Syria evacuates Bedouins from clashes-hit Suwayda as shaky ceasefire holds
The first Bedouin families left on Monday on buses and trucks accompanied by Syrian Arab Red Crescent vehicles and ambulances. They were taken to nearby Daraa as the government plans to evacuate 1,500 people.
'At least 500 people have already left on 10 buses this morning, and more are expected to exit Suwayda in the next few hours,' Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall said about noon (09:00 GMT) on Monday in a report from the capital, Damascus.
The clashes between the Druze minority and Bedouin clans, which began on July 13, killed nearly 260 people and threatened to unravel Syria's post-war transition. The violence also displaced 128,571 people, according to the United Nations International Organisation for Migration.
Israel intervened and launched air attacks on Syria's Ministry of Defence buildings in the heart of Damascus. Israeli forces also hit Syrian government forces in Suwayda province, claiming it was protecting the Druze, whom it calls its 'brothers'.Vall said some Bedouin families were evacuating the province voluntarily.
'There are seven districts of Suwayda that are inhabited partly or … mostly by Arab Bedouins, and they are all under threat – or they feel under threat – and some of them are willing to leave [on their own],' he said.
Syrian Interior Minister Ahmad al-Dalati told the SANA news agency that the evacuation process will also allow displaced civilians from Suwayda to return as efforts for a complete ceasefire are under way.
'We have imposed a security cordon in the vicinity of Suwayda to keep it secure and to stop the fighting there,' al-Dalati told the agency. 'This will preserve the path that will lead to reconciliation and stability in the province.'
According to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, the ceasefire agreed on Saturday says the Bedouin fighters will release Druze women they are holding captive and leave the province.
After talks for a captives swap fell through late on Sunday, the observatory and activist groups in Suwayda reported hearing what they said were Israeli air strikes and helicopters over villages where some skirmishes took place between the Bedouins and the Druze.
The Israeli military said it was 'not aware' of any overnight strikes in Syria.
Meanwhile, an initial Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy entered Suwayda on Sunday, carrying UN humanitarian assistance, including food, water, medical supplies and fuel, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has tried to appeal to the Druze community while slamming its factions loyal to spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri who have been involved in the clashes. He promised to hold accountable perpetrators of targeted attacks and other violations.
The Druze minority largely celebrated the downfall in December of the al-Assad family, which ruled Syria for 53 years.
But al-Hijri, who had some allegiance to deposed President Bashar al-Assad in the past, and his supporters have taken a more confrontational approach with al-Sharaa, contrary to most other influential Druze figures.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
22 minutes ago
- UPI
Israel hails aid truck deliveries in Gaza, U.N. calls it a 'trickle'
1 of 4 | Israel said Thursday that the United Nations and other international aid agencies had restarted distribution of some humanitarian assistance to Palestinians. Photo by Mahmoud Issa/UPI | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- Israel said Thursday that the United Nations and other international aid agencies had restarted distribution of some humanitarian assistance to Palestinians after collecting more than 100 trucks of aid from its facilities just inside the border with Gaza. The announcement on X by COGAT, the Israeli government agency tasked with implementing civilian policy in Gaza and the West Bank, came amid mounting international pressure over the spread of mass starvation in the besieged Palestinian enclave. "Yesterday, around 70 food trucks were unloaded at aid crossings, and over 150 were collected by the United Nations and international organizations from the Gazan side, but over 800 still await pickup. We continue to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza," said the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories department. The United Nations' office for humanitarian affairs said the volume of aid involved was "a trickle compared with the immense needs," warning that the chief obstacles to "safe and unimpeded" delivery of aid remained unchanged. "Humanitarian workers face serious security risks, crossings remain unreliable, and critical supplies are routinely delayed or blocked. The U.N. stands ready to seize the opportunity of a cease-fire to significantly scale up humanitarian operations across Gaza, as it did during previous pauses. These