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L'Orient-Le Jour
03-05-2025
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Syria's most influential Druze leader attacks government, denounces 'massacres'
The most influential Druze religious leader in Syria on Thursday denounced a "genocidal campaign" against his community and lashed out at the government of Ahmad al-Sharaa, following sectarian clashes that claimed more than 100 lives in two days, according to an NGO. These clashes near and south of Damascus between Druze fighters and armed groups linked to Sunni leadership illustrated the ongoing instability in Syria, nearly five months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad. In a statement, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri denounced an "unjustified genocidal campaign" targeting "civilians in their homes" and called for "immediate intervention by international forces." "We no longer trust an entity that claims to be a government ... A government does not kill its people using its own extremist militias, then, after massacres, claims that they were uncontrolled elements. A government protects its people," he said Reacting on X, Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shibani stated that "any call for foreign intervention, under any pretext or slogan, will lead to a deterioration of the situation and more divisions." The fighting in Jaramana and Sahnaya, where Christians and Druze live, as well as in predominantly Druze Sweida, has revived the specter of massacres that left more than 1,700 dead in early March, mostly Alawite minority members. The violence was triggered by pro-Assad attacks against security forces. Claiming to defend the Druze, Israel, Syria's neighbor with whom it is technically at war, threatened to strike Syria in case of further violence against this minority. The Druze are an esoteric minority from Shiite Islam, and its members are distributed mainly between Lebanon, Syria and Israel. The Alawites are another minority branch of Islam, while Sunni Islam and Shiite Islam are its two main branches. 'Firm commitment' The clashes were triggered Monday night by an attack by government-affiliated armed groups against Jaramana, following the dissemination on social media of an audio message attributed to a Druze and deemed blasphemous against the Prophet Muhammad. AFP could not verify the authenticity of the message. Syrian authorities accused "outlaw groups" of causing the violence. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 30 members of government-linked Islamist security forces and fighters were killed, as well as 21 Druze fighters and 10 civilians during clashes in the suburbs of Jaramana and Sahnaya, near Damascus, on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the province of Sweida, a Druze stronghold near Israel, 40 other Druze fighters were killed Wednesday, including 35 in an ambush. On this occasion, the Syrian government stated its "firm commitment to protect all components of the Syrian people, including the Druze community." It also expressed "its categorical rejection of any foreign interference" after Israeli military intervention. 'Spreading chaos' Israel conducted several strikes, claiming to target Syrian government objectives. The Druze in Israel form an Arabic-speaking minority of about 150,000 people known for their patriotism and are overrepresented in the army and police relative to their numbers. In neighboring Lebanon, Walid Joumblatt accused Israel of exploiting the Druze in Syria. "Israel continues to want to implement its long-standing plan ... to divide the region into sectarian entities and spread chaos," he said at the end of March. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, overthrown by a coalition of Islamist rebel factions led by Sharaa after more than 13 years of civil war, Israel has multiplied gestures of openness towards the Druze. But Druze dignitaries have stated their commitment to the unity of Syria and rejected Israeli threats against the Syrian power. "By positioning itself as protector of the Druze community, Israel hopes to both find local allies, particularly in southern Syria, but also to exert influence at a time when Syria's future remains uncertain," said Michael Horowitz, an independent analyst. France condemned "the deadly sectarian violence against the Druze in Syria" and called "on Israel not to take unilateral actions that could exacerbate community tensions." Reactions in Lebanon In Lebanon, Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mouna spoke by phone with Saudi Ambassador Walid Boukhari to inform him of the ongoing situation in Ashrafieh Sahnaya and its surroundings, according to the National News Agency (NNA). It was agreed to consider urgently holding a meeting at the Druze community house, bringing together several ambassadors from influential countries on the Syrian issue, to work on a common position aimed at stopping the bloodshed and acts of violence and brutality targeting civilians in their homes and villages, the NNA added. On Wednesday, the two main Lebanese Druze figures, Joumblatt and Mouna, intensified their diplomatic efforts to contain the escalation, denounce any attempt at Israeli interference and call for an immediate cease-fire. The Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party in Lebanon said in a statement that "the serious events of a sectarian, religious, and criminal nature occurring in Jarmana, Sahnaya, Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and Sweida, herald a major turning point that threatens the future, unity, and stability of Syria." The party condemned "all killings and sectarian reactions," calling on everyone to "exercise the utmost wisdom and responsibility in dealing with the sedition project that many parties seek to achieve, aiming to destroy the social structure and infrastructure of the state in Syria."
