Latest news with #SectarianClashes
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
What's Behind the New Violence and Israeli Strikes in Syria
Sectarian clashes continue to bedevil Syria, more than six months on from the toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime at the hands of Sunni Islamists in December. New President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed to protect minority groups including the Druze and the Alawites, who formerly dominated power in Syria. But after almost 15 years of civil war that left the country's institutions and economy largely wrecked, that's proving tough.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Syria clashes continue as Sharaa regime struggles to enforce ceasefire
Sectarian clashes escalated in Syria's predominantly Druze region of Sweida as the country's new Islamist regime struggled to implement a ceasefire after days of bloodshed. Shelling and firing were heard as Druze fighters reportedly pushed out Bedouin gunmen from Sweida city on Saturday. The regime in Damascus announced that it had deployed forces in the southern region to maintain peace and urged all parties to stop fighting after hundreds of people were killed in nearly a week of clashes. The interior ministry claimed late on Saturday that clashes had stopped after Sweida was cleared of Bedouin tribal fighters. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in the UK, said clashes since last week around Sweida had killed at least 940 people. Interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Isis and Al Qaeda leader who took power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad late last year, said "Arab and American' mediation had helped restore calm, only for the clashes to escalate on Sunday. Mr Sharaa criticised Israel for launching airstrikes in Syria during the week. The attacks targeted Sweida as well as the new regime's defence ministry headquarters in Damascus. Israeli forces had previously conducted a series of devastating attacks on military installations across Syria and invaded the border regions just as the Shaara regime was taking over last December. The attacks on Syrian military facilities have continued in the seven months since and Israel has said it wants areas of Syria near its border to remain demilitarised. The Sweida province has been engulfed by almost a week of violence. It began with clashes between the Druze – a religious minority native to southern Syria, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon and Jordan – and Bedouin tribes. Government forces arrived to try and quell tensions, clashing with Druze gunmen and attacking the community. The Bedouin clans announced on Sunday that they had withdrawn. Mr Sharaa appealed to the Druze community for calm and urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying they "cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country's affairs and restoring security". The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam. More than half of the nearly one million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Mansour Namour, a villager from near Sweida city, said mortar shells were still landing near his home on Saturday afternoon and that at least 22 people had been wounded. A doctor in Sweida said the local hospital was full of bodies and wounded people from days of violence. "All the injuries are from bombs, some people with their chests wounded. There are also injuries to limbs from shrapnel," Omar Obeid, director of the hospital, told the Associated Press. US secretary of state Marco Rubio demanded an end to "the rape and slaughter of innocent people" in the Mideast nation. "If authorities in Damascus want to preserve any chance of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria free of ISIS and of Iranian control they must help end this calamity by using the security forces to prevent ISIS and any other violent jihadists from entering the area and carrying out massacres,' he said on Saturday. "And they must hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities, including those in their own ranks." US envoy Tom Barrack earlier announced that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Mr Barrack, who serves as America's Syria envoy as well as its ambassador to Turkey, said the truce was supported by Turkey, Jordan and other neighbouring countries. The Syrian presidency announced an immediate ceasefire and urged an end to hostilities. Mr Sharaa said Syria would not be a "testing ground for partition, secession, or sectarian incitement". "The Israeli intervention pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability," he said in a televised speech. The leader appeared to blame Druze gunmen for the latest clashes, accusing them of revenge attacks against Bedouins.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Clashes rage in Druze region as Syria struggles to enforce ceasefire
By Khalil Ashawi and Laila Bassam , Reuters Tribal and bedouin fighters cross Walga town as they mobilise amid clashes with Druze gunmen, near the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria on July 19, 2025. Photo: ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP Sectarian clashes escalated in Syria's predominantly Druze region of Sweida, with machinegun fire and mortar shelling ringing out after days of bloodshed as the Islamist-led government struggles to implement a ceasefire . Reuters reporters heard gunfire from inside the city of Sweida and saw shells land in nearby villages. There were no immediate, confirmed reports of casualties. The government had said security forces were deploying in the southern region to try to keep peace, and urged all parties to stop fighting after nearly a week of factional bloodshed in which hundreds have been killed. Late on Saturday (US Time), the interior ministry said clashes in Sweida city had been halted and the area cleared of Bedouin tribal fighters following the deployment. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said clashes since last week around Sweida had killed at least 940 people . Reuters could not independently verify the toll. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said "Arab and American" mediation had helped restore calm, before the clashes escalated. He criticised Israel for airstrikes during the week . The fighting is the latest challenge to the control of Sharaa's Islamist-dominated government, which took over after rebels toppled autocratic president Bashar al-Assad in December. It started last week as clashes between the Druze - a religious minority native to southern Syria, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon and Jordan - and Syrian Bedouin tribes. Government forces then arrived to try to quell tensions, clashing with Druze gunmen and attacking the Druze community. The violence once again pitted Druze against Bedouin, witnesses said. The fighting has drawn in neighbouring Israel, which carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the defence ministry in Damascus this week while government forces were fighting with the Druze. Israel said it was protecting the Druze, who also form a significant minority in Israel. But Israel and Washington differ over Syria. The US supports a centralised Syria under Sharaa's government, which has pledged to rule for all citizens, while Israel said the government was dominated by jihadists and a danger to minorities. In March, Syria's military was involved in mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, to which much of Assad's elite belonged. In a statement on Saturday (US time), the Syrian presidency announced an immediate ceasefire and urged an immediate end to hostilities. Sharaa said Syria would not be a "testing ground for partition, secession or sectarian incitement". "The Israeli intervention pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability," he said in a televised speech. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa upon his arrival for a meeting with the French president at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on May 7, 2025 (L) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group's chief Abu Mohamed al-Jolani (now Ahmed al-Sharaa) in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, on February 7, 2023. Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN, OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP Sharaa appeared to blame Druze gunmen for the latest clashes, accusing them of revenge attacks against Bedouins. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sharaa was siding with the perpetrators. "In al-Shara's Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority - Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian," he posted on X. US envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday (US Time) that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Barrack, who is both US ambassador to Turkey and Washington's Syria envoy, urged Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis, together with other minorities, to "build a new and united Syrian identity". Israel has attacked Syrian military facilities in the seven months since Assad fell, and said it wanted areas of southern Syria near its border to remain demilitarised. On Friday (US Time), an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to Sweida for two days. Mansour Namour, a resident of a village near Sweida city, said mortar shells were still landing near his home on Saturday afternoon (US Time), and that at least 22 people had been wounded. A doctor in Sweida said a local hospital was full of bodies and wounded people from days of violence. "All the injuries are from bombs, some people with their chests wounded. There are also injuries to limbs from shrapnel," director of the hospital Omar Obeid said. - Reuters
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Clashes rage in Druze region as Syria struggles to enforce ceasefire
By Laila Bassam DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Sectarian clashes escalated in Syria's predominantly Druze region of Sweida on Saturday, with machinegun fire and mortar shelling ringing out after days of bloodshed as the Islamist-led government struggled to implement a ceasefire. Reuters reporters heard gunfire from inside the city of Sweida and saw shells land in nearby villages. There were no immediate, confirmed reports of casualties. The government had said security forces were deploying in the southern region to try to keep peace, and urged all parties to stop fighting after nearly a week of factional bloodshed in which hundreds have been killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said clashes since last week around Sweida had killed at least 940 people. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said "Arab and American" mediation had helped restore calm, before the clashes escalated. He criticised Israel for airstrikes during the week. VIOLENCE IN DRUZE REGION CHALLENGES DAMASCUS The fighting is the latest challenge to the control of Sharaa's Islamist-dominated government, which took over after rebels toppled autocratic president Bashar al-Assad in December. It started last week as clashes between the Druze - a religious minority native to southern Syria, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon and Jordan - and Syrian Bedouin tribes. Government forces then arrived to try to quell tensions, clashing with Druze gunmen and attacking the Druze community. Saturday's violence once again pitted Druze against Bedouin, witnesses said. The fighting has drawn in neighbouring Israel, which carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the Defence Ministry in Damascus this week while government forces were fighting with the Druze. Israel says it is protecting the Druze, who also form a significant minority in Israel. But Israel and Washington differ over Syria. The U.S. supports a centralised Syria under Sharaa's government, which has pledged to rule for all citizens, while Israel says the government is dominated by jihadists and a danger to minorities. In March, Syria's military was involved in mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, to which much of Assad's elite belonged. ISRAEL-SYRIA TENSIONS In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate ceasefire and urged an immediate end to hostilities. The interior ministry said internal forces had begun deploying. Sharaa said Syria would not be a "testing ground for partition, secession, or sectarian incitement". "The Israeli intervention pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability," he said in a televised speech. Sharaa appeared to blame Druze gunmen for the latest clashes, accusing them of revenge attacks against Bedouins. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sharaa was siding with the perpetrators. "In al-Shara's Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority — Kurd, Druze, Alawite, or Christian," he posted on X. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Barrack, who is both U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Washington's Syria envoy, urged Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis, together with other minorities, to "build a new and united Syrian identity". Israel has attacked Syrian military facilities in the seven months since Assad fell, and says it wants areas of southern Syria near its border to remain demilitarised. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to Sweida for two days. SWEIDA HOSPITAL FILLS WITH CASUALTIES Mansour Namour, a resident of a village near Sweida city, said mortar shells were still landing near his home on Saturday afternoon, and that at least 22 people had been wounded. A doctor in Sweida said a local hospital was full of bodies and wounded people from days of violence. "All the injuries are from bombs, some people with their chests wounded. There are also injuries to limbs from shrapnel," said Omar Obeid, director of the hospital.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Clashes rage in Druze region as Syria struggles to enforce ceasefire
DAMASCUS, July 19 (Reuters) - Sectarian clashes escalated in Syria's predominantly Druze region of Sweida on Saturday, with machinegun fire and mortar shelling ringing out after days of bloodshed as the Islamist-led government struggled to implement a ceasefire. Reuters reporters heard gunfire from inside the city of Sweida and saw shells land in nearby villages. There were no immediate, confirmed reports of casualties. The government had said security forces were deploying in the southern region to try to keep peace, and urged all parties to stop fighting after nearly a week of factional bloodshed in which hundreds have been killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said clashes since last week around Sweida had killed at least 940 people. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said "Arab and American" mediation had helped restore calm, before the clashes escalated. He criticised Israel for airstrikes during the week. The fighting is the latest challenge to the control of Sharaa's Islamist-dominated government, which took over after rebels toppled autocratic president Bashar al-Assad in December. It started last week as clashes between the Druze - a religious minority native to southern Syria, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon and Jordan - and Syrian Bedouin tribes. Government forces then arrived to try to quell tensions, clashing with Druze gunmen and attacking the Druze community. Saturday's violence once again pitted Druze against Bedouin, witnesses said. The fighting has drawn in neighbouring Israel, which carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the Defence Ministry in Damascus this week while government forces were fighting with the Druze. Israel says it is protecting the Druze, who also form a significant minority in Israel. But Israel and Washington differ over Syria. The U.S. supports a centralised Syria under Sharaa's government, which has pledged to rule for all citizens, while Israel says the government is dominated by jihadists and a danger to minorities. In March, Syria's military was involved in mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, to which much of Assad's elite belonged. In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate ceasefire and urged an immediate end to hostilities. The interior ministry said internal forces had begun deploying. Sharaa said Syria would not be a "testing ground for partition, secession, or sectarian incitement". "The Israeli intervention pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability," he said in a televised speech. Sharaa appeared to blame Druze gunmen for the latest clashes, accusing them of revenge attacks against Bedouins. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sharaa was siding with the perpetrators. "In al-Shara's Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority — Kurd, Druze, Alawite, or Christian," he posted on X. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Barrack, who is both U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Washington's Syria envoy, urged Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis, together with other minorities, to "build a new and united Syrian identity". Israel has attacked Syrian military facilities in the seven months since Assad fell, and says it wants areas of southern Syria near its border to remain demilitarised. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to Sweida for two days. Mansour Namour, a resident of a village near Sweida city, said mortar shells were still landing near his home on Saturday afternoon, and that at least 22 people had been wounded. A doctor in Sweida said a local hospital was full of bodies and wounded people from days of violence. "All the injuries are from bombs, some people with their chests wounded. There are also injuries to limbs from shrapnel," said Omar Obeid, director of the hospital.
