Latest news with #clashes
Sky News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Middle East latest: UN human rights chief warns Israel is risking more Gaza killing
Syrian security forces stand guard In Syria, security forces have been deployed to the outskirts of towns and villages in a bid to keep a recently-declared ceasefire intact. Security forces were seen near the town of Busra al Harir in the Daraa countryside to prevent tribal forces from advancing towards the Druze villages yesterday. The country's armed Bedouin clans announced that they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida after week-long clashes and a US-brokered ceasefire on Sunday. The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. Yesterday, hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Sweida as part of the truce, according to state media. Watch below: Analyst Michael Clarke explains who the Druze and Bedouin groups are
Sky News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Middle East latest: White House admits strikes in Gaza and Syria caught Trump 'off guard' - as he warns Iran
In Syria, security forces have been deployed to the outskirts of towns and villages in a bid to keep a recently-declared ceasefire intact. Security forces were seen near the town of Busra al Harir in the Daraa countryside to prevent tribal forces from advancing towards the Druze villages yesterday. The country's armed Bedouin clans announced that they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida after week-long clashes and a US-brokered ceasefire on Sunday. The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile post-war transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. Yesterday, hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Sweida as part of the truce, according to state media. Watch below: Analyst Michael Clarke explains who the Druze and Bedouin groups are
Free Malaysia Today
14 hours ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
In Syria's Sweida, bodies wait to be identified at overwhelmed hospital
The Sweida national hospital has remained open despite a dire situation involving supply shortages and water and power cuts. (EPA Images pic) SWEIDA : At the main hospital in south Syria's Sweida city, dozens of bodies are still waiting to be identified as the death count of days of sectarian clashes continues to rise. 'We have handed 361 bodies over to family members, but we still have 97 unidentified corpses,' a forensic medicine official at facility said on condition of anonymity. Clashes erupted on July 13 in Syria's Druze-majority province of Sweida between local fighters and Sunni Bedouin, spiralling and drawing in government forces, tribal allies of the Bedouin and the military of neighbouring Israel. Witnesses, Druze factions and a monitor have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week. More than 1,100 people, most of them Druze fighters and civilians, have been killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, whose toll also includes several hundred government security personnel. Health authorities have not released a comprehensive death toll. More than 450 bodies had been taken to Sweida's main hospital by Sunday evening, while bodies were still being collected from streets and homes in the city. 'The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital,' said nurse Hisham Breik, who said he had not left the facility since the violence began. 'The situation has been terrible. We couldn't walk around the hospital without wearing a mask,' he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly. Medical personnel have been working in tough conditions at the hospital, which has seen clashes around it and has been flooded with wounded, some of whom were lying in the corridors. Bodies have yet to be removed from villages in Sweida province's north and west, the hospital administration and health workers said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with 'reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns'. Humanitarian access to Sweida 'remains highly constrained', it said a statement late Sunday. 'Catastrophe' The Sweida national hospital has remained open despite the dire situation that has also included supply shortages and water and power cuts. A first Syrian Red Crescent convoy entered Sweida on Sunday carrying UN humanitarian assistance including food, water, medical supplies and fuel, OCHA said. A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags. Another convoy facilitated by the Red Crescent was to leave Damascus on Monday, OCHA said. But as the supplies were unloaded on Sunday, activist Moatasem Aflak, who works for a body affiliated with the Sweida health department, told AFP that the aid 'doesn't cover everything required'. 'We received water and medical supplies but we need more because we are facing a medical catastrophe,' he said, adding that a list of requirements had been handed to the Red Crescent. 'We haven't yet been able to count the bodies' and some families have been unable to arrive to identify their loved ones, Aflak said. 'We are trying to cooperate with the Red Crescent to put the bodies in bags and establish a mass grave to transfer them to,' he added. According to the UN, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult.