Japan Today
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
What is behind the latest round of clashes in Syria between Druze and pro-government gunmen
A Druze man, center, stands next to Syrian security forces who reached a deal with Druze gunmen to deploy around the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana that has witnessed fighting earlier this week in Damascus, Syria, early Friday, May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) By BASSEM MROUE Four days of clashes between pro-government gunmen and members of a minority sect in Syria have left nearly 100 people dead and raised fears of deadly sectarian violence. The country is deeply divided as it tries to emerge from decades of dictatorship. The clashes are the worst between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters since the fall of President Bashar Assad in early December whose family ruled Syria with an iron grip for more than five decades. The situation between the two sides has been tense for weeks and a smaller clash broke out in March in a suburb of Damascus. Here are the main reasons the clashes expanded in recent days and background on the two sides: The Druze religious sec t is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half 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. In Syria, they largely live in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south. The transitional government has promised to include the Druze, but has so far kept authority in the hands of the Islamist former insurgents who toppled Assad in December — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The new 23-member government in Syria announced in late March only has one Druze member, Minister of Agriculture Amjad Badr. Under the Assad family's tight rule, religious freedom was guaranteed as the country then boasted about its secular and Arab nationalist system. The Druze have been slightly divided over how to deal with their issues with the new status quo in the country. Most Druze support a dialogue with the government while others support a more confrontational approach, so the reactions have differed while they are all concerned about the safety of their people. Syria's religious and ethnic communities are worried about their place in Syria's new system that is mostly run by Islamists including some who have links to extremist groups. The country's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa himself is a former militant who once was a member of al-Qaida and was held for years in jails in neighboring Iraq for his role in the anti-American insurgency. Although al-Sharaa had said that the right of ethnic and religious minorities will be protected, there have been several rounds of sectarian killings since Assad's fall. The Assad family rule that was dominated by members of the Alawite sect had oppressed much of the country's Sunni majority while giving minorities some powers. Being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamic group in the country decades ago, was punishable by death as of the 1980s. The Druze have major concerns about Muslim groups since they came under attack by members of the Islamic State group in 2018 in the southern Sweida province. It left dozens killed or wounded and more than two dozen people were taken hostage for nearly four months. Muslim extremists consider the Druze heretics. During Syria's 14-year conflict, the Druze had their own militias. The clashes broke out around midnight Monday in the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana 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. The fighting later spread to the outskirts of the southern town of Sakhnaya triggering the first Israeli airstrike against pro-government gunmen. Israeli officials, whose country has its own Druze community, have vowed to protect the Druze of Syria and warned Islamic groups form entering predominantly Druze areas. The clashes have pulled Israel further into the conflict with the airstrike two days ago and Friday marked a major increase in tensions with an attack close to the presidential palace in Damascus in what Syria's presidency called a major escalation. Israel does not want what it calls Islamic extremists near the country's northern border. Since Assad's fall, Israel has carved a buffer zone in southern Syria and has destroyed much of the Syrian army's assets so they don't fall into the hands of groups that removed him from power. Israel had been warning for decades that Iran and its proxies pose a danger along its northern border, and now it is doing the same with the new authorities in Syria who are backed by Turkey. Other sporadic attacks in different areas as well as an ambush on the Damascus-Sweida highway made the situation worse until a deal was reached early Friday after which Interior Ministry forces and local Druze gunmen deployed in different areas. The Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people were killed over the past four days, of which 51 were killed in Sakhnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana. Among them were local gunmen and security forces. The clashes near Damascus and in southern Syria came nearly two months after an ambush by fighters loyal to Assad triggered days of sectarian and revenge attacks. The fighting in the country's coastal region left more than 1,000 people dead. Many of the dead were civilians who were gunned down because they belonged to the minority Alawite sect that Assad belongs to. Security forces deployed in the coastal province of Latakia and Tartus but activists say that sectarian killings against Alawites are still taking place albeit at a much slower pace when compared to the early March attacks. Members of religious minorities in Syria such as Alawites, Christians and Druze fear persecution by the main Sunni Muslim groups. Videos have circulated on social media showing Islamist fighters insulting Druze detainees and humiliating them such as shaving their mustaches. Associated Press writer Ibrahim Hazboun contributed to this report from Jerusalem. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
