Latest news with #HikmatAl-Hijri
Kuwait Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Druze leader condemns ‘genocidal campaign' against the community
Syria's Druze take up arms to defend their town against Islamists DAMASCUS: Syrian Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri on Thursday condemned what he called a 'genocidal campaign' against his people, after two days of deadly sectarian clashes. In a statement, Hijri described the violence in Jaramana and Sahnaya, near Damascus, as an 'unjustifiable genocidal campaign' and urged immediate intervention by 'international forces to maintain peace and prevent the continuation of these crimes'. His call comes after sectarian clashes between Syrian security forces, fighters aligned with them, and local Druze fighters killed 17 people in Jaramana on Monday night and 22 people in Sahnaya on Tuesday night, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitor. On Wednesday, 15 Druze fighters were killed in an ambush near Damascus, according to SOHR and local outlet Suweyda 24. The fighters were killed in 'an ambush carried out by forces affiliated with the ministries of interior and defense and gunmen associated with them,' the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria, told AFP. The violence was sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous. AFP was unable to confirm the recording's authenticity. A truce agreement was reached on Wednesday in Jaramana and Sahnaya following meetings between Druze representatives and government officials. Syrian authorities announced the deployment of their forces in Sahnaya to ensure security, accusing 'outlaw groups' of instigating the clashes. However, Hijri said he no longer trusts 'an entity pretending to be a government... because the government does not kill its people through its extremist militias... and then claim they were unruly elements after the massacres'. 'The government (should) protect its people,' he added. The latest round of violence follows a series of massacres in Syria's coast in March, where the Observatory said security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites. It was the worst bloodshed since the December ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who is from the minority community. In a statement on Wednesday, Syria's foreign ministry vowed to 'protect all components' of society, including the Druze, and expressed its rejection of 'foreign interference'. Taking up arms Meanwhile, Syrian estate agent Fahd Haidar has shuttered his business and got out his rifle to defend his hometown of Jaramana when it came under attack this week by Islamists loyal to the new government. Seven Druze fighters were among the 17 people killed in the Damascus suburb as clashes raged from Monday into Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. On Wednesday, the sectarian violence spread to the nearby town of Sahnaya, where 22 combatants were killed, the Britain-based war monitor said. Fourteen years after former ruler Bashar Al-Assad's bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests triggered a devastating civil war, Haidar said he feared a return to 'chaos', a slide into a 'quagmire of grievances that will affect every Syrian'. He appealed to the new authorities, who took over after Assad's ouster in December, to step back from the brink and find 'radical solutions' to rein in 'uncontrolled gangs' like those who attacked his mainly Druze and Christian hometown this week. In Jaramana, Druze leaders reached a deal with government representatives on Tuesday evening to put a halt to the fighting. On Wednesday morning, an AFP correspondent saw hundreds of armed Druze, some of them just boys, deployed across the town. 'War footing' Behind mounds of earth piled up as improvised defenses, Druze fighters handed out weapons and ammunition. 'For the past two days, the people of Jaramana have been on a war footing,' said local activist Rabii Mondher. 'Everybody is scared - of war... of coming under siege, of a new assault and new martyrs.' Like many residents in the confessionally mixed town, Mondher said he hoped 'peace will be restored... because we have no choice but to live together'. Mounir Baaker lost his nephew Riadh in this week's clashes. 'We don't take an eye for an eye,' he said tearfully, as he received the condolences of friends and neighbors. 'Jaramana is not used to this,' he went on, holding up a photograph of his slain nephew, who was among a number of young Druze men from the town who signed up to join the new security forces after Assad's ouster. 'We're brought up to be tolerant, not to strike back and not to attack anyone, whoever they are,' he said. 'But we defend ourselves if we are attacked.'- AFP
San Francisco Chronicle
02-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Israeli military strikes near Syria's presidential palace after warning over sectarian attacks
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israel's air force struck near Syria's presidential palace early Friday after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria. The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded. Syria's presidency condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it a 'dangerous escalation against state institutions and the soveignty of the state.' It called on the international community to stand by Syria, saying that such attacks 'target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people.' Friday's strike was Israel's second on Syria this week, and attacking an area close to the presidential palace appears to send a strong warning to Syria's new leadership that is mostly made up of Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. On Thursday, Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticized Syria's government for what he called an 'unjustified genocidal attack' on the minority community. Early Friday, the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway. 'We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,' the statement said. In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where fighting occurred earlier this week, security forces deployed inside the area along with local Druze gunmen, and at a later stage heavy weapons will be handed over to authorities. As part of the deal, forces from the defense ministry will deploy around Jaramana without going inside. Israeli fighter jets strike near the palace The Israeli army said that fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Its statement gave no further details. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strike was 'a clear message' to Syrian leaders. 'We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community," the joint statement said. Pro-government Syrian media outlets said that the strike hit close to the People's Palace on a hill overlooking the city. Over the past two days, the Israeli military said that it had evacuated Syrian Druze who were wounded in the fighting. The Israeli army said in a statement Friday that a soldier was killed and three were slightly injured in an accident in the Golan Heights. An army statement added that the soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital and that the circumstances of the incident were being investigated. Clashes set off by disputed audio clip The clashes broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticizing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric. But cleric Marwan Kiwan said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims. Syria's Information Ministry said that 11 members of the country's security forces were killed in two separate attacks, while Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people — over the past four days of which 51 were killed in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana — were killed in clashes, among them local gunmen and security forces. The Druze religious sect is a minority group that 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, largely in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus. 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.
