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The National
24-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
US tells Syrian government to investigate killing of American Druze man in Sweida
The Trump administration is calling on the Syrian government to investigate the death of an American citizen, who was killed in an execution-style attack alongside several family members in southern Syria last week. 'We have had direct discussions with the Syrian Government on this issue, and have called for an immediate investigation into the matter,' State Department Deputy Spokesman Tommy Pigott told reporters. Mr Pigott would not specify who he believed was responsible for the attack nor give any further details as to the circumstances. Video circulated online shows a group of armed men clad in military fatigues firing dozens of shots at a group of eight kneeling men. Hosam Saraya, 35, an American citizen of Syrian Druze descent who lived in Oklahoma, was among the killed. The killings came during a period of increased violence and tension in the Sweida region of Syria, as Bedouin and Druze clashed. The Syrian government sent in forces to quiet the fighting, which prompted Israel to launch a series of strikes against Damascus in defence of the Druze community, which has thousands of members in Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. Hundreds of Druze have been killed since hostilities broke out on June 12 and the area has been under a government siege, without electricity, as its supplies of drinking water are running out, according to Suwayda 24, a network of citizen journalists. Washington helped to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Syria, which saw Damascus withdraw troops from the area. The US has lifted many of its sanctions on Syria in an effort to help the fledgling government of President Ahmed Al Shara. Some in Congress are uneasy about moving too quickly to lift remaining sanctions, given the bloodshed. 'Trump announced sanctions relief for Syria on May 13, to give all Syrians a chance at a peaceful and prosperous country,' Mr Pigott said. 'Syria is at a critical juncture, and we are looking to the Syrian government to lead on next steps.'
Dubai Eye
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Dubai Eye
Bedouin civilians leave Syria's Sweida as tense truce holds
Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida as part of a US-backed truce meant to end days of bloodshed in southern Syria, state media and witnesses said. With hundreds reported killed, the violence in the southern province of Sweida has posed a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, drawing Israeli airstrikes last week and deepening fissures in a country fractured by 14 years of war. A ceasefire took hold on Sunday as interior ministry security forces deployed on Sweida's outskirts. Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday the truce would allow for the release of hostages and detainees held by the sides. The fighting began a week ago, pitting Druze fighters who distrust the current Syrian government against the Bedouins. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against Druze. Sharaa has blamed the violence on "outlaw groups" and promised to protect the rights of Druze - a minority group whose faith is deemed heretical by some hardline Muslims. Calling the Druze a fundamental part of Syria's national fabric, Sharaa has vowed to hold to account those who committed violations against them. Details of last week's violence are still emerging. Ali al-Huraym, a 56-year-old Bedouin man, said six members of his extended family had been killed by Druze fighters in an attack on the town of Shahba, 15 km (10 miles) north of Sweida, on Thursday. Salem al-Mahdi, 60, another Bedouin displaced from Shahba with his family, told Reuters he saw six bodies in one home there, and the town had been hit with weapons including mortars. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts. In Sweida, footage released by local news outlet Suwayda 24 on Sunday showed what appeared to be numerous body bags in the grounds outside the hospital. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said at least 558 people had been killed in violence in Sweida province since July 13. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported more than 1,000 killed. On Monday morning, ambulances, trucks and buses ferried hundreds of Bedouin civilians including women, children and wounded people out of Sweida to nearby displacement camps, Reuters footage showed. The initial batch included some 300 Bedouins and a second group of about 550 civilians will be evacuated within the next 24 hours if the situation remains calm, said Shoaib Asfour, a member of the Syrian security forces overseeing the evacuation. The next phase would see the evacuation of Bedouin fighters detained by Druze militias and the transfer of bodies of Bedouins killed in the fighting, Asfour said. Syria's state news agency said a total of 1,500 Bedouins would be evacuated from Sweida city. Citing Ahmed al-Dalati, head of Syria's internal security forces in Sweida, state media said those forces would also facilitate the return to Sweida of others displaced from it. According to the United Nations, at least 93,000 people have been uprooted by the fighting. The UN said on Sunday that humanitarian convoys with medical supplies had been waiting to enter Sweida for two days but were not granted access. It said only a convoy of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent had been allowed to enter. Citing the goal of protecting the Druze and keeping southern Syria demilitarized, Israel attacked government forces last week in the south and struck the defence ministry in Damascus. Washington, which has expressed support for Damascus since Sharaa met US President Donald Trump in May, said it did not approve of Israel's strikes. US envoy Tom Barrack said on Monday the Syrian government needed to be held accountable. "They also need to be given the responsibility that they're there to do," he said, speaking on a visit to Beirut.