What is behind the latest round of clashes in Syria between Druze and pro-government gunmen
BEIRUT (AP) — Four days of clashes between pro-government gunmen and members of a minority sect in Syria have left nearly 100 people dead and raised fears of deadly sectarian violence. The country is deeply divided as it tries to emerge from decades of dictatorship. The clashes are the worst between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters since the fall of President Bashar Assad in early December whose family ruled Syria with an iron grip for more than five decades. The situation between the two sides has been tense for weeks and a smaller clash broke out in March in a suburb of Damascus. Here are the main reasons the clashes expanded in recent days and background on the two sides: Who are the Druze? The Druze religious sec t is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half 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. In Syria, they largely live in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south. The transitional government has promised to include the Druze, but has so far kept authority in the hands of the Islamist former insurgents who toppled Assad in December — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The new 23-member government in Syria announced in late March only has one Druze member, Minister of Agriculture Amjad Badr. Under the Assad family's tight rule, religious freedom was guaranteed as the country then boasted about its secular and Arab nationalist system. The Druze have been slightly divided over how to deal with their issues with the new status quo in the country. Most Druze support a dialogue with the government while others support a more confrontational approach, so the reactions have differed while they are all concerned about the safety of their people. What is behind the tension between the two sides Syria's religious and ethnic communities are worried about their place in Syria's new system that is mostly run by Islamists including some who have links to extremist groups. The country's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa himself is a former militant who once was a member of al-Qaida and was held for years in jails in neighboring Iraq for his role in the anti-American insurgency. Although al-Sharaa had said that the right of ethnic and religious minorities will be protected, there have been several rounds of sectarian killings since Assad's fall. The Assad family rule that was dominated by members of the Alawite sect had oppressed much of the country's Sunni majority while giving minorities some powers. Being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamic group in the country decades ago, was punishable by death as of the 1980s. The Druze have major concerns about Muslim groups since they came under attack by members of the Islamic State group in 2018 in the southern Sweida province. It left dozens killed or wounded and more than two dozen people were taken hostage for nearly four months. Muslim extremists consider the Druze heretics. During Syria's 14-year conflict, the Druze had their own militias. What triggered the clashes? The clashes broke out around midnight Monday in the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana 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. The fighting later spread to the outskirts of the southern town of Sakhnaya triggering the first Israeli airstrike against pro-government gunmen. Israeli officials, whose country has its own Druze community, have vowed to protect the Druze of Syria and warned Islamic groups form entering predominantly Druze areas. The clashes have pulled Israel further into the conflict with the airstrike two days ago and Friday marked a major increase in tensions with an attack close to the presidential palace in Damascus in what Syria's presidency called a major escalation. Israel does not want what it calls Islamic extremists near the country's northern border. Since Assad's fall, Israel has carved a buffer zone in southern Syria and has destroyed much of the Syrian army's assets so they don't fall into the hands of groups that removed him from power. Israel had been warning for decades that Iran and its proxies pose a danger along its northern border, and now it is doing the same with the new authorities in Syria who are backed by Turkey. Other sporadic attacks in different areas as well as an ambush on the Damascus-Sweida highway made the situation worse until a deal was reached early Friday after which Interior Ministry forces and local Druze gunmen deployed in different areas. The Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people were killed over the past four days, of which 51 were killed in Sakhnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana. Among them were local gunmen and security forces. What are the main concerns? The clashes near Damascus and in southern Syria came nearly two months after an ambush by fighters loyal to Assad triggered days of sectarian and revenge attacks . The fighting in the country's coastal region left more than 1,000 people dead. Many of the dead were civilians who were gunned down because they belonged to the minority Alawite sect that Assad belongs to. Security forces deployed in the coastal province of Latakia and Tartus but activists say that sectarian killings against Alawites are still taking place albeit at a much slower pace when compared to the early March attacks. Members of religious minorities in Syria such as Alawites, Christians and Druze fear persecution by the main Sunni Muslim groups. Videos have circulated on social media showing Islamist fighters insulting Druze detainees and humiliating them such as shaving their mustaches. ___ Associated Press writer Ibrahim Hazboun contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What is behind the latest round of clashes in Syria between Druze and pro-government gunmen
