Clashes Rage in Druze Region as Syria Struggles to Enforce Ceasefire
Reuters reporters heard gunfire from inside the city of Sweida and saw shells land in nearby villages. There were no immediate, confirmed reports of casualties.
The government had said security forces were deploying in the southern region to try to keep peace, and urged all parties to stop fighting after nearly a week of factional bloodshed in which hundreds have been killed.
Late on Saturday, the interior ministry said clashes in Sweida city had been halted and the area cleared of Bedouin tribal fighters following the deployment.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said clashes since last week around Sweida had killed at least 940 people. Reuters could not independently verify the toll.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said 'Arab and American' mediation had helped restore calm, before the clashes escalated. He criticised Israel for airstrikes during the week.
VIOLENCE IN DRUZE REGION CHALLENGES DAMASCUS
The fighting is the latest challenge to the control of Sharaa's Islamist-dominated government, which took over after rebels toppled autocratic president Bashar al-Assad in December.
It started last week as clashes between the Druze – a religious minority native to southern Syria, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon and Jordan – and Syrian Bedouin tribes.
Government forces then arrived to try to quell tensions, clashing with Druze gunmen and attacking the Druze community.
Saturday's violence once again pitted Druze against Bedouin, witnesses said.
The fighting has drawn in neighbouring Israel, which carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the defence ministry in Damascus this week while government forces were fighting with the Druze. Israel says it is protecting the Druze, who also form a significant minority in Israel.
But Israel and Washington differ over Syria. The