Kuwait Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Sharaa slams Zionist meddling
President vows to protect Druze as ceasefire holds • Troops quit Sweida, leaving bodies on streets DAMASCUS: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa accused the Zionist entity of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority on Thursday, after US intervention helped end deadly fighting between government forces and Druze fighters in the south. Overnight, the Islamist-led government's troops withdrew from the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where scores of people have been killed in days of conflict pitting Druze fighters against government troops and Bedouin tribes. One local journalist said he'd counted more than 60 bodies in the streets of Sweida on Thursday morning. Ryan Marouf of Suwayda24 told Reuters he had found a family of 12 people killed in one house, including women and an elderly man. Violence in Syria escalated sharply on Wednesday as the Zionist entity launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying Zionist entity aimed to protect Syrian Druze – part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and the Zionist entity. (Left) People take to the streets of Hama to protest against Zionist interference in Syria on July 16, 2025. — AFP The Zionist entity, which bombed Syria frequently under the rule of ousted president Bashar Al-Assad, has struck the country repeatedly this year, describing its new leaders as barely disguised jihadists and saying it will not allow them to deploy forces in areas of southern Syria near its border. Addressing Syrians on Thursday, interim President Sharaa accused the Zionist entity of seeking to 'dismantle the unity of our people', saying it had 'consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime'. Sharaa, who was commander of an Al-Qaeda faction before cutting ties with the group in 2016, said protecting Druze citizens and their rights was 'our priority' and rejected any attempt to drag them into the hands of an 'external party'. He also vowed to hold to account those who committed violations against 'our Druze people'. Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Zionist entity had established a policy demanding the demilitarization of a swathe of territory near the border, stretching from the Zionist-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida. He reiterated the Zionist entity's policy to protect the Druze. Syria had sent 'its army south of Damascus into an area that was supposed to remain demilitarized, and it began massacring Druze. This was something we could not accept in any way,' he said, adding: 'It is a ceasefire achieved through strength'. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said it had documented 193 dead in four days of fighting, among them medical personnel, women and children. The Network's head Fadel Abdulghany told Reuters the figure included cases of field executions by both sides, Syrians killed by Zionist strikes and others killed in clashes but that it would take time to break down the figures for each category. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said more than 370 people have been killed in sectarian clashes in the city since Sunday. A Sweida resident, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Amer, out of fear of reprisals, shared a video of his neighbors slain in their home. It showed a lifeless man in a chair, an elderly man with a gunshot wound to his right temple on the floor and a younger man, face down in a pool of blood. Amid reports of revenge attacks on Bedouin on Thursday, leading Druze Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hajari called for peaceful Bedouin tribes to be respected and not harmed. One reporter in Sweida this week saw government fighters loot and burn homes, including just before they departed Sweida overnight. Fighters also shaved off the moustaches of Druze men. Moustaches are worn by Druze sheikhs and many other Druze men as a symbol of religious and cultural identity with spiritual significance. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late on Wednesday the United States had engaged all the parties involved and that steps had been agreed that would end 'this troubling and horrifying situation'. Sharaa credited US, Arab and Turkish mediation for saving 'the region from an uncertain fate'. The violence has underlined the challenges that Sharaa faces in stabilizing Syria and exerting centralized rule over the country, despite his warming ties with the United States and his administration's evolving security contacts with the Zionist entity. Zionist airstrikes on Wednesday blew up part of Syria's defense ministry and hit near the presidential palace as it vowed to destroy government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria. — Agencies
Observer
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Oman decries Israel's aggression on Syria
MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman has voiced its strong condemnation of the Israeli attacks on the Syrian Arab Republic, which violate its national sovereignty and constitute a blatant breach of international law. Oman reiterates its urgent appeal to the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities by ensuring Israel's complete withdrawal from the occupied Syrian territories, halting all hostile actions endangering civilian lives, and implementing a comprehensive political solution in accordance with UN Resolution 2254, which aims to restore stability in Syria through a Syrian-led transitional process. In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, Oman affirmed its full support for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its solidarity with the Syrian people. It called for intensified international efforts to protect civilians and alleviate their suffering by providing necessary humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, Syrian leader Ahmed al Sharaa accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority on Thursday, after US intervention helped end deadly fighting between government forces and Druze fighters in the south. Overnight, the government's troops withdrew from the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where scores of people have been killed in days of conflict pitting Druze fighters against government troops and Bedouin tribes. One local journalist said he'd counted more than 60 bodies in the streets of Sweida on Thursday morning. Ryan Marouf of Suwayda24 said he had found a family of 12 people killed in one house, including women and an elderly man. Violence in Syria escalated sharply on Wednesday as Israel launched air strikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze - part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel. Israel, which bombed Syria frequently under the rule of ousted president Bashar al Assad, has struck the country repeatedly this year. Addressing Syrians on Thursday, interim President Sharaa accused Israel of seeking to "dismantle the unity of our people", saying it had "consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime". Sharaa said that protecting Druze citizens and their rights was "our priority" and rejected any attempt to drag them into the hands of an "external party". He also vowed to hold to account those who committed violations against "our Druze people". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a policy demanding the demilitarisation of a swathe of territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida. He reiterated Israel's policy to protect the Druze. - Agencies
Express Tribune
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Syria's Sharaa vows to protect Druze
A vehicle burns in a street after Syrian government forces pulled out of the southern Sweida governorate. Photo: AFP Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority on Thursday after US intervention to help achieve a truce in fighting between government forces and Druze fighters. Overnight, the government's troops withdrew from the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where scores of people have been killed in days of conflict pitting Druze fighters against government troops and Bedouin tribes. But in a worrying development, a military commander for the Bedouin said their fighters had launched a new offensive in Sweida province against Druze fighters and that the truce only applied to government forces. The Bedouins, a collection of farmers who have long-standing frictions with the Druze, were seeking to free detained colleagues, he told Reuters. A round of fighting between the Bedouins and Druze earlier this week prompted the government to send troops to Sweida to quell the fighting, but the violence then grew until a ceasefire was declared. The violence has underlined the challenges that Sharaa faces in stabilizing Syria and exerting centralised rule, despite his warming ties with the United States and his administration's evolving security contacts with Israel. One local journalist said he had counted more than 60 bodies in the streets of Sweida in south Syria on Thursday morning. Ryan Marouf of Suwayda24 told Reuters he had found a family of 12 people killed in one house, including women and an elderly man. On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze – part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel. Israel, which bombed Syria frequently under the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, has struck the country repeatedly this year, saying it will not allow new rulers to deploy forces in areas of southern Syria near its border. Addressing Syrians on Thursday, interim President Sharaa accused Israel of seeking to "dismantle the unity of our people", saying it had "consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime". Sharaa, commander of an al Qaeda faction before cutting ties with the group in 2016, said protecting Druze citizens and their rights was "our priority" and rejected any attempt to drag them into the hands of an "external party". He also vowed to hold to account those who committed violations against "our Druze people". Reuters
