logo
Bedouin civilians evacuate Syria's Sweida as tense truce holds

Bedouin civilians evacuate Syria's Sweida as tense truce holds

Straits Times4 days ago
Find out what's new on ST website and app.
Bedouin families ride in a vehicle with belongings as they leave the village of Al-Mazraa, as residents reported calm in Syria's Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a U.S. envoy signaled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented, in Sweida, Syria, July 21, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
DAMASCUS - Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday as part of a U.S.-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, 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 on his Islamist-led government last week and deepening fissures in a country fractured by 14 years of sectarian civil 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 warring sides.
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.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore 2 workers stranded on gondola dangling outside Raffles City Tower rescued by SCDF
Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region
Asia Japan PM Ishiba vows to take responsibility for election loss, to stay in office to deal with US tariff talks
Business $1.1 billion allocated to three fund managers to boost Singapore stock market: MAS
Singapore Medallions with Singapore Botanic Gardens' iconic landmarks launched to mark milestone-filled year
Singapore Proof & Company Spirits closes Singapore distribution business
Singapore Jail, caning for man who held metal rod to cashier's neck in failed robbery attempt
Singapore Fresh charge for woman who harassed nurse during pandemic, created ruckus at lion dance competition
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 - most of them within Sweida province but others to Daraa province to the west, or north to the countryside around the capital Damascus.
The U.N. 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.
PRESSURES ON SYRIA'S MOSAIC
The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel and Lebanon who follow a religion that is an offshoot of a branch of Islam. Some ultra-conservative Sunni Muslims deem Druze beliefs to be heretical.
The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against the Druze.
Residents of Sweida said friends and neighbours were shot at close range in their homes or in the streets by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and insignia.
Luna Albassit, a Druze activist in the town of Shahba in Sweida province, said the situation after so much bloodshed remained tense despite the end to clashes late on Sunday.
"People were killed in the streets, in their homes, they were humiliated and it was in the name of the state," she said.
Hamzah Mustafa, Syria's information minister, told Reuters last week that the Damascus government strongly condemned all abuses and rejected sectarian violence in all its forms.
Interim President al-Sharaa has promised to protect the rights of Druze and hold to account those who committed violations against "our Druze people".
He has blamed the violence on "outlaw groups".
After Israel bombed Syrian government forces in Sweida and hit the defence ministry in Damascus last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the demilitarisation of southern Syrian territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida.
He also said Israel would protect the Druze. REUTERS
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Iran says it held ‘frank' nuclear talks with European powers
Iran says it held ‘frank' nuclear talks with European powers

Straits Times

time21 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Iran says it held ‘frank' nuclear talks with European powers

