Latest news with #Druze-majority
Middle East Eye
16 minutes ago
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Chaos reported at Israel-Syria border amid Israeli attacks on Sweida
Chaotic scenes at the Israel-Syria border are being reported as people are attempting to cross the fence in both directions amid Israeli attacks on the Druze-majority city of Sweida in southern Syria. The Syrian government deployed its forces in the area after several days of armed clashes between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes. Israel, which said it was acting to protect the Druze community in Syria, launched two waves of strikes on Sweida on Wednesday following the collapse of a ceasefire between Druze armed groups and government forces. The army said it had struck Syrian military targets, including rocket launchers, weapons and pickup trucks, adding that "routes were struck in order to block access to the area". But according to Syrian state media, Israeli drones targeting the area caused civilian casualties. The Israeli military said dozens of people attempted to enter Israeli territory from Syria, while a number of Israeli citizens crossed the border into Syria through the Majdal Shams area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Haaretz is reporting that the Syrian village of Hader is sending vehicles to collect them. The military said it was sending reinforcements to the border and that it was continuing "to monitor developments in readiness for defence and various scenarios". Syria's presidency condemned the attacks as "criminal and illegal behaviour". "We, in the Syrian government, strongly condemn these heinous acts and affirm our full commitment to investigating all related incidents and holding accountable all those proven to be involved," the presidency said in a statement on Telegram reported by state news agency Sana. "Any party responsible for these acts, whether individuals or outlaw organisations, will be held accountable under strict legal measures, and we will not allow them to go unpunished." Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military will continue to strike Syrian government forces unless they withdraw from the Druze-majority city of Sweida. "The Syrian regime must leave the Druze in Sweida alone and withdraw its forces. As we have made clear and warned, Israel will not abandon the Druze in Syria and will enforce the demilitarisation policy we have decided on," Katz said in a statement.
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel bombs Syria to defend Druze, who are they and why do they matter
The Israeli army struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) and targeted the same site several hours later with a larger strike. The strikes from Israel come as it vows to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria and demands they withdraw. Israel has also launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces in southern Syria since the clashes erupted and has beefed up forces on the border. According to Reuters, warplanes swoop low over the capital and unleash a series of massive strikes on central Damascus. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Management MCA others Healthcare Technology Others Product Management Data Science MBA Leadership Cybersecurity Project Management Data Analytics Public Policy Design Thinking Operations Management Finance CXO Digital Marketing PGDM Data Science Artificial Intelligence healthcare Degree Skills you'll gain: Duration: 9 Months IIM Calcutta CERT-IIMC APSPM India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK General Management Programme India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK GMPBE India Starts on undefined Get Details Syria's Defense Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire. It said they were 'adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.' Meanwhile, reports of attacks on civilians continued to surface, and Druze with family members in the conflict zone searched desperately for information about their fate amid communication blackouts. Who are the Druze Live Events The Druze are an Arab religious group of around one million people, mainly living in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. In southern Syria's Suwayda province, where they are the majority, the Druze were sometimes stuck between Assad's forces and extremist groups during the 10-year civil war. Their group originated in the 11th century. It practices an offshoot of Islam, allowing no converts either to or from the religion and no intermarriage. According to CNN, the Druze community is concentrated in three main provinces near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in the south of the country. More than 20,000 Druze live in the Golan Heights. It is a strategic plateau seized by Israel from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967. It was later annexed in 1981. The territory is shared by Druze with around 25,000 Jewish settlers, spread across more than 30 settlements. Most Druze living in the Golan see themselves as Syrian and turned down Israeli citizenship when Israel took over the area. Those who said no were given Israeli residency cards but aren't counted as citizens. Why are Syrian forces clashing with the Druze One major reason that triggered the tension between Syria's new government and the Druze is the push to disarm Druze militias and bring them into the national army. After ousting Bashar al-Assad, Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, pledged inclusion and vowed to protect all of Syria's diverse communities. He wants to unite all armed groups under one military, but the Druze have strongly refused, insisting on keeping their own weapons and independent forces. Why is Israel protecting Druze The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) that Israel is 'committed to preventing harm to the Druze due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria,' CNN reported. Around 130,000 Israeli Druze live in the Carmel and Galilee regions in northern Israel. Unlike other minority groups in the country, Druze men have been drafted into the Israeli military since 1957, with many reaching senior ranks and building careers in the police and security services.
MTV Lebanon
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
EU 'alarmed' by Syria clashes, urges protection of civilians
The European Union Wednesday said it was "alarmed" by the continued clashes in Syria's Druze-majority Sweida, calling on all sides to implement a ceasefire and protect civilians. A statement by the EU's diplomatic arm also urged "all external actors" to "fully respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity" after Israel carried out strikes in support of the Druze.
