News Analysis: Syria's sectarian clashes, Israeli airstrikes and a wary peace: What to know
The fighting in Sweida, the southern province bordering Jordan and near Israel, began last week between militiamen from the Druze religious minority and Sunni Muslim tribes. It soon embroiled Syrian government forces and Israel in a chaotic battlefield that saw hundreds killed — some in sectarian-fueled revenge attacks — and more than 128,000 people displaced before a U.S.-backed ceasefire was announced Sunday.
The violence underscores the challenges facing the government of President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a rebel-turned-politician whose armed faction spearheaded the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in December. Since then, Al-Sharaa's Islamist-dominated government has struggled to win the trust of minority communities in the country and failed to persuade militias formed during the civil war to disarm or fall under Damascus' authority.
Here's a breakdown of what's happening in Sweida and why many believe it could derail Syria's delicate postwar recovery.
Before the fighting erupted July 13, tensions were already high after a spate of kidnappings and robberies between Druze communities in Sweida and nearby Bedouin tribes.
As the unrest grew into open conflict involving Druze militias and armed Bedouins, the government dispatched its forces to stop the fighting. But some Druze leaders said the government aided the Bedouins instead; they also accused government-aligned security personnel of committing sectarian-motivated rampages, looting and executions against Druze civilians.
Druze militias launched a counterattack and retaliated with a wave of killings and kidnappings against Bedouin fighters and civilians. Israel entered the fray with an airstrike campaign targeting Syria's security forces and tanks, as well as the army headquarters and the presidential palace in Damascus, the capital.
The violence left roughly 1,260 dead, most of them Druze fighters and civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in Britain. It also said government forces carried out summary executions. Included in the death toll are hundreds of state security personnel.
The Druze, who make up roughly 3% of Syria's population, are members of a syncretic religion that emerged in the 11th century as an offshoot of Shiite Islam. There are roughly 1 million Druze worldwide, more than half of them in Syria, and most of the rest in Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights, which Israel has illegally occupied — according to international law — since 1967.
During the civil war, the Druze were largely unwilling to ally with Assad but were wary of the opposition, which was dominated by hard-line Sunni Islamist groups, some of whom viewed Druze as infidels. The Druze formed militias for protection.
When Assad fell, many Druze celebrated. But some spiritual and militia leaders — like other minority communities across the country — remained suspicious of Al-Sharaa and his Islamist past, which once included affiliation with the terrorist network Al Qaeda. They resisted his calls to disarm and insisted they would cede power only to a representative government.
Waves of sectarian attacks have only reinforced their suspicions of Al-Sharaa: In March, government-linked factions massacred about 1,500 people, mostly from the Alawite sect, and in May, clashes in Druze-majority areas near the capital left 39 people dead.
Israel has entrenched itself in the neighboring country since Assad's fall, with warplanes launching a wide-scale attack to destroy the Syrian army's arsenal even as Israeli tanks and troops blitzed into Syria and commandeered villages near the border.
Since then, it has consolidated its presence and operated ever deeper in Syrian territory, justifying the moves as necessary for its security and to stop armed groups, government-aligned or otherwise, from launching attacks on Israel from Syrian territory.
Israel has also imposed what is in effect a demilitarized zone over southern Syria, including Sweida, preventing the Syrian army from establishing its authority over the region.
Critics say Israel is engaging in a land grab aimed at keeping Syria a weak and fragmented neighbor.
Another reason for Israel's intervention is its own Druze population, a vocal minority of about 145,000 people, some of whom serve in the Israeli military. Over the last few months, Israeli troops have offered assistance to Syrian Druze communities. And when the Sweida fighting began, Israeli Druze citizens demonstrated near the border, calling on the Israeli military to protect their fellow Druze in Syria.
Despite those overtures, many Syrian Druze fear Israel's growing presence in their areas and have sought a diplomatic resolution to their differences with the Syrian government. Others, such as Hikmat al-Hijri, an influential Druze spiritual leader opposed to Al-Sharaa, have repeatedly called for foreign protection.
Hours after the ceasefire took effect late Sunday, the Syrian government evacuated about 1,500 Bedouin family members trapped in Sweida city. Druze civilians were to be evacuated at a later time. Other phases of the truce will see the release of detained Bedouin fighters and the bodies of Bedouins killed in the fighting.
The U.S. was involved in brokering the ceasefire. More generally, Trump administration officials have thrown their support behind Al-Sharaa, lifting years-old sanctions that had all but choked the country's economy and shepherding diplomatic contacts with Israel.
