Latest news with #Daraa
LBCI
23-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Thousands displaced in Sweida as fighting fuels concern over lasting division
Report by Yazbeck Wehbe, English adaptation by Laetithia Harb Around 3,000 families, mostly from Bedouin communities, have fled the southern Syrian province of Sweida over the past two days, heading toward Daraa and the Damascus countryside. The mass departure follows intense clashes, leaving uncertainty over whether the displacement will be temporary or prolonged until full stability is restored. Many of the displaced fear the move could amount to forced displacement, potentially setting the stage for demographic changes on the ground. Sweida, home to approximately 570,000 people, is predominantly Druze, accounting for around 85% of the population, with Sunni Bedouins and a small Christian minority making up the rest of the population. The recent eight-day conflict—between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes backed by the Syrian government and extremist factions—has been described as the most violent the region has seen in decades. However, beyond the immediate violence, concerns are growing that the aftermath could entrench sectarian and religious divisions. Despite uniting in response to what many perceived as a government threat to their existence, Druze leadership remains divided. Syria's Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who opposes Damascus and maintains ties with Israeli Druze leader Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, stands apart from Sheikhs Hammoud al-Hinnawi and Yousef Jarbou, who reject any separatist aspirations. Meanwhile, Sheikh Laith al-Balous, who leads the "Sheikh al-Karama Forces," is seen as closer to the government. These internal divisions now stand at a critical crossroads. Whether Druze leaders can overcome their differences remains to be seen—echoing the warning that 'a nation divided against itself cannot stand.' Druze elders warn that if displaced Arab tribes do not return soon, there could be retaliatory displacement of Druze communities living in Damascus suburbs like Jaramana and Sahnaya, potentially toward Sweida. Such a shift would risk redrawing the area's demographic map—one that some fear could align with external agendas, including those of Israel. Amid this uncertainty, Druze leadership is under pressure to de-escalate tensions and address both immediate and long-standing grievances. The situation also poses a significant test for President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government, which must work to restore trust with Jabal al-Arab, resolve the underlying crisis, and promote a sustainable framework for coexistence—one that protects Syria's social fabric and limits foreign interference. Suppose calm is not restored quickly and root causes are not addressed. In that case, the risk of the conflict spreading into neighboring Lebanon remains—despite repeated assurances from Lebanese political and religious leaders that the situation is contained.
Sky News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Middle East latest: UN human rights chief warns Israel is risking more Gaza killing
Syrian security forces stand guard In Syria, security forces have been deployed to the outskirts of towns and villages in a bid to keep a recently-declared ceasefire intact. Security forces were seen near the town of Busra al Harir in the Daraa countryside to prevent tribal forces from advancing towards the Druze villages yesterday. The country's armed Bedouin clans announced that they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida after week-long clashes and a US-brokered ceasefire on Sunday. The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. Yesterday, hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Sweida as part of the truce, according to state media. Watch below: Analyst Michael Clarke explains who the Druze and Bedouin groups are
Sky News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Middle East latest: White House admits strikes in Gaza and Syria caught Trump 'off guard' - as he warns Iran
In Syria, security forces have been deployed to the outskirts of towns and villages in a bid to keep a recently-declared ceasefire intact. Security forces were seen near the town of Busra al Harir in the Daraa countryside to prevent tribal forces from advancing towards the Druze villages yesterday. The country's armed Bedouin clans announced that they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida after week-long clashes and a US-brokered ceasefire on Sunday. The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. Yesterday, hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Sweida as part of the truce, according to state media. Watch below: Analyst Michael Clarke explains who the Druze and Bedouin groups are
Free Malaysia Today
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Syrian authorities evacuate Bedouin families from Sweida
The ceasefire in Sweida was announced Saturday but effectively only began yesterday. (AFP pic) SWEIDA : Syrian authorities today evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted bloody clashes between the communities, an AFP correspondent and official media said. An AFP correspondent outside the devastated provincial capital saw a convoy including buses enter Sweida and then exit again carrying civilians. The evacuees, including women and children, were headed for reception centres in neighbouring Daraa province and to the capital Damascus, in coordination with the Syrian Red Crescent. State news agency Sana said 1,500 people from Bedouin tribes were to be evacuated. The ceasefire announced Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that has left more than 1,100 dead in a week, according to a monitor. Clashes began between Druze and Bedouin tribes, who have had tense relations for decades, and were complicated by the intervention of Sunni Arab tribes who converged on Sweida in support of the Bedoiun. Witnesses, Druze factions and a monitor have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week. 'We reached a formula that allows us to defuse the crisis by evacuating the families of our compatriots from the Bedouin and the tribes who are currently in Sweida city,' the province's internal security chief Ahmad Dalati told state television. The ceasefire was announced Saturday but effectively only began yesterday, after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from part of Sweida city and Druze groups retook control. The announcement came hours after the US said it had negotiated a ceasefire between Syria's government and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. Yesterday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies.