plans are finalized," OCHA said in a news release. "But to make a real difference, Israel must enable safe and unimpeded aid delivery, allow the entry of critical equipment and fuel, open all crossings, and restore movement along key supply routes. Humanitarian staff must be able to operate safely, people must be allowed to move freely, and supplies -- including from the private sector -- must reach all parts of Gaza." Israel insisted it was facilitating the entry of aid via the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation as well as the aid trucks and, accusing OCHA of abandoning "neutrality," announced that hundreds of OCHA employees would be subject to security vetting. Senior staff, including Jonathan Whitthall, head of office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, would also not get their visas renewed and would have to leave the country next week. Announcing the move, Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told a session of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that there was a clear link between OCHA, which provides statistics and information on the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank from its office in Jerusalem, and Hamas. "OCHA has long ceased to be a humanitarian body. It is a Hamas propaganda arm that operates from within U.N. institutions and uses false data and inflammatory discourse to harm Israel. "Israel will take steps to ensure that what has been happening with OCHA will not continue. At some point enough is enough," said Danon. The step marked a sharp deterioration in relations between OCHA and the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that turned sour after OCHA head Tom Fletcher claimed May 20 that 14,000 babies in Gaza would starve to death within 48 hours, a charge Israel condemned as a "blood libel."
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Iran's nuclear phoenix is rising
Like a mythical Phoenix rising from its own ashes, a very real and deadly nuclear weapons program is in danger of resurrecting itself in Iran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his hardliners remain undeterred after Israel and the U.S. targeted key nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz in June. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, admitted this when he told Bret Baier on Fox News that Tehran 'cannot give up our enrichment.' Araghchi also admitted that Iran's facilities 'have been damaged, seriously damaged, the extent of which is now under evaluation.' President Trump seized on Araghchi's talking point. He quickly fired off a Truth Social post declaring, 'Fake News CNN should immediately fire their phony 'reporter' and apologize to me and the great pilots who 'OBLITERATED' Iran's nuclear sites.' 'Obliterated' is a strong word, especially since Iran's nuclear weapons program is significantly larger than just three enrichment sites — and Trump's own intelligence community professes uncertainty about how much of Iran's program remains. Likewise, any admission from Araghchi should be treated with skepticism. Although it could be truthful, it also could be intentional deception. After all, Araghchi is the man who repeatedly claimed that Iran's nuclear program was peaceful. Earlier in May, while speaking in Qatar, Araghchi claimed that Tehran was not seeking nukes or other weapons of mass destruction. That briefs well, until you consider that at a maximum, no more than 5 percent highly enriched uranium is needed for nuclear fuel power rods, hospital experiments and radiation equipment. Prior to the Israeli and U.S. strikes, Iran had enriched at least 880 pounds of highly enriched uranium to 60 percent according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Relatively speaking, even if it would take some time for Iran to enrich that stockpile to weapons-grade highly enriched uranium (90 percent ) — the amount needed for a modern nuclear missile strike — it could use the 60 percent stockpile it already has to construct Hiroshima-like nuclear bombs. Iran Watch estimates that Khamenei has enough to build 'one or more' of the gun-type bomb known as 'Little Boy,' the type of used in Hiroshima. It would only take 132 pounds of uranium enriched to 80 percent. Simply put, Iran likely still has several nuclear options. It is just a question of which route Khamenei opts to take first — the Little Boy route, or the more complex implosion route that would require enriching uranium to 90 percent? Or is it enough for Iran simply to declare itself a nuclear power? The answer likely comes down to two key areas. How much fissile material does Iran still have after the airstrikes, and what is Tehran's remaining centrifuge capacity to continue enriching uranium? Notably, while much of the media's attention has been on Khamenei's stores of 60 percent highly enriched uranium, we cannot overlook Iran's 20 percent and 5 percent stockpiles. Prior