Latest news with #Thomas Barrack
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
US envoy praises Jordan's role in ceasefire efforts in Syria's Sweida region after meeting FM
AMMAN: Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi met on Saturday with US ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack and his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani to discuss recent developments in Syria, the Jordan News Agency reported. Their discussions had a particular focus on consolidating the fragile ceasefire in the southern Sweida governorate, JNA added. The talks also addressed the importance of enforcing the ceasefire to safeguard Syria's unity, protect civilians and uphold the rule of law, amid concerns over instability and violence in the region. Safadi reiterated Jordan's full support for Syria's security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stressed that peace in Syria remained a cornerstone of broader regional stability. He also expressed appreciation for Washington's diplomatic role, saying: 'The United States plays a key role in bringing about a ceasefire and in protecting Syria's security and stability and the safety of its people.' Safadi underscored the strength of the partnership and cooperation between Amman and Washington on Syria-related issues. The foreign minister went on to condemn repeated Israeli strikes on Syrian territory, denouncing them as 'a blatant violation of international law and a breach of Syria's sovereignty, which threatens its security, stability, unity, and the safety of its people.' For his part, Barrack praised Jordan's leadership in regional affairs. Amman, July 19, 2025 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, and U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack held a trilateral meeting today to discuss the situation in Syria and efforts to stabilize the… — Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) July 19, 2025 'Grateful for the partnership of FM Ayman Safadi today as we operationalize the ceasefire in Suwayda,' he wrote on X following the meeting. 'The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan plays a critical leadership role in the region, and we are making positive steps to support a unified, stable Syria at peace with its neighbors, including our Jordanian allies,' he added. The meeting comes amid a renewed diplomatic push to de-escalate tensions in Syria's south, where tribal, political and external dynamics continue to shape the fragile post-Assad regime landscape.
Globe and Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Syria believed it had green light from U.S., Israel to deploy troops to Sweida, sources say
Syria's government misread how Israel would respond to its troops deploying to the country's south this week, encouraged by U.S. messaging that Syria should be governed as a centralized state, eight sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and on Damascus on Wednesday in an escalation that took the Islamist-led leadership by surprise, the sources said, after government forces were accused of killing scores of people in the Druze city of Sweida. Damascus believed it had a green light from both the U.S. and Israel to dispatch its forces south despite months of Israeli warnings not to do so, according to the sources, which include Syrian political and military officials, two diplomats, and regional security sources. That understanding was based on public and private comments from U.S. special envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, as well as on nascent security talks with Israel, the sources said. Barrack has called for Syria to be centrally administered as 'one country' without autonomous zones. Syria's understanding of U.S. and Israeli messages regarding its troop deployment to the south has not been previously reported. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on private diplomatic discussions but said the United States supported the territorial unity of Syria. 'The Syrian state has an obligation to protect all Syrians, including minority groups,' the spokesperson said, urging the Syrian government to hold perpetrators of violence accountable. In response to Reuters questions, a senior official from Syria's ministry of foreign affairs denied that Barrack's comments had influenced the decision to deploy troops, which was made based on 'purely national considerations' and with the aim of 'stopping the bloodshed, protecting civilians and preventing the escalation of civil conflict.' Damascus sent troops and tanks to Sweida province on Monday to quell fighting between Bedouin tribes and armed factions within the Druze community – a minority that follows a religion derived from Islam, with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Syrian forces entering the city came under fire from Druze militia, according to Syrian sources. Subsequent violence attributed to Syrian troops, including field executions and the humiliation of Druze civilians, triggered Israeli strikes on Syrian security forces, the defence ministry in Damascus and the environs of the presidential palace, according to two sources, including a senior Gulf Arab official. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intervened to block Syrian troops from entering southern Syria – which Israel has publicly said should be a demilitarized zone – and to uphold a long-standing commitment to protect the Druze. Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for violations against the Druze. He blamed 'outlaw groups' seeking to inflame tensions for any crimes against civilians and did not say whether government forces were involved. Syria and Israel agree to ceasefire, U.S. envoy says after Druze-Bedouin ceasefire collapses The U.S. and others quickly intervened to secure a ceasefire by Wednesday evening. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the flare-up as a 'misunderstanding' between Israel and Syria. A Syrian and a Western source familiar with the matter said Damascus believed that talks with Israel as recently as last week in Baku produced an understanding over the deployment of troops to southern Syria to bring Sweida under government control. Netanyahu's office declined to comment in response Reuters' questions. Israel said on Friday it had agreed to allow limited access by Syrian forces into Sweida for the next two days. Soon after, Syria said it would deploy a force dedicated to ending the communal clashes, which continued into Saturday morning. Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said it appeared Sharaa had overplayed his hand earlier in the week. 'It seems that his military staff misunderstood the backing of the U.S. It also misunderstood Israel's stand on the Jabal Druze (in Sweida) from its talks with Israel in Baku,' he said. A Syrian military official said correspondence with the U.S. had led Damascus to believe it could deploy forces without Israel confronting them. The official said U.S. officials had not responded when informed about plans for the deployment, leading the Syrian leadership to believe it had been tacitly approved and 'that Israel would not interfere.' A diplomat based in Damascus said Syrian authorities had been 'overconfident' in its operation to seize Sweida, 'based on U.S. messaging that turned out not to reflect reality.' U.S. envoy Barrack has said publicly and in private meetings in Damascus that Syria should be 'one country,' without autonomous rule for its Druze, Kurdish or Alawite communities, which remain largely distrustful of the new Islamist-led leadership. That distrust has prompted Druze factions and a major Kurdish force in northeast Syria to resist Syrian army deployments, and demand their own fighters be integrated into the army as wholesale units only stationed in their territory. Landis said it appeared Sharaa had understood Barrack's statements against federalism in Syria 'to mean that the central government could impose its will on the Druze minority by force.' The senior Gulf official said Damascus had made a 'big mistake' in its approach to Sweida, saying troops had committed violations including killing and humiliating Druze. The nature of violence handed Israel an opportunity to act forcefully, the Gulf official and another source said. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent monitoring group, said on Friday the death toll from the violence had reached at least 321 people, among them medical personnel, women and children. It said they included field executions by all sides. Reuters was able to verify the time and location of some videos showing dead bodies in Sweida, but could not independently verify who conducted the killings or when they occurred. A regional intelligence source said Sharaa had not been in control of events on the ground because of the lack of a disciplined military and his reliance instead on a patchwork of militia groups, often with a background in Islamic militancy. In sectarian violence in Syria's coastal region in March hundreds of people from the Alawite minority were killed by forces aligned to Sharaa. With more blood spilled and distrust of Sharaa's government high among minorities, the senior Gulf Arab official said there are 'real fears that Syria is heading toward being broken up into statelets.' The official from the Syrian ministry of foreign affairs said the Sweida operation was not aimed at revenge or escalation, but at preserving the peace and unity of the country. Syrian troops were ready to re-engage to end the communal violence there 'whenever appropriate conditions arise, including clear guarantees from the United States that Israel will not intervene,' the official said, speaking before the Israeli announcement. Israel initially lobbied the United States to keep the country weak and decentralized after Assad's fall, Reuters reported in February. In May, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Sharaa, said he would lift all U.S. sanctions, and nudged Israel to engage with Damascus even though much of Israel's political establishment remains skeptical of new Syrian leadership. A State Department spokesperson said on Thursday that the U.S. 'did not support' Israel's strikes on Sweida this week. The attacks also came as a shock to some Americans in Syria. Hours before Israel struck the capital city on Wednesday, executives from three US-based energy companies arrived in Damascus for a day of meetings. The lead member and organizer, Argent LNG CEO Jonathan Bass, told Reuters he had been sufficiently reassured by Washington that the violence unfolding in Sweida would not escalate to Damascus. They were pitching an energy project to Syria's finance minister when Israel struck.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Exclusive: Syria believed it had green light from US, Israel to deploy troops to Sweida