NBC News
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Israel bombs near Syrian Defense Ministry, saying it is supporting religious minority
Clashes raged in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Wednesday after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed and as Israel threatened to escalate its involvement, saying it's in support of the Druze religious minority. The Israeli army struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus and targeted the same site several hours later with a larger strike. Israel has also launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces in southern Syria since the clashes erupted and has beefed up forces on the border. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters he was 'very concerned' about the strikes. Syria's Defense Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire. It said they were 'adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.' Meanwhile, reports of attacks on civilians continued to surface, and Druze with family members in the conflict zone searched desperately for information about their fate amid communication blackouts. A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control. The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities, whose fears increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. Druze fear for the lives of their relatives in Sweida In Jaramana near the Syrian capital, Evelyn Azzam, 20, said she fears that her husband, Robert Kiwan, 23, is dead. The newlyweds live in the Damascus suburb, but Kiwan would commute to Sweida for work each morning and got trapped there when the clashes erupted. Azzam said she was on the phone with Kiwan when security forces questioned him and a colleague about whether they were affiliated with Druze militias. When her husband's colleague raised his voice, she heard a gunshot. Kiwan was then shot while trying to appeal. 'They shot my husband in the hip from what I could gather,' she said, struggling to hold back tears. 'The ambulance took him to the hospital. Since then, we have no idea what has happened.' A Syrian Druze from Sweida living in the United Arab Emirates said her mother, father, and sister were hiding in a basement in their home near the hospital, where they could hear the sound of shelling and bullets from outside. She spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear her family might be targeted. She had struggled to get hold of them, but when she reached them, she said, 'I heard them cry. I have never heard them this way before.' Another Druze woman living in the UAE with family members in Sweida, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said a cousin told her that a house where their relatives lived had been burned down with everyone inside it. It reminded her of when the Islamic State extremist group attacked Sweida in 2018, she said. Her uncle was among many civilians there who took arms to fight back while Assad's forces stood aside. He was killed in the fighting. 'It's the same right now,' she told The Associated Press. The Druze fighters, she said, are 'just people who are protecting their province and their families.' The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Israel strikes in Damascus as clashes between Syrian forces and minority Druze rage on
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Clashes raged in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Wednesday after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed and as Israel threatened to escalate its involvement, saying it's in support of the Druze religious minority. The Israeli army said it struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus. Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on convoys of government forces in southern Syria since the clashes erupted and has beefed up forces on the border. Syria's Defense Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire . It said they were 'adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes.' Meanwhile, reports of attacks on civilians continued to surface, and Druze with family members in the conflict zone searched desperately for information about their fate amid communication blackouts. A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control. The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities, whose fears increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. Druze fear for the lives of their relatives in Sweida In Jaramana near the Syrian capital, Evelyn Azzam, 20, said she fears that her husband, Robert Kiwan, 23, is dead. The newlyweds live in the Damascus suburb, but Kiwan would commute to Sweida for work each morning and got trapped there when the clashes erupted. Azzam said she was on the phone with Kiwan when security forces questioned him and a colleague about whether they were affiliated with Druze militias. When her husband's colleague raised his voice, she heard a gunshot. Kiwan was then shot while trying to appeal. 'They shot my husband in the hip from what I could gather,' she said, struggling to hold back tears. 'The ambulance took him to the hospital. Since then, we have no idea what has happened.' A Syrian Druze from Sweida living in the United Arab Emirates said her mother, father, and sister were hiding in a basement in their home near the hospital, where they could hear the sound of shelling and bullets from outside. She spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear her family might be targeted. She had struggled to get hold of them, but when she reached them, she said, 'I heard them cry. I have never heard them this way before.' Another Druze woman living in the UAE with family members in Sweida, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said a cousin told her that a house where their relatives lived had been burned down with everyone inside it. It reminded her of when the Islamic State extremist group attacked Sweida in 2018, she said. Her uncle was among many civilians there who took arms to fight back while Assad's forces stood aside. He was killed in the fighting. 'It's the same right now,' she told The Associated Press. The Druze fighters, she said, are 'just people who are protecting their province and their families.' The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Reports of killings and looting in Druze areas The latest escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province. Government forces that intervened to restore order then clashed with the Druze. Videos surfaced on social media of government-affiliated fighters forcibly shaving the mustaches of Druze sheikhs, and stepping on Druze flags and pictures of religious clerics. Other videos showed Druze fighters beating captured government forces and posing by their dead bodies. AP reporters in the area saw burned and looted houses. No official casualty figures have been released since Monday, when the Syrian Interior Ministry said 30 people had been killed. The U.K.-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 250 people had been killed as of Wednesday morning, including four children, five women and 138 soldiers and security forces. The observatory said at least 21 people were killed in 'field executions.' Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a statement Wednesday condemning the violations. 'These criminal and illegal actions cannot be accepted under any circumstances, and completely contradicts the principles that the Syrian state is built on,' the statement read, vowing that perpetrators, 'whether from individuals or organizations outside of the law, will be held accountable legally, and we will never allow this to happen without punishment.' Druze in the Golan gathered along the border fence to protest the violence against Druze in Syria. Israel threatens to scale up its intervention In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the military. In Syria, the Druze have been divided over how to deal with the country's new leaders, with some advocating for integrating into the new system while others remained suspicious and pushed for an autonomous Druze region. On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli army 'will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday night that Israel has 'a commitment to preserve the southwestern region of Syria as a demilitarized area on Israel's border' and has 'an obligation to safeguard the Druze locals.' Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria's new leaders since Assad's fall, saying it doesn't want Islamist militants near its borders. Israeli forces have seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria. — Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. 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