BEIRUT (AP) — Four days of clashes between pro-government gunmen and members of a minority sect in Syria have left nearly 100 people dead and raised fears of deadly sectarian violence. The country is deeply divided as it tries to emerge from decades of dictatorship. The clashes are the worst between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters since the fall of President Bashar Assad in early December whose family ruled Syria with an iron grip for more than five decades. The situation between the two sides has been tense for weeks and a smaller clash broke out in March in a suburb of Damascus. Here are the main reasons the clashes expanded in recent days and background on the two sides: Who are the Druze? The Druze religious sec t is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half 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. In Syria, they largely live in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south. The transitional government has promised to include the Druze, but has so far kept authority in the hands of the Islamist former insurgents who toppled Assad in December — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The new 23-member government in Syria announced in late March only has one Druze member, Minister of Agriculture Amjad Badr. Under the Assad family's tight rule, religious freedom was guaranteed as the country then boasted about its secular and Arab nationalist system. The Druze have been slightly divided over how to deal with their issues with the new status quo in the country. Most Druze support a dialogue with the government while others support a more confrontational approach, so the reactions have differed while they are all concerned about the safety of their people. What is behind the tension between the two sides Syria's religious and ethnic communities are worried about their place in Syria's new system that is mostly run by Islamists including some who have links to extremist groups. The country's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa himself is a former militant who once was a member of al-Qaida and was held for years in jails in neighboring Iraq for his role in the anti-American insurgency. Although al-Sharaa had said that the right of ethnic and religious minorities will be protected, there have been several rounds of sectarian killings since Assad's fall. The Assad family rule that was dominated by members of the Alawite sect had oppressed much of the country's Sunni majority while giving minorities some powers. Being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamic group in the country decades ago, was punishable by death as of the 1980s. The Druze have major concerns about Muslim groups since they came under attack by members of the Islamic State group in 2018 in the southern Sweida province. It left dozens killed or wounded and more than two dozen people were taken hostage for nearly four months. Muslim extremists consider the Druze heretics. During Syria's 14-year conflict, the Druze had their own militias. What triggered the clashes? The clashes broke out around midnight Monday in the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana 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. The fighting later spread to the outskirts of the southern town of Sakhnaya triggering the first Israeli airstrike against pro-government gunmen. Israeli officials, whose country has its own Druze community, have vowed to protect the Druze of Syria and warned Islamic groups form entering predominantly Druze areas. The clashes have pulled Israel further into the conflict with the airstrike two days ago and Friday marked a major increase in tensions with an attack close to the presidential palace in Damascus in what Syria's presidency called a major escalation. Israel does not want what it calls Islamic extremists near the country's northern border. Since Assad's fall, Israel has carved a buffer zone in southern Syria and has destroyed much of the Syrian army's assets so they don't fall into the hands of groups that removed him from power. Israel had been warning for decades that Iran and its proxies pose a danger along its northern border, and now it is doing the same with the new authorities in Syria who are backed by Turkey. Other sporadic attacks in different areas as well as an ambush on the Damascus-Sweida highway made the situation worse until a deal was reached early Friday after which Interior Ministry forces and local Druze gunmen deployed in different areas. The Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people were killed over the past four days, of which 51 were killed in Sakhnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana. Among them were local gunmen and security forces. What are the main concerns? The clashes near Damascus and in southern Syria came nearly two months after an ambush by fighters loyal to Assad triggered days of sectarian and revenge attacks. The fighting in the country's coastal region left more than 1,000 people dead. Many of the dead were civilians who were gunned down because they belonged to the minority Alawite sect that Assad belongs to. Security forces deployed in the coastal province of Latakia and Tartus but activists say that sectarian killings against Alawites are still taking place albeit at a much slower pace when compared to the early March attacks. Members of religious minorities in Syria such as Alawites, Christians and Druze fear persecution by the main Sunni Muslim groups. Videos have circulated on social media showing Islamist fighters insulting Druze detainees and humiliating them such as shaving their mustaches. ___ Associated Press writer Ibrahim Hazboun contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
