Latest news with #Joumblatt
L'Orient-Le Jour
05-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Behind Joumblatt's visit to Syria
By making a sudden visit to Syria on Friday, Druze leader Walid Joumblatt wanted to sound the alarm once again. Following dangerous developments last week between Syrian Druze and Sunnis, which raised fears of the country's potential partition, the former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader renewed his unconditional support for Syrian unity, which he believes is largely dependent on Lebanon's initiative, which ardently defends the Druze's Arab roots at a time when Israel has stepped into the breach, claiming to defend this community, came the day after deadly incidents in early May between Druze militiamen and armed groups linked to the new power in Damascus. Context Joumblatt and Druze sheikh Akl condemn Israeli attacks in Syria Joumblatt did not make any statements following his meeting with...
LBCI
03-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Walid Joumblatt condemns Israeli strikes on Syria
Former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt condemned the latest Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory, including areas around the capital, Damascus, Friday night. Joumblatt described the repeated Israeli attacks as a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty, warning that such actions undermine efforts to advance the political solution being pursued in coordination with President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. He called on Arab countries and the international community to extend full support to Syria in its efforts to rebuild the state, secure its future, and protect both its territory and citizens. Joumblatt also urged intense pressure on Israel to halt its ongoing violations by air and land and to end its occupation of parts of Syrian territory.
L'Orient-Le Jour
03-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Clashes in Syria: Joumblatt calls for an end to the 'bloodbath'
Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader and Druze MP Taymour Joumblatt condemned on Friday the recent wave of violence targeting the Druze community in Syria, describing the ongoing bloodshed as 'unacceptable.' In a statement posted Friday on X, Joumblatt called for an immediate end to violence and aggression, urging all parties to uphold existing agreements and for the state to take responsibility for ensuring security and stability. He stressed that Syria's future must be built on dialogue, unity, partnership, and equality among its diverse communities. Joumblatt also extended condolences to the families of the victims, referring to them as the "martyrs of Jaramana and Jabal el-Arab"—areas with significant Druze populations that were hit hard by recent clashes. These confrontations erupted between Druze fighters and newly established security forces near Damascus, reportedly leaving over 100 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The violence comes nearly five months after the fall of the Assad regime and the rise to power of Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, who had pledged to protect minorities but has since seen his forces engage in deadly conflicts with both Druze and Alawite communities. In response to the escalating crisis, Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna, spiritual leader of Lebanon's Druze community, convened a meeting Friday at the Druze Religious Council in Beirut. Attended by Arab ambassadors and members of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, the meeting aimed to express the community's concerns and discuss steps to prevent the conflict from spilling over into Lebanon. Abi al-Muna denounced recent sectarian rhetoric and inflammatory remarks, warning against any discourse promoting exclusivist nationalism or hostility toward Islamic groups. He emphasized the importance of safeguarding sanctities and maintaining intercommunal harmony during this volatile period.
L'Orient-Le Jour
03-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Lebanese Druze leaders denounce 'bloodshed' as Walid Joumblatt visits Syria
The deadly clashes in Syria between Druze fighters and security forces — which have killed over 100, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights — continue to reverberate among the Druze community in Lebanon. MP Taymour Joumblatt denounced the violence as a 'bloodbath,' while Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mona, the spiritual leader of the Druze in Lebanon, warned against rhetoric that could stoke division. Former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt traveled to Syria on Friday and met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, according to the National News Agency (NNA). On Wednesday, Joumblatt had called for the formation of a dialogue committee including all factions in a bid to find a political solution to the conflict. NNA reported that Joumblatt left the Syrian presidential palace without making any statements. In a post on his X account, Taymour Joumblatt — head of the Progressive Socialist Party and Walid's son — condemned what he called an 'unacceptable bloodbath' and stressed the need to 'put an end to all forms of violence and aggression,' urging a return to 'reason and wisdom.' 'Everyone is responsible for upholding the agreements that were made, and the state must ensure security and stability,' he added, saying that the rebuilding of Syria 'can only begin through dialogue, partnership, unity, and equality among the country's components.' Taymour Joumblatt also extended his condolences to the families of the victims — 'the martyrs of Jaramana and Jabal al-Arab,' two areas located in the western outskirts of Damascus and around 100 kilometers southwest of the Syrian capital. On April 29, Druze leaders and Damascus had reached an agreement to bring to justice those behind the deadly assault on Jaramana. The clashes come nearly five months after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime and the takeover by Sharaa, leader of the jihadist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, who led a coalition of rebel groups in ousting the former government. Although the new regime initially pledged to protect minorities, clashes have broken out, particularly with Druze and Alawites, the sect to which the Assad family belongs and that ruled Syria for more than five decades. Those battles have resulted in hundreds of deaths. The violence involving Druze fighters has also prompted a response from Israel, which said it struck positions held by the new regime in Syria to 'defend' the Druze minority, which also exists within Israel. Separately, Sheikh Abi al-Mona — who convened a meeting of Arab ambassadors attended by members of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, mainly composed of PSP MPs — condemned 'sectarian and inflammatory rhetoric.' He warned against language 'promoting exclusive nationalism and hostility toward other Islamic communities.' The meeting was intended to clarify the Lebanese Druze community's stance on the events in Syria, convey its concerns, and highlight the need for those concerns to be addressed. Participants also discussed ways to prevent the tensions from spilling into Lebanon. 'What matters to the Lebanese government is the establishment of security and stability in Syria, as well as guaranteeing the safety of its people and fulfilling their hopes and aspirations,' said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Friday, affirming that 'Lebanon stands in solidarity with Syria in the face of Israeli aggression, and is deeply attached to the unity of its territory.'