News.com.au
22-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Syria evacuates Bedouin from Druze-majority Sweida as ceasefire holds
Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Monday, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,260 people. The violence, which followed massacres of Alawites in March and clashes involving the Druze in April and May, has shaken the Islamist rule of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to protect minorities in a country devastated by 14 years of war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the ceasefire was largely holding despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city, with no new reports of casualties. An AFP correspondent saw a convoy of buses and other vehicles enter the provincial capital and exit carrying civilians, including women and children. State news agency SANA quoted the governor of neighbouring Daraa, Anwar al-Zubi, as saying his province had "received about 200 Bedouin families who had been detained in Sweida", sending them to local shelters. The ceasefire announced on Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that killed more than 1,260 people -- about 800 of them Druze fighters and civilians, including nearly 200 noncombatants "summarily executed" by government forces, according to the Observatory. The toll also includes more than 400 government security personnel. Fatima Abdel-Qader, 52, a Bedouin who was leaving the city on foot, said her family had been surrounded during the fighting, "unable to leave or come back -- anyone who wanted to go out risked gunfire and clashes". "We were afraid that someone would come to our home and kill us all," she told AFP, adding they had no way of getting food or water. Damascus has accused Druze groups of attacking and killing Sunni Bedouins during the clashes, which broke out on July 13 after a Druze vegetable seller was kidnapped by local Bedouins, according to the Observatory. The Observatory's toll includes 35 Bedouins, three of them civilians executed by Druze fighters. The Druze and Bedouin tribes have had tense relations for decades. - 'Unthinkable' - Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses when they entered Sweida last week. Sunni Arab tribes also converged on the area in support of the Bedouin. The ceasefire effectively began on Sunday after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city and Druze groups regained control. The US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said on Monday that what had happened in Sweida was "unthinkable". "You have a Syrian government in effect. They need to be held accountable," he told a press conference on a visit to neighbouring Lebanon. The weekend ceasefire announcement came hours after Barrack said the United States had negotiated a truce between Syria's Islamist authorities and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. An AFP correspondent said security forces had erected sand mounds to block some of Sweida's entrances. Sunni tribal fighters were sitting on the roadside beyond the checkpoints. - Aid convoy - At the main hospital in Sweida city, dozens of bodies were still waiting to be identified, with a forensic medicine official at the facility saying "we still have 97 unidentified corpses". According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult. More than 450 of the dead had been brought to the Sweida national hospital by Sunday evening, with more still being recovered from the streets and homes. "The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital," said nurse Hisham Breik, who had not left the facility since the violence began. "The situation has been terrible. We couldn't walk around the hospital without wearing a mask," he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly. The United Nations' humanitarian office said hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with "reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns". Humanitarian access to Sweida "remains highly constrained", it said in a statement late Sunday. On Sunday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city, which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies. A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags.