Speaking to reporters Monday in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Syrian authorities needed to be held accountable for violations but 'they also need to be given the responsibility that' is theirs.
Earlier, in an interview with the Associated Press, he deplored the killings but said the Syrian government was acting 'as best [it] can as a nascent government with very few resources to address the multiplicity of issues that arise in trying to bring a diverse society together.'
He also suggested Israel wasn't interested in seeing a strong Syria.
'Strong nation-states are a threat. Especially, Arab states are viewed as a threat to Israel,' he said. But in Syria, he said, 'I think all of the the minority communities are smart enough to say, 'We're better off together, centralized.''
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New York Post
23 minutes ago
- New York Post
Inside the harrowing attack on Syria's Druze — and why the US' first step in the right direction is vital
I woke to voice notes from Mazen, his Suwayda Druze dialect thick with tears. 'Jolani's ISIS are massacring us,' he said, referring to the forces of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Jolani from his Al-Qaeda days. 'Please talk to anyone you know in Washington to help us,' he pleaded. Over the next five days, I exchanged information with Mazen, Muhannad, Makram, Gadeer, Shadi and other Druze in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, piecing together the unfolding horror. I was the only non-Druze in the group. Advertisement To us, it was clear: Damascus had ordered a massacre against the Druze in southern Syria. 5 Bedouin fighters walk near a damaged car, following the Syrian presidency's announcement of a ceasefire after days of violence in Sweida province triggered by clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions. REUTERS As a Lebanese civil war survivor, I've faced near-death experiences and reported on assassinations. Despite losing close friends to violence in Lebanon and Iraq, I've trained myself to detach, keeping emotions separate from my work. But no one grows numb to massacres. Once you connect with victims, helplessness sets in. Advertisement On normal days, I make noise about Middle Eastern issues, but as Druze fell to Islamist bullets, I felt powerless. How do you stop death? How do you make the world hear? The Druze in Israel worked tirelessly, lobbying for the Jewish state to intervene and deter Sharaa. Israel eventually acted, destroying Islamist convoys heading south and striking a building in Damascus to warn Sharaa. 5 Following sectarian clashes this month between Druze and Bedouin tribes, Israel eventually acted, destroying Islamist convoys heading south and striking a building in Damascus to warn Sharaa. Getty Images Suddenly, the narrative shifted to international law — not condemning Syria for killing its citizens, but criticizing Israel for violating Syrian sovereignty. This same Israeli action had previously weakened Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, paving Sharaa's path to power. Advertisement Yet now, Syrian sovereignty was the focus. After Israel's warning, Sharaa paused but didn't stop. Cunningly, he continued the violence through proxies. 'He ordered his forces to swap military uniforms for tribal outfits, calling them clans,' Mazen said. 'Our guys in Suwayda captured several 'clansmen' who still carried military IDs.' Mazen, Muhannad and others eventually outlined the attacking force. Advertisement 5 Outnumbered and outgunned, the Druze suffered heavy losses over three days. Here, Druze women gather to cross back into Syria at the Israeli-Syrian border. AP Three of Sharaa's top lieutenants — Hussain al-Salama (Chief of Intelligence), Youssef Al-Hajr (HTS Political Chief) and Muhammad al-Jassim (Abu Amsheh, a Turkish-backed commander) — orchestrated the tribal attack. Salama and Al-Hajr, from the Aqidat clan, and Al-Jassim, from the Nuaym clan, both based in northeastern Syria, used state-supervised mosque networks to rally 15,000 fighters whom they bused over 350 miles to attack the Druze in the south. No ties linked the northern and southern clans. The 'revenge' narrative was bogus. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Druze suffered heavy losses over three days. 5 Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Getty Images Sharaa's Islamists entered homes, massacring families including Evangelical pastor Khalid Mezher and 20 of his relatives. An American citizen, Hosam Saraya, visiting Suwayda, was dragged in the street and executed with his family. A captured government fighter confessed that Sharaa's forces were instructed to wear civilian clothes and use civilian vehicles to evade Israeli airstrikes. They were ordered to kill any Druze they encountered, either by shooting or beheading. Of the 3,500 fighters transported in 800 vehicles, 200 were foreign Islamists from Chechnya and Central Asia, including suicide bombers tasked with targeting Druze gatherings. Advertisement As clashes continued, Mazen's updates grew grim: 'This is where my retired uncle was killed in his house,' or 'That's where my maternal cousins were gunned down.' We wanted to console him, but there was no time for emotions — not for Mazen, Muhannad, or any of us. US Envoy Tom Barrack claimed the perpetrators were Islamists posing as government forces. We were certain he was wrong, likely unaware of US intelligence and echoing Damascus's talking points. 