Al Arabiya
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Lebanon Druze leader accuses Israel of exploiting minority in Syria
Lebanese Druze leader Walid Joumblatt has accused Israel of exploiting followers of his minority faith in Syria as part of a broader plan to divide the Middle East along sectarian lines. Israel wants 'to implement the plan it has always had... which is to break up the region into confessional entities and extend the chaos,' said Joumblatt, a key figure in Lebanese politics for more than four decades. 'They want to annihilate Gaza, then it will be the West Bank's turn... they are trying to destabilize Syria, through the Druze but also others,' he told AFP in an interview Wednesday. 'It's a dangerous game.' Israel has been making overtures towards Syria's Druze community since Islamist-led rebels ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of war. Since then, Israel has sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone along the armistice line on the Golan Heights, and war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported regular Israeli incursions deeper into southern Syria. The Druze faith has followers in Israel, Lebanon and Syria, including the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. They account for about three percent of Syria's population and are concentrated in the southern province of Sweida. This month, Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said 10,000 humanitarian aid packages had been sent to 'the Druze community in battle areas of Syria' over the past few weeks. 'Israel has a bold alliance with our Druze brothers and sisters,' he told journalists. Prevent the division Israel also authorized the first pilgrimage in decades by Syrian Druze clerics to a revered shrine in Israel. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would not allow Syria's new rulers 'to harm the Druze,' following a deadly clash between government-linked forces and Druze fighters in the suburbs of Damascus. Druze leaders rejected Katz's warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria. Druze representatives have been negotiating with Syria's new authorities on an agreement that would see their armed groups integrated into the new national army. The talks had almost reached completion but 'Israeli pressure' on some parties prevented the accord from being finalized, a source close to the negotiations told AFP, requesting anonymity as the matter is sensitive. Joumblatt noted that during the French mandate in the 1920s and 1930s, 'Syria was divided into four entities: an Alawite state, a Druze state, the state of Damascus and the state of Aleppo,' the latter two being Sunni Muslim. 'The Druze, with the other Syrian nationalists, were able to prevent the division of Syria' by launching a revolt and the plan later collapsed, he said. He expressed hope that any new division of Syria could be avoided, appealing to Arab leaders to support interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Criminal Joumblatt in December was the first Lebanese official to meet Sharaa after his group spearheaded the offensive that ousted Assad. Sharaa told Joumblatt that Syria would no longer exert 'negative interference' in Lebanon, after Assad's dynasty was accused of destabilizing Lebanon for years and assassinating numerous Lebanese officials, including Joumblatt's father. Kamal Joumblatt, who founded the Progressive Socialist Party and opposed Assad's father Hafez over his troops' intervention in the Lebanese civil war, was killed near the Syrian border in 1977. This month, Syrian security forces arrested former intelligence officer Ibrahim Huweija, suspected of numerous killings including that of Joumblatt's father. 'He's a big criminal, he also committed crimes against the Syrian people and should be tried in Syria,' Joumblatt said. Lebanon's new authorities have been under pressure since a devastating war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, an Assad ally, Joumblatt said. 'The Americans want Lebanon to normalize ties with Israel,' he said. Under a November ceasefire, Hezbollah was to withdraw fighters from the border area and dismantle its military infrastructure there. The Israeli army was also to withdraw but troops are still deployed in five positions inside Lebanon that it deems strategic.