France 24
02-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
'A dangerous escalation': Syria slams Israeli attack near presidential palace
Israel 's air force struck near Syria 's presidential palace early Friday after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria. The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded. Syria's presidency condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it a 'dangerous escalation against state institutions and the soveignty of the state'. It called on the international community to stand by Syria, saying that such attacks 'target Syria national security and the unity of the Syrian people'. Friday's strike was Israel's second on Syria this week, and attacking an area close to the presidential palace appears to send a strong warning to Syria's new leadership that is mostly made up of Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. On Thursday, Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticized Syria's government for what he called an 'unjustified genocidal attack' on the minority community. Early Friday, the Druze religious leadership said that the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway. 'We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,' the statement said. In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where fighting occurred earlier this week, security forces deployed inside the area along with local Druze gunmen, and at a later stage heavy weapons will be handed over to authorities. As part of the deal, forces from the defence ministry will deploy around Jaramana without going inside. The Israeli army said that fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Its statement gave no further details. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the strike was 'a clear message' to Syrian leaders. 'We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community," the joint statement said. 02:32 Pro-government Syrian media outlets said that the strike hit close to the People's Palace on a hill overlooking the city. Over the past two days, the Israeli military said that it had evacuated Syrian Druze who were wounded in the fighting. The Israeli army said in a statement Friday that a soldier was killed and three were slightly injured in an accident in the Golan Heights. An army statement added that the soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital and that the circumstances of the incident were being investigated. The clashes broke out around midnight Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticizing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric. But cleric Marwan Kiwan said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims. Syria's Information Ministry said that 11 members of the country's security forces were killed in two separate attacks, while Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people – over the past four days of which 51 were killed in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana – were killed in clashes, among them local gunmen and security forces. The Druze religious sect is a minority group that 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, largely in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus. 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.
Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Israeli jets strike near Syrian presidential palace after attacks warning
Israel's air force has struck near Syria's presidential palace after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria. The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded. Friday's strike was Israel's second on Syria this week, and attacking an area close to the presidential palace appears to send a strong warning to Syria's new leadership which is mostly made up of Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Syria's security forces deployed at a highway where they found bodies of Syrian Druze fighters (AP) On Thursday, Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticised Syria's government for what he called an 'unjustified genocidal attack' on the minority community. Early on Friday, the Druze religious leadership said the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway. 'We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,' the statement said. In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where fighting occurred earlier this week, security forces deployed inside the area along with local Druze gunmen, and at a later stage heavy weapons will be handed over to authorities. Clashes erupted in last two days between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters (AP) As part of the deal, forces from the defence ministry will deploy around Jaramana without going inside. The Israeli army said that fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz said the strike was a message to Syrian leaders. 'This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,' said the joint statement. Pro-government Syrian media outlets said the strike hit close to the People's Palace on a hill overlooking the city. Clashes broke out at midnight on Monday (AP) Over the past two days the Israeli military said it had evacuated Syrian Druze who were injured in the fighting. The Israeli army said a soldier was killed and three were lightly injured in an accident in the Golan Heights. An army statement added that the soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment and that the circumstances of the incident are being investigated. The clashes broke out around midnight on Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticising Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric. But cleric Marwan Kiwan said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims. The Druze sect is a minority group (AP) Syria's information ministry said 11 members of the country's security forces were killed in two separate attacks, while the UK-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 56 people in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana were killed in clashes, among them local gunmen and security forces. The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam. More than half of the roughly one million Druze worldwide live in Syria, largely in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in 1981.
BreakingNews.ie
02-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Israeli jets strike near Syrian presidential palace after attacks warning
Israel's air force has struck near Syria's presidential palace after warning Syrian authorities not to march toward villages inhabited by members of a minority sect in southern Syria. The strike came after days of clashes between pro-Syrian government gunmen and fighters who belong to the Druze minority sect near the capital, Damascus. Advertisement The clashes left dozens of people dead or wounded. Friday's strike was Israel's second on Syria this week, and attacking an area close to the presidential palace appears to send a strong warning to Syria's new leadership which is mostly made up of Islamist groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. (AP) On Thursday, Syria's Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri harshly criticised Syria's government for what he called an 'unjustified genocidal attack' on the minority community. Early on Friday, the Druze religious leadership said the community is part of Syria and refuses to break away from the country, adding that the role of the state should be activated in the southern province of Sweida and authorities should be in control of the Sweida-Damascus highway. Advertisement 'We confirm our commitment to a country that includes all Syrians, a nation that is free of strife,' the statement said. In the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, where fighting occurred earlier this week, security forces deployed inside the area along with local Druze gunmen, and at a later stage heavy weapons will be handed over to authorities. Clashes erupted in last two days between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters (AP) As part of the deal, forces from the defence ministry will deploy around Jaramana without going inside. The Israeli army said that fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the Palace of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Advertisement Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz said the strike was a message to Syrian leaders. 'This is a clear message to the Syrian regime. We will not allow the deployment of forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,' said the joint statement. Pro-government Syrian media outlets said the strike hit close to the People's Palace on a hill overlooking the city. Clashes broke out at midnight on Monday (AP) Over the past two days the Israeli military said it had evacuated Syrian Druze who were injured in the fighting. Advertisement The Israeli army said a soldier was killed and three were lightly injured in an accident in the Golan Heights. An army statement added that the soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment and that the circumstances of the incident are being investigated. The clashes broke out around midnight on Monday after an audio clip circulated on social media of a man criticising Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The audio was attributed to a Druze cleric. But cleric Marwan Kiwan said in a video posted on social media that he was not responsible for the audio, which angered many Sunni Muslims. The Druze sect is a minority group (AP) Syria's information ministry said 11 members of the country's security forces were killed in two separate attacks, while the UK-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 56 people in Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana were killed in clashes, among them local gunmen and security forces. Advertisement The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam. More than half of the roughly one million Druze worldwide live in Syria, largely in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in 1981.