5 Sharaa denied his government's role in the onslaught against the Druze people. Here, Tribal and bedouin fighters cross Walga town amid clashes with Druze gunmen. AFP via Getty Images Sharaa denied his government's role in the onslaught, yet water, electricity and internet were cut off in Suwayda. Government checkpoints blocked food and medicine. Advertisement Our sources went silent. Mazen explained that batteries were dying, and those with satellite phones were busy searching for missing loved ones or burying the dead. The Druze were drowning in blood and grief, unable to update us, their window to the world. Washington announced a ceasefire on Friday, but it didn't take hold until Sunday. When the shooting stopped, the scale of the disaster emerged. The tally stands so far at 3,300 dead Druze out of Syria's 700,000 Druze population — the equivalent of America's September 11 and Israel's October 7. With electricity and internet restored, videos surfaced: hundreds of summary executions, an unarmed Druze man shot by Sharaa's forces without question, another pleading for his life before being killed for being Druze. Government forces looted shops and homes, desecrated houses of worship and left graffiti vowing to exterminate the Druze and establish an Islamist state. Advertisement President Trump met Sharaa in May and announced the removal of sanctions on Syria. But the Suwayda massacre prompted the House Financial Services Committee to reconsider. Instead of fully repealing the 2019 Caesar sanctions, they voted to amend them, allowing removal only if Syria stops killing civilians, including minorities. Congress has taken a step in the right direction. Past experiments — lifting sanctions on Iran or funneling Qatari billions to Hamas — showed that Islamists don't moderate with money. There's no reason to believe Sharaa will be different. 'Trust but verify' must be America's policy on Syria. Washington isn't even demanding accountability. Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a Foundation for Defense of Democracies research fellow.

Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
A Syrian American returned to Syria to aid his ailing father. He was executed in sectarian violence
SWEIDA, Syria — The first video opens with Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old Syrian American and seven other members of his family, walking in a procession down a street, their hands placed on the shoulders of the person in front of them, escorted by gunmen wearing fatigues and waving assault rifles. One of the gunmen says, 'We gave you safe passage,' while others shout religious slogans. Another video shot on July 16 cuts to Saraya and his relatives kneeling in the middle of a roundabout. One of the gunmen speaks to a family member, his voice becoming more menacing as his anger mounts. Then the shooting starts, and Saraya and the others collapse to the ground. Saraya, a member of the Druze religious minority, was living in Oklahoma but had returned to the family home in the Druze-majority city of Sweida to take care of his ill father, relatives said. 'His father improved, and Hosam was supposed to come back to Oklahoma in a month. We're in complete disbelief and shock,' said one U.S.-based relative who refused to be identified, fearing reprisals against her family in Syria. 'We just never thought something like this could happen to us.' Saraya studied finance and accounting at Damascus University before moving to the U.S. in 2014, where he earned an MBA at Oklahoma Christian University. Afterward, he worked as an operations manager at a senior home care company and became a U.S. citizen. He was unmarried. Saraya was among an estimated 1,380 people killed in a spasm of sectarian violence that swept through Sweida this month, when fighting between Bedouin clansmen and Druze militiamen escalated into armed clashes that drew in Syria's fledgling government and Israel, which said it intervened to protect the Druze community. Government forces were supposed to quash any fighting between Bedouins and Druze, residents and Saraya's neighbors say. Instead they left behind a trail of looting, burning homes and the execution of more than 230 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor. This week, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said he was 'heartbroken' by the death of Saraya, who he said 'was an Oklahoman ... tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria.' Relatives in the U.S. said they had been interviewed by the FBI. The Syrian government has yet to reach out to the family here, but said it would hold all government forces accountable for violations. The violence, the third round of sectarian violence to hit Syria since the new Islamist government toppled longtime President Bashar Assad nine months ago, threatens to bring about the disintegration of a country struggling to move on from its 14-year civil war. At the Saraya home in Sweida, signs of the violence are everywhere — walls pockmarked by shrapnel from a hand grenade and family pictures and mirrors cracked by bullet holes. Sitting morosely in the midst of the destruction, one of his relatives, Dima Saraya, 41, recounted what she described as a living nightmare that left her a widow. Most of the family was sleeping when gunmen in fatigues surrounded the house around 6 a.m., shooting the lock off the gate before breaking into the house. Woken up by the commotion, the men told the women and children to stay inside while they went out to stop the gunmen. 