bedouin. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against Druze. Sharaa has blamed the violence on "outlaw groups" and promised to protect the rights of Druze - a minority group whose faith is deemed heretical by some hardline Muslims. Calling the Druze a fundamental part of Syria's national fabric, Sharaa has vowed to hold to account those who committed violations against them. Details of last week's violence are still emerging. Ali al-Huraym, a 56-year-old Bedouin man, said six members of his extended family had been killed by Druze fighters in an attack on the town of Shahba, 15 km (10 miles) north of Sweida, on Thursday. Speaking to Reuters at a school sheltering displaced Bedouin in Daraa province, he said Druze elders had assured them they would be safe in Shahba, but the attacking Druze faction had ignored their instructions. He accused the Druze faction of trying to drive Sunni tribes from the area, without identifying it. Salem al-Mahdi, 60, another Bedouin displaced from Shahba with his family, told Reuters he saw six bodies in one home there, and the town had been hit with weapons including mortars. Speaking to Reuters by phone, Luna Albassit, a Druze activist in Shahba, said the situation after so much bloodshed remained tense despite the end to clashes. "People were killed in the streets, in their homes, they were humiliated and it was in the name of the state," she said, referring to attacks by government-aligned forces. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts. In Sweida, footage released by local news outlet Suwayda 24 on Sunday showed what appeared to be numerous body bags in the grounds outside the hospital. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said at least 558 people had been killed in violence in Sweida province since July 13. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported more than 1,000 killed. On Monday morning, ambulances, trucks and buses ferried hundreds of Bedouin civilians including women, children and wounded people out of Sweida to nearby displacement camps, Reuters footage showed. The initial batch included some 300 Bedouins, and a second group of about 550 civilians will be evacuated within the next 24 hours if the situation remains calm, said Shoaib Asfour, a member of the Syrian security forces overseeing the evacuation. The next phase would see the evacuation of Bedouin fighters detained by Druze militias and the transfer of bodies of Bedouins killed in the fighting, Asfour said. Syria's state news agency said a total of 1,500 Bedouins would be evacuated from Sweida city. Citing Ahmed al-Dalati, head of Syria's internal security forces in Sweida, state media said those forces would also facilitate the return to Sweida of others displaced from it. According to the United Nations, at least 93,000 people have been uprooted by the fighting. The U.N. said on Sunday that humanitarian convoys with medical supplies had been waiting to enter Sweida for two days but were not granted access. It said only a convoy of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent had been allowed to enter. Citing the goal of protecting the Druze and keeping southern Syria demilitarized, Israel attacked government forces last week in the south and struck the defence ministry in Damascus. Washington, which has expressed support for Damascus since Sharaa met U.S. President Donald Trump in May, said it did not approve of Israel's strikes. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack said on Monday the Syrian government needed to be held accountable. "They also need to be given the responsibility that they're there to do," he said, speaking on a visit to Beirut.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Turkey's Erdogan says Syria's al-Sharaa showed strong stance against Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa for showing a strong stance and not compromising in Syria's conflict with Israel, and said al-Sharaa took a 'very positive' step by reaching an understanding with the Druze. Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday as part of a US-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, state media and witnesses said. In comments to Turkish media released on Monday, Erdogan said Syria's government had established some control in Sweida and the country's south with around 2,500 soldiers, with all but one Druze faction agreeing to respect the ceasefire during talks in Amman. He also told reporters on his flight returning from northern Cyprus that the United States now understood it needed to 'own' the issue more, warning that the main issue was Israel using the fighting as an excuse to invade Syrian lands.
CNA
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Bedouin civilians evacuate Syria's Sweida as tense truce holds
DAMASCUS: Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday (Jul 21) as part of a US-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, state media and witnesses said. With hundreds reported killed, the violence in the southern province of Sweida has posed a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, drawing Israeli airstrikes on his government last week and deepening fissures in a country fractured by 14 years of sectarian civil war. A ceasefire took hold on Sunday as interior ministry security forces deployed on Sweida's outskirts. Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday the truce would allow for the release of hostages and detainees held by the warring sides. On Monday morning, ambulances, trucks and buses ferried hundreds of Bedouin civilians including women, children and wounded people out of Sweida to nearby displacement camps, Reuters footage showed. The initial batch included some 300 Bedouins and a second group of about 550 civilians will be evacuated within the next 24 hours if the situation remains calm, said Shoaib Asfour, a member of the Syrian security forces overseeing the evacuation. The next phase would see the evacuation of Bedouin fighters detained by Druze militias and the transfer of bodies of Bedouins killed in the fighting, Asfour said. Syria's state news agency said a total of 1,500 Bedouins would be evacuated from Sweida city. Citing Ahmed al-Dalati, head of Syria's internal security forces in Sweida, state media said those forces would also facilitate the return to Sweida of others displaced from it. According to the United Nations, at least 93,000 people have been uprooted by the fighting - most of them within Sweida province but others to Daraa province to the west, or north to the countryside around the capital Damascus. The UN said on Sunday that humanitarian convoys with medical supplies had been waiting to enter Sweida for two days but were not granted access. It said only a convoy of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent had been allowed to enter. PRESSURES ON SYRIA'S MOSAIC The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel and Lebanon who follow a religion that is an offshoot of a branch of Islam. Some ultra-conservative Sunni Muslims deem Druze beliefs to be heretical. The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against the Druze. Residents of Sweida said friends and neighbours were shot at close range in their homes or in the streets by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and insignia. Luna Albassit, a Druze activist in the town of Shahba in Sweida province, said the situation after so much bloodshed remained tense despite the end to clashes late on Sunday. "People were killed in the streets, in their homes, they were humiliated and it was in the name of the state," she said. Hamzah Mustafa, Syria's information minister, told Reuters last week that the Damascus government strongly condemned all abuses and rejected sectarian violence in all its forms. Interim President al-Sharaa has promised to protect the rights of Druze and hold to account those who committed violations against "our Druze people". He has blamed the violence on "outlaw groups". After Israel bombed Syrian government forces in Sweida and hit the defence ministry in Damascus last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the demilitarisation of southern Syrian territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida. He also said Israel would protect the Druze.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Photos: Syria's Bedouin clans withdraw from Druze city of Suwayda
Published On 21 Jul 2025 21 Jul 2025 Syria's armed Bedouin clans have announced their withdrawal from the Druze-majority city of Suwayda after weeklong clashes and a United States-brokered ceasefire. Fighting between Druze fighters and Sunni Muslim clans killed more than 250 people and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of air strikes in the southern province of Suwayda, targeting government forces, who had in effect sided with the Bedouins. The fighting also led to a series of sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has been perceived as more sympathetic to the Bedouins, tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of its fighters. He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying they 'cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country's affairs and restoring security'. Dozens of armed Bedouins alongside other clans from around the country who came to support them remained on the outskirts of Suwayda as government security forces and military police were deployed on Sunday to oversee their exit from the entire province. The Bedouin fighters blamed the clashes on Druze factions loyal to spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and accused them of harming Bedouin families. The Syrian government on Monday began evacuating Bedouin families trapped inside Suwayda. Syrian state media said on Sunday that the government had coordinated with some officials in Suwayda to bring in coaches to evacuate about 1,500 Bedouins from the city. Interior Minister Ahmad al-Dalati told the SANA news agency that the initiative would also allow displaced civilians from Suwayda to return because the fighting has largely stopped and efforts for a complete ceasefire are ongoing. Syrian authorities did not give further details about the evacuation or how it ties into the broader agreement after failed talks for a captive exchange deal.