The Independent
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
What is behind the latest round of clashes in Syria between Druze and pro-government gunmen
Four days of clashes between pro-government gunmen and members of a minority sect in Syria have left nearly 100 people dead and raised fears of deadly sectarian violence. The country is deeply divided as it tries to emerge from decades of dictatorship. The clashes are the worst between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters since the fall of President Bashar Assad in early December whose family ruled Syria with an iron grip for more than five decades. The situation between the two sides has been tense for weeks and a smaller clash broke out in March in a suburb of Damascus. Here are the main reasons the clashes expanded in recent days and background on the two sides: Who are the Druze? The Druze religious sec t is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half 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. In Syria, they largely live in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south. The transitional government has promised to include the Druze, but has so far kept authority in the hands of the Islamist former insurgents who toppled Assad in December — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The new 23-member government in Syria announced in late March only has one Druze member, Minister of Agriculture Amjad Badr. Under the Assad family's tight rule, religious freedom was guaranteed as the country then boasted about its secular and Arab nationalist system. The Druze have been slightly divided over how to deal with their issues with the new status quo in the country. Most Druze support a dialogue with the government while others support a more confrontational approach, so the reactions have differed while they are all concerned about the safety of their people. What is behind the tension between the two sides Syria's religious and ethnic communities are worried about their place in Syria's new system that is mostly run by Islamists including some who have links to extremist groups. The country's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa himself is a former militant who once was a member of al-Qaida and was held for years in jails in neighboring Iraq for his role in the anti-American insurgency. Although al-Sharaa had said that the right of ethnic and religious minorities will be protected, there have been several rounds of sectarian killings since Assad's fall. The Assad family rule that was dominated by members of the Alawite sect had oppressed much of the country's Sunni majority while giving minorities some powers. Being a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest Islamic group in the country decades ago, was punishable by death as of the 1980s. The Druze have major concerns about Muslim groups since they came under attack by members of the Islamic State group in 2018 in the southern Sweida province. It left dozens killed or wounded and more than two dozen people were taken hostage for nearly four months. Muslim extremists consider the Druze heretics. During Syria's 14-year conflict, the Druze had their own militias. What triggered the clashes? The clashes broke out around midnight Monday in the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana 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. The fighting later spread to the outskirts of the southern town of Sakhnaya triggering the first Israeli airstrike against pro-government gunmen. Israeli officials, whose country has its own Druze community, have vowed to protect the Druze of Syria and warned Islamic groups form entering predominantly Druze areas. The clashes have pulled Israel further into the conflict with the airstrike two days ago and Friday marked a major increase in tensions with an attack close to the presidential palace in Damascus in what Syria's presidency called a major escalation. Israel does not want what it calls Islamic extremists near the country's northern border. Since Assad's fall, Israel has carved a buffer zone in southern Syria and has destroyed much of the Syrian army's assets so they don't fall into the hands of groups that removed him from power. Israel had been warning for decades that Iran and its proxies pose a danger along its northern border, and now it is doing the same with the new authorities in Syria who are backed by Turkey. Other sporadic attacks in different areas as well as an ambush on the Damascus-Sweida highway made the situation worse until a deal was reached early Friday after which Interior Ministry forces and local Druze gunmen deployed in different areas. The Britain-based war monitor The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 99 people were killed over the past four days, of which 51 were killed in Sakhnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana. Among them were local gunmen and security forces. What are the main concerns? The clashes near Damascus and in southern Syria came nearly two months after an ambush by fighters loyal to Assad triggered days of sectarian and revenge attacks. The fighting in the country's coastal region left more than 1,000 people dead. Many of the dead were civilians who were gunned down because they belonged to the minority Alawite sect that Assad belongs to. Security forces deployed in the coastal province of Latakia and Tartus but activists say that sectarian killings against Alawites are still taking place albeit at a much slower pace when compared to the early March attacks. Members of religious minorities in Syria such as Alawites, Christians and Druze fear persecution by the main Sunni Muslim groups. Videos have circulated on social media showing Islamist fighters insulting Druze detainees and humiliating them such as shaving their mustaches. ___ Associated Press writer Ibrahim Hazboun contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