DAMASCUS/BEIRUT, July 19 (Reuters) - Syria's government misread how Israel would respond to its troops deploying to the country's south this week, encouraged by U.S. messaging that Syria should be governed as a centralized state, eight sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and on Damascus on Wednesday in an escalation that took the Islamist-led leadership by surprise, the sources said, after government forces were accused of killing scores of people in the Druze city of Sweida. Damascus believed it had a green light from both the U.S. and Israel to dispatch its forces south despite months of Israeli warnings not to do so, according to the sources, which include Syrian political and military officials, two diplomats, and regional security sources. That understanding was based on public and private comments from U.S. special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, as well as on nascent security talks with Israel, the sources said. Barrack has called for Syria to be centrally administered as "one country" without autonomous zones. Syria's understanding of U.S. and Israeli messages regarding its troop deployment to the south has not been previously reported. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on private diplomatic discussions but said the United States supported the territorial unity of Syria. "The Syrian state has an obligation to protect all Syrians, including minority groups," the spokesperson said, urging the Syrian government to hold perpetrators of violence accountable. In response to Reuters questions, a senior official from Syria's ministry of foreign affairs denied that Barrack's comments had influenced the decision to deploy troops, which was made based on "purely national considerations" and with the aim of "stopping the bloodshed, protecting civilians and preventing the escalation of civil conflict". Damascus sent troops and tanks to Sweida province on Monday to quell fighting between Bedouin tribes and armed factions within the Druze community - a minority that follows a religion derived from Islam, with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Syrian forces entering the city came under fire from Druze militia, according to Syrian sources. Subsequent violence attributed to Syrian troops, including field executions and the humiliation of Druze civilians, triggered Israeli strikes on Syrian security forces, the defense ministry in Damascus and the environs of the presidential palace, according to two sources, including a senior Gulf Arab official. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intervened to block Syrian troops from entering southern Syria - which Israel has publicly said should be a demilitarized zone - and to uphold a longstanding commitment to protect the Druze. Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for violations against the Druze. He blamed "outlaw groups" seeking to inflame tensions for any crimes against civilians and did not say whether government forces were involved. The U.S. and others quickly intervened to secure a ceasefire by Wednesday evening. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the flare-up as a "misunderstanding" between Israel and Syria. A Syrian and a Western source familiar with the matter said Damascus believed that talks with Israel as recently as last week in Baku produced an understanding over the deployment of troops to southern Syria to bring Sweida under government control. Netanyahu's office declined to comment in response Reuters' questions. Israel said on Friday it had agreed to allow limited access by Syrian forces into Sweida for the next two days. Soon after, Syria said it would deploy a force dedicated to ending the communal clashes, which continued into Saturday morning. Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, said it appeared Sharaa had overplayed his hand earlier in the week. "It seems that his military staff misunderstood the backing of the U.S. It also misunderstood Israel's stand on the Jabal Druze (in Sweida) from its talks with Israel in Baku," he said. A Syrian military official said correspondence with the U.S. had led Damascus to believe it could deploy forces without Israel confronting them. The official said U.S. officials had not responded when informed about plans for the deployment, leading the Syrian leadership to believe it had been tacitly approved and "that Israel would not interfere." A diplomat based in Damascus said Syrian authorities had been "overconfident" in its operation to seize Sweida, "based on U.S. messaging that turned out not to reflect reality." U.S. envoy Barrack has said publicly and in private meetings in Damascus that Syria should be "one country," without autonomous rule for its Druze, Kurdish or Alawite communities, which remain largely distrustful of the new Islamist-led leadership. That distrust has prompted Druze factions and a major Kurdish force in northeast Syria to resist Syrian army deployments, and demand their own fighters be integrated into the army as wholesale units only stationed in their territory. Landis said it appeared Sharaa had understood Barrack's statements against federalism in Syria "to mean that the central government could impose its will on the Druze minority by force." The senior Gulf official said Damascus had made a "big mistake" in its approach to Sweida, saying troops had committed violations including killing and humiliating Druze. The nature of violence handed Israel an opportunity to act forcefully, the Gulf official and another source said. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent monitoring group, said on Friday the death toll from the violence had reached at least 321 people, among them medical personnel, women and children. It said they included field executions by all sides. Reuters was able to verify the time and location of some videos showing dead bodies in Sweida, but could not independently verify who conducted the killings or when they occurred. A regional intelligence source said Sharaa had not been in control of events on the ground because of the lack of a disciplined military and his reliance instead on a patchwork of militia groups, often with a background in Islamic militancy. In sectarian violence in Syria's coastal region in March hundreds of people from the Alawite minority were killed by forces aligned to Sharaa. With more blood spilt and distrust of Sharaa's government high among minorities, the senior Gulf Arab official said there are "real fears that Syria is heading towards being broken up into statelets." The official from the Syrian ministry of foreign affairs said the Sweida operation was not aimed at revenge or escalation, but at preserving the peace and unity of the country. Syrian troops were ready to re-engage to end the communal violence there "whenever appropriate conditions arise, including clear guarantees from the United States that Israel will not intervene," the official said, speaking before the Israeli announcement. Israel initially lobbied the United States to keep the country weak and decentralised after Assad's fall, Reuters reported in February. In May, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Sharaa, said he would lift all U.S. sanctions, and nudged Israel to engage with Damascus even though much of Israel's political establishment remains skeptical of new Syrian leadership. A State Department spokesperson said on Thursday that the U.S. "did not support" Israel's strikes on Sweida this week. The attacks also came as a shock to some Americans in Syria. Hours before Israel struck the capital city on Wednesday, executives from three US-based energy companies arrived in Damascus for a day of meetings. The lead member and organizer, Argent LNG CEO Jonathan Bass, told Reuters he had been sufficiently reassured by Washington that the violence unfolding in Sweida would not escalate to Damascus. They were pitching an energy project to Syria's finance minister when Israel struck.
The National
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Lebanon receives US response over Hezbollah disarmament as Israel bombs Beqaa Valley
Lebanese officials have received a response to their proposal to US special envoy Thomas Barrack over the disarmament of Hezbollah, as Israel launched air strikes on the Beqaa Valley on Tuesday morning. The response, described as 'a collection of ideas', was delivered via the US embassy in Beirut, a Lebanese source familiar with the talks confirmed. However, the source did not say whether the US had set a timeline for Hezbollah to disarm by the end of the year, as some Lebanese media reports have suggested. The Lebanese Parliament convened on Tuesday for a session to question the government over its performance since taking office this year. 'Time is passing, and we ask you to establish a timeline in a cabinet session for state control and the restriction of arms to the state alone,' Georges Adwan, a member of the Lebanese Forces party, a Christian faction which opposes Hezbollah, told Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the start of the session. As that session began, Israel carried out a wave of attacks on the eastern Beqaa Valley against compounds allegedly used by Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force. The Israeli military said fighter jets carried out 'numerous strikes' against alleged military compounds that were used for training and planning attacks against Israel. There were no immediate reports of fatalities. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the attacks were a 'clear message' to the Lebanese government and Hezbollah. Mr Barrack was recently in Beirut to receive the response to a US proposal that aims to disarm Hezbollah and move on with economic reforms to get Lebanon out of its nearly six-year economic crisis. The US plan ties reconstruction aid and a halt to Israeli army operations to Hezbollah's full disarmament around the country. Mr Barrack told The National at the weekend that Lebanon faced an existential threat if the issue of Hezbollah's weapons was not resolved soon. Mr Barrack is also the US Special Envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey. Since the US-brokered ceasefire took hold in November, the armed group has pulled back almost all of its troops from the Israeli border, though Israel insists it must be disarmed nationwide. Despite the truce, the Israeli army continues to bomb southern Lebanon almost daily and maintains control over five military posts along the southern border. It has also occasionally targeted Beirut's southern suburbs and the Beqaa Valley since the ceasefire. Last week, it said its troops pressed further into south Lebanon on ground operations to dismantle alleged Hezbollah infrastructure, before retreating. Hezbollah is strongly resistant to calls to disarm while Israel continues to occupy five points of Lebanese territory and bombs Lebanon daily.