Find out what's new on ST website and app. A European delegation leaving the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul, following nuclear talks on July 25. ISTANBUL - Iranian diplomats said they held 'frank and detailed' nuclear talks on July 25 with counterparts from Germany, Britain and France, who have threatened to trigger sanctions if Tehran fails to agree a deal on uranium enrichment and cooperation with UN inspectors. The meeting in Istanbul was the first since Israel launched an attack on Iran in June targeting key nuclear and military sites, sparking a 12-day war and leading Tehran to pull away from working with the UN watchdog. The European diplomats were seen leaving the Iranian consulate shortly before 1100 GMT (7pm in Singapore) after spending several hours inside. Israel's offensive – which killed top commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of others and in which residential areas and military sites were struck – also derailed US-Iran nuclear talks that began in April. Since then, the European powers, known as the E3, have threatened to trigger a so-called 'snapback mechanism' under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal that would reinstate UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August. The sanctions trigger expires in October, and Tehran has warned of consequences should the E3 opt to activate it. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Kazem Gharibabadi, who attended the talks alongside senior Iranian diplomat Majid Mr Takht-Ravanchi, wrote on X that he had used the meeting to criticise the European stance on the 12-day conflict with Israel. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly He said the snapback mechanism had also been discussed, adding: 'It was agreed that consultations on this matter will continue.' Mr Takht-Ravanchi told state news agency IRNA the Iranian side had demanded 'punitive sanctions' be lifted 'as soon as possible'. Before the talks, a European source said the three countries were preparing to trigger the mechanism 'in the absence of a negotiated solution'. The source urged Iran to make 'clear gestures' on uranium enrichment and resuming cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. 'Common ground' Mr Gharibabadi warned earlier in the week that triggering sanctions – which would deepen Iran's international isolation and place further pressure on its already strained economy – would be 'completely illegal'. He accused European powers of 'halting their commitments' under the 2015 deal, which the United States unilaterally withdrew from in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term. 'We have warned them of the risks, but we are still seeking common ground to manage the situation,' said Mr Gharibabadi. Iranian diplomats have previously warned that Tehran could withdraw from the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty if sanctions were reimposed. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has urged European powers to trigger the mechanism. Israel's June 13 attack on Iran came two days before Tehran and Washington were scheduled to meet for a sixth round of nuclear negotiations. On June 22, the US joined Israel's offensive by striking Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz. Before the war, the US and Iran were divided over uranium enrichment – with Tehran describing it as a 'non-negotiable' right, while Washington called it a 'red line'. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says Iran is enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity – far above the 3.67 per cent cap under the 2015 deal and close to weapons-grade levels. Tehran has said it is open to discussing the rate and level of enrichment, but not the right to enrich uranium. A year after the US withdrew from the nuclear deal, Iran began rolling back its commitments, which had placed restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Israel and Western powers accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran has repeatedly denied. 'New form' Iran insists it will not abandon its nuclear programme, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi describing the position as 'unshakable'. Though he claimed enrichment had come to a halt because of 'serious and severe' damage to nuclear sites caused by US and Israeli strikes, the full extent of the damage sustained in the US bombing remains unclear. Mr Trump claimed at the time the sites had been 'completely destroyed', but US media reports based on Pentagon assessments cast doubt on the scale of destruction . Since the 12-day war, Iran has suspended cooperation with the IAEA, accusing it of bias and failing to condemn the attacks. Inspectors have since left the country but a technical team is expected to return in the coming weeks after Iran said future cooperation would take a 'new form'. Israel has warned it may resume strikes if Iran rebuilds facilities or moves toward weapons capability. Iran has pledged a 'harsh response' to any future attacks. AFP

US, China confront each other on Ukraine at United Nations
US, China confront each other on Ukraine at United Nations

Straits Times

time21 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

US, China confront each other on Ukraine at United Nations

Find out what's new on ST website and app. FILE PHOTO: U.S. and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration created on March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo UNITED NATIONS - The United States told China at the United Nations on Friday it should "stop fueling Russia's aggression" in Ukraine, as China accused Washington of trying to shift blame and spark confrontation. Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea urged all countries, specifically naming China, to stop exports to Russia of dual-use goods that Washington says contribute to Russia's war industrial base and enable its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine. 'Beijing's claim to have implemented strong export controls on dual-use goods falls apart in the face of daily recovery of Chinese-produced components in the drones, weapons, and vehicles that Russia uses against Ukraine,' Shea told a meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Ukraine. China did not start the war in Ukraine, is not a party to the conflict, has never provided lethal weapons, and has always 'strictly controlled dual-use materials, including the export of drones,' China's deputy U.N. Ambassador Geng Shuang responded. 'We urge the U.S. to stop shifting blame on the Ukraine issue or creating confrontation and instead play a more constructive role in promoting ceasefire and peace talks,' he told the council. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Chinese-made engines are being covertly shipped via front companies to a state-owned drone manufacturer in Russia, labeled as "industrial refrigeration units" to avoid detection in the wake of Western sanctions. "If China is sincere in calling for peace, it should stop fueling Russia's aggression," Shea said. REUTERS Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly

US diplomats asked if non-whites qualify for Trump refugee program for South Africans
US diplomats asked if non-whites qualify for Trump refugee program for South Africans

Straits Times

time21 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

US diplomats asked if non-whites qualify for Trump refugee program for South Africans