to the June strikes, Tehran had 606 pounds of the former and 12,150 pounds of the latter. Iran Watch ominously warns that '20 percent enriched uranium is approximately 90% of the way to weapon-grade and Iran's stockpile would be sufficient to fuel at least two implosion weapons.' Plus, if further enriched, eventually Khamenei's 5% stockpile could be used to 'fuel at least 10 implosion weapons.' Determining exactly where these stockpiles are located in Iran is job one for U.S. and Israeli intelligence. Are they buried deep inside the rubble of Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz? Or were they moved prior to the strikes? Vice President JD Vance argued in late June that their location is a moot point —that the only question is whether 'Iran enriched the uranium to weapons-grade level, and can they convert that fuel into a nuclear weapon?' But this is not the case. Yes, Iran's remaining centrifuge capacity is also key, but so too is understanding how much fissile material remains and how long it will take Teheran to retrieve it and begin enriching anew. Uranium highly enriched to 60 percent is in a gaseous state and can be stored in cylinders approximately the same size of a scuba tank. Moving or hiding some of them could have been as easy as putting them in the back of a small car or SUV. Iran is not going to give up its nuclear weapons program. Ever since the strikes, it has remained defiant toward Washington. Therefore, the Trump administration must, at a minimum, assume some or all of Iran's enriched stockpiles are either retrievable from the rubble or accessible in an unknown location. Prior to the strikes, Iran Watch reported that Fordow mountain fortress had 2,700 operating gas centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Natanz had 17,000 deep underground and an above-ground facility containing 1,700 gas centrifuges. The latter above ground facility at Natanz, according to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, was destroyed by Israel on June 13. The jury is still out, however, as to how many of Iran's underground gas centrifuges remain. Much of Iran's nuclear weapons program was built covertly. It is highly likely that Iran has multiple undeclared centrifuge sites. If so, Iran producing one or two Little Boy-type nukes could be achieved at a minimum — and if needed, Tehran certainly has the technological know-how to build new centrifuges. The nuclear ashes of this phoenix are very real. Mythology is not required in order for Iran to resurrect its nuclear weapons program. Russian nuclear scientists pulled from the facilities prior to the airstrikes will likely return to enable Iran. Other aspects of Iran's nuclear program were targeted as well by Israel. Certainly, Tehran's nuclear ambitions have been set back. For instance, at Isfahan, Iran's facility that converts enriched uranium gas — a key weaponization component — to metal was partially destroyed by Israel. Nonetheless, it can be easily rebuilt. As Iran Watch notes, 'only dual-use industrial equipment' is needed to rebuild this part of Iran's nuclear phoenix. Other aspects of Iran's nuclear program were targeted as well by Israel. Israel eliminated at least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists. Additional Israeli strikes hit the Kermanshah ballistic missile facility, the Khondab nuclear reactor (which could be used to produce plutonium), and critical supporting military bases and research facilities all over Iran. Yet the head of this Phoenix remains Khamenei. Absent regime change, the Islamic Republic of Iran will aggressively continue to pursue nuclear weapons. Trump did the right thing in striking Iran. Now he must help Israel finish the job and put an end to the Khamenei regime. As we argued previously, Washington cannot negotiate with evil. It must be defeated.
an hour ago
Israel reviewing Hamas response to ceasefire proposal
TEL AVIV, Israel -- Hamas' latest response to a U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal is "currently being reviewed" by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday. Hamas announced Wednesday night it had submitted to mediators a response to the ceasefire deal currently on the table. The details of Hamas' response were not immediately made public. Sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News that a trilateral meeting in Italy between top Israeli, Qatari and American officials is slated to discuss Hamas's response as early as today. The U.S. State Department said Wednesday President Trump's Mideast Envoy was traveling to Italy to meet with top officials regarding a Gaza ceasefire. Representatives from Israel and the militant group have been in Doha, Qatar, for more than two weeks working on a ceasefire proposal for the 21-month-old conflict in Gaza. Those negotiations continue as more than 100 aid groups warned Wednesday that the enclave was on the verge of "mass starvation."