'They didn't have any weapons. If they did, those people would have killed them on the spot,' Dima said, adding that one of the fighters, who identified himself as Abu Jaafar, said he was part of the government's General Security apparatus and that they should come with him. When the men refused to go, the fighters responded with a spray of bullets, a hand grenade, and two RPGs to the upper floor. They decided to surrender and as Saraya and the others filed out, Dima and the others ran outside, crying and pleading that the men stay. One of the fighters pointed his rifle at Dima's chest and told her to go inside before he shot her. Later, Dima said, after the gunmen finished searching the house, their leader reassured her, 'Don't worry. We won't hurt them. In two hours — or by morning — they'll be back. I promise they'll be safe.' 'By then he had already killed them,' Dima said. After the gunmen left, others soon followed. Each time a new group came, they accused the family of hiding weapons and searched the house. Each time they looted: One fighter demanded the gold necklace on Dima's neck and the jewelry from the other women. Another asked for the keys to one of the cars downstairs. Yet another, in a fit of rage, threatened to rape Dima. By the time the last band of fighters arrived, it was 2:30 in the afternoon. They said they would execute everyone in the house, Dima said, but then one of the fighters said, 'Leave them. There are pretty women among them.' They again demanded jewelry or car keys, but Dima replied that there was nothing left to take. When the fighters went outside to continue looting, Dima and 14 other family members ran to a neighbor's house and locked the door, staying silent and hoping they wouldn't be noticed. 'We didn't dare go out to search for anyone. We were too terrified,' Dima said. That night, as videos of the killings — many of them gleefully taken by the gunmen themselves as they tortured and executed Druze — surfaced on social media, the Saraya family looked for signs of their loved ones. It wasn't till the next morning that someone came to the door and told them to come collect the bodies of their relatives. That task fell to another relative, Mutassem Jbaai. 'Each body had more than 50 bullet holes. There was blood everywhere. It was like they were mangled,' he said, wincing at the memory. The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was having direct discussions with the Syrian government on Saraya's killing, and that it called for 'an immediate investigation,' according to department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott. 'Hosam and his family deserve justice, and those responsible for this atrocity must be held accountable,' Pigott said. Yet among the Saraya family, few believe the Syrian government will do anything to bring justice. They point to earlier bouts of sectarian bloodshed that have gone unpunished. 'We can't live like this. When Assad fell, we had a bit of hope and gave them a chance,' said the U.S.-based relative. 'But as the saying goes, 'once a terrorist, always a terrorist.' '


UPI
a day ago
- UPI
9 dead, 22 injured in 'terrorist' attack in Iran
July 26 (UPI) -- A group of "armed terrorists" killed six and injured 22 during a Saturday morning attack on a courthouse in Zahedan, Iran, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni announced. Armed militants attacked during the early morning rush hour, but were opposed by the courthouse security team, Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Three members of the security team and three civilians, including a woman and a child, were among those killed, while 22 others were injured. Three attackers also were killed. The Jaish al-Adl "terrorist group" claimed responsibility for the attack that initially targeted the courthouse but led to attacks on nearby civilians, according to the IRNA report. Jaish al-Adl is a "jihadist separatist group" and used small arms, grenade launchers and mortars during the two-phased attack, The Guardian reported. The attack's first phase was an assault on the courthouse, where the militants fought with security forces for three hours. Gunfire and explosions could be heard during the initial attack that ensued after Jaish al-Adl militants entered while disguised as civilians, The Jerusalem Post reported. Three gunmen in their 20s and carrying backpacks carried out the attack, the news outlet reported. The gunmen entered the judges' chambers and killed judicial staff, security and civilians, local police said. The attack's second phase was a random attack on civilians outside the courthouse. Jaish al-Adl is a Sunni Muslim group and warned Iranian civilians to "immediately evacuate the area of clashes for their safety" in a Telegram post in which the group claimed responsibility for the Zahedan courthouse assault. Zahedan is located in the Sistan and Baluchestan provinces in southeastern Iran, where armed groups in nearby Pakistan and Afghanistan occasionally engage in violence. The Jaish al-Adl group in October killed 10 police officers in Taftan County, which is one of that province's deadliest incidents in recent months.