FILE PHOTO: The first group of white South African refugees step from a \"people mover\" upon arrival at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, U.S., May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo WASHINGTON - In early July, the top official at the U.S. embassy in South Africa reached out to Washington asking for clarification on a contentious U.S. policy: could non-whites apply for a refugee program geared toward white South Africans if they met other requirements? President Donald Trump's February executive order establishing the program specified that it was for "Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination," referring to an ethnic group descended mostly from Dutch settlers. In a diplomatic cable sent July 8, embassy Charge d'Affairs David Greene asked whether the embassy could process claims from other minority groups claiming race-based discrimination such as "coloured" South Africans who speak Afrikaans. In South Africa the term coloured refers to mixed-raced people, a classification created by the apartheid regime still in use today. The answer came back days later in an email from Spencer Chretien, the highest-ranking official in the State Department's refugee and migration bureau, saying the program is intended for white people. Reuters was unable to independently verify the precise language in the email which was described to the news agency by three sources familiar with its contents. The State Department, responding to a request for comment on July 18, did not specifically comment on the email or the cable but described the scope of the policy as wider than the guidance in Chretien's email. The department said U.S. policy is to consider both Afrikaners and other racial minorities for resettlement, echoing guidance posted on its website in May saying that applicants "must be of Afrikaner ethnicity or be a member of a racial minority in South Africa." Chretien declined to comment through a State Department spokesperson. Greene did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. The internal back-and-forth between the embassy and the State Department - which hasn't been previously reported - illustrates the confusion in how to implement a policy designed to help white Afrikaners in a racially diverse country that includes mixed-race people who speak Afrikaans, as well as whites who speak English. So far the State Department has resettled 88 South Africans under the program, including the initial group of 59 who arrived in May. Another 15 are expected to arrive by the end of August, one of the sources said. Trump, a Republican who recaptured the White House pledging a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, placed an indefinite freeze on refugee admissions from around the world after taking office, saying the U.S. would only admit refugees who "can fully and appropriately assimilate." Weeks later, he issued an executive order that called for the U.S. to resettle Afrikaners, describing them as victims of "violence against racially disfavored landowners," allegations that echoed far-right claims but which have been contested by South Africa's government. Since the executive order, U.S. diplomats working to implement the program have been deliberating internally about which racial groups could be considered eligible, one of the sources said. In the July 8 cable, Greene laid out a summary of the different ethnic and racial groups in the country before seeking guidance on eligibility. In addition to Afrikaners and mixed-race South Africans, Greene mentioned indigenous South Africans known as the Khoisan people. He said that members of the Jewish community had also expressed interest, but that in South Africa they are considered a religious minority and not a racial group. "In the absence of other guidance, [the U.S. embassy] intends to give consideration to well-founded claims of persecution based on race for other racial minorities," Greene wrote. At least one family identified as coloured has already traveled to the U.S. as refugees, two people familiar with the matter said. The cable forced the administration to clarify its position on whether the policy is for whites only, and if it does include other aggrieved minorities, who would qualify, two of the people familiar with the matter said. Chretien, a conservative who wrote op-eds promoting the Heritage Foundation's "Project 2025" plan to overhaul the federal government, is the senior official at the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. During the apartheid era, which ended with the first democratic elections in 1994, South Africa maintained a racially segregated society with separate schools, neighborhoods and public facilities for people classified as Black, coloured, white or Asian. Blacks make up 81% of South Africa's population, according to 2022 census data. Coloured South Africans make up 8%, and Indians 3%. Afrikaners and other white South Africans constitute 7% of the population but own three-quarters of the privately held land in the country. When asked about the program in May, Trump said he was not giving Afrikaners preferential treatment because they are white. "They happen to be white, but whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me," he said. In response to a request for comment, a White House official said the administration's policy reflected Trump's executive order. 'We will prioritize refugee admissions for South African citizens, including Afrikaners and other racial minorities in South Africa, who have been targeted by the discriminatory laws of the South African government," the official said. The assertion that minority white South Africans face discrimination from the Black majority has spread in far-right circles for years and been echoed by white South African-born Elon Musk, a U.S. citizen who served as a top White House aide during the first four months of Trump's administration. The South African government has rejected the allegations of persecution and a "white genocide." There is no evidence to back up claims of widespread, race-based attacks in the country. During a combative Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in May, Trump showed a printed image of a Reuters video taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of what he falsely presented as evidence of mass killings of white South Africans. The South African Chamber of Commerce said earlier this year that 67,000 people were interested in the program. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store