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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
After Israel allowed ‘limited entry' to Sweida, Syria denies plan to redeploy forces in Druze-Sunni clash region
Syria's interior ministry spokesperson stated on Friday that government forces were not prepared to redeploy to Sweida Province, according to the official news agency read more Syria's security forces enter the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on July 15, 2025, following clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters. Syrian government forces entered the majority Druze city of Sweida on July 15, 2025, the interior ministry said, aiming to end clashes with Bedouin tribes that have killed nearly 100 people. (Photo by Sam HARIRI / AFP) Israel has agreed to allow Syrian forces limited entry into the Sweida area of southern Syria for the next two days, an Israeli official said on Friday, following days of killing in and around Syria's Druze city of Sweida. 'In light of the ongoing instability in southwest Syria, Israel has agreed to allow limited entry of the (Syrian) internal security forces into Sweida district for the next 48 hours,' an officer who refused to be named told reporters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Syria's interior ministry spokesperson stated on Friday that government forces were not prepared to redeploy to Sweida Province, according to the official news agency. Syrian army withdrew from Sweida after a truce was declared on Wednesday, but fighting resumed late Thursday between rebels from Bedouin tribes and the Druze, a religious minority in Syria with supporters in Lebanon and Israel. The skirmishes in Sweida province continued into Friday, according to Sweida locals and Ryan Marouf, the head of local news source Sweida24. Damascus dispatched forces to Sweida, which is next to Israeli-controlled territory, this week in an attempt to settle some of Syria's most serious internal violence since the interim government took power late last year. The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported 254 deaths in four days of violence, including medical workers, women, and children. Israel became involved in the conflict on Wednesday. It stated that it would not allow Syria's Islamist-led government to send soldiers to the south, assaulted Syrian forces in Sweida and Syria's defence ministry, and struck near the presidential palace in Damascus. Describing Syria's new rulers as thinly veiled Islamists, Israel has pledged to protect the area's Druze people, bolstered by pleas from its own Druze minority. Israel's military launched additional assaults in Sweida province overnight. UN agencies' concerns The head of the UN human rights office urged Syria's interim authorities to ensure accountability justice for what it said are credible reports of widespread rights violations during the fighting, including summary executions and kidnappings, the office said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At least 13 people were unlawfully killed in one recorded incident on July 15 when affiliates of the interim authorities opened fire at a family gathering, the OHCHR said. Six men were summarily executed near their homes the same day. The UN refugee agency on Friday urged all sides to allow humanitarian access, which it said had been curtailed by the violence. Israel's deep distrust of Syria's new Islamist-led leadership appears to be at odds with the United States, which said it did not support the recent Israeli strikes on Syria. The US intervened to help secure the earlier truce between government forces and Druze fighters, and the White House said on Thursday that it appeared to be holding. Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has worked to establish warmer ties with the US, accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority.
First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Druze-Sunni clashes: Almost 600 killed in south Syria violence, says war monitor
Nearly 600 people have died in southern Syria amid recent violence between Bedouin and Druze communities in Suweida province, according to SOHR. read more Syria's security forces enter the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on July 15, 2025, following clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters. Syrian government forces entered the majority Druze city of Sweida on July 15, 2025, the interior ministry said, aiming to end clashes with Bedouin tribes that have killed nearly 100 people. (Photo by Sam HARIRI / AFP) Nearly 600 people have died in southern Syria amidst recent violence, according to a monitoring group, as reported by the BBC. The UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) documented that 594 individuals have been killed in the Suweida province since Sunday, marking a significant outbreak of brutality. The violence, which has taken on a sectarian dimension, was reportedly sparked by a dispute between the Bedouin and Druze communities. The SOHR stated that 300 members of the Druze religious minority were among the dead, including 146 fighters and 154 civilians. The report further noted that 83 Druze civilians were 'summarily executed' by government forces. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In addition, at least 257 government personnel and 18 Bedouin fighters were killed, the SOHR added. It also stated that Druze fighters summarily killed three Bedouin civilians. Furthermore, 15 government personnel were reportedly killed in Israeli air strikes, which Israel claimed were carried out to protect the Druze and force government forces to withdraw from Suweida, according to the BBC. While it was not immediately possible to verify the SOHR's figures, security sources cited by the BBC put the death toll at 300. Another monitoring group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, stated it had documented the deaths of at least 169 civilians. An uneasy calm has mostly held on Thursday, with the withdrawal of government forces from the Druze-majority city of Suweida, according to the BBC. Residents reported scenes of damage and looting, as well as bodies being found in the streets. Convoys of fighters from Syria's Islamist-led government began entering the city on Monday, ostensibly to restore order following the clashes between the Druze and Bedouin. The Syrian government announced a ceasefire on Wednesday evening ahead of its withdrawal. However, one prominent Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, rejected it, calling for further fighting until the 'total liberation of our province from gangs', referring to government forces, the BBC noted. Sheikh Hajri, whose followers led the fighting against the government's forces, has sought to forge close relationships with Israel. On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel intended to continue imposing its interests on Syria with force. Netanyahu said that Israel's intervention in the clashes was partly to protect the Druze, but also to prevent the Syrian military from deploying in the south of the country. Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a televised statement on Wednesday evening that Israel's attacks were an attempt to destabilise his country. Addressing Syria's Druze, he affirmed that protecting their rights and freedoms is among the government's top priorities, the BBC reports. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The UN's humanitarian agency, OCHA, stated that 'nearly 2,000 families have been displaced' by the violence across the southern province.