Al Arabiya
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Syrian government starts evacuating Bedouin families from Sweida in bid to end clashes
The Syrian government on Monday started evacuating Bedouin families trapped inside the city of Sweida, where Druze and Bedouin fighters have clashed for over a week. The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile postwar transition. The clashes also led to a series of targeted sectarian attacks against the Druze community, followed by revenge attacks against the Bedouins. The UN International Organization for Migration said some 128,571 people were displaced in the hostilities that started with a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks a week ago. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins. 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. Syrian state media said early Monday that the government had coordinated with some officials in Sweida to bring in buses to evacuate some 1,500 Bedouins in the city. Syrian Interior Minister Ahmad al-Dalati told SANA that the initiative will also allow displaced civilians from Sweida to return, as the fighting has largely stopped and efforts for a complete ceasefire are ongoing. 'We have imposed a security cordon in the vicinity of Sweida to keep it secure and to stop the fighting there,' al-Dalati told the Syrian state-run news agency. 'This will preserve the path that will lead to reconciliation and stability in the province.' Buses filled with Bedouin families were accompanied by Syrian Arab Red Crescent vehicles and ambulances. Some families left on trucks with their belongings. Syrian authorities did not give further details about the evacuation and how it ties into the broader agreement, following failed talks for a hostage swap deal Saturday. The Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from Sweida city Sunday, and alongside other tribesman from other parts of the country stood on the outskirts while security forces cordoned off the area. An aid convoy of some 32 Red Crescent vehicles entered the city, though a government delegation with another aid convoy was turned away. After talks for a hostage swap fell through late Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and activist groups in Sweida reported hearing what they said were Israeli airstrikes and helicopters over villages where some skirmishes took place between the Bedouins and Druze militias. The Israeli military said it was 'not aware' of any overnight strikes in Syria. With agencies
CNA
a day ago
- Politics
- CNA
Bedouin civilians evacuated from Syria's Sweida as US-backed truce holds
DAMASCUS: Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Monday (July 21) under a fragile truce backed by the United States, following a week of deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin residents. Interior ministry forces deployed to the city's outskirts after the ceasefire took effect on Sunday. Interior Minister Anas Khattab said the truce aimed to enable the release of hostages and detainees. The clashes, which began last week, left hundreds dead and prompted Israeli airstrikes in southern Syria. The violence has presented a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, deepening fractures in a country already devastated by 14 years of war. The fighting erupted between Druze groups hostile to the Islamist-led government and Sunni Bedouin tribes. Government troops were sent to intervene but were later accused of abuses against the Druze population. Sharaa blamed the unrest on 'outlaw groups' and pledged to protect the Druze community, calling them an integral part of the Syrian nation. He promised to hold those responsible for violations to account. Witnesses told Reuters of killings in the town of Shahba, 15km north of Sweida. Ali al-Huraym, a 56-year-old Bedouin, said six relatives were killed despite Druze elders' assurances of safety. Another displaced man, Salem al-Mahdi, said he saw multiple bodies in one home and reported the use of mortars. Druze activist Luna Albassit said the situation remained tense despite the halt in clashes. 'People were killed in the streets, in their homes… in the name of the state,' she told Reuters by phone. Suwayda 24 footage showed body bags lined outside a local hospital. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said at least 558 people were killed in Sweida since July 13, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the toll at over 1,000. MASS EVACUATIONS UNDERWAY On Monday, convoys of ambulances and buses began transporting civilians out of Sweida. Around 300 Bedouins were evacuated, with another 550 expected to leave in the next 24 hours, a Syrian security official told Reuters. A total of 1,500 Bedouins will be evacuated under the plan, Syrian state media said. The next phase will involve the return of bodies and the release of captured Bedouin fighters. The United Nations said at least 93,000 people have been displaced by the violence. Humanitarian convoys carrying medical aid were still awaiting entry to Sweida, the UN said, though the Syrian Arab Red Crescent had been granted limited access. ISRAELI STRIKES, US RESPONSE Israel launched airstrikes last week, hitting government positions in southern Syria and targeting the defence ministry in Damascus. It said the goal was to protect Druze communities and keep the south demilitarised. The United States, which has supported Damascus since Sharaa met President Donald Trump in May, said it did not authorise Israel's strikes. 'The Syrian government needs to be held accountable,' US envoy Tom Barrack said during a visit to Beirut. 'They also need to be given the responsibility that they're there to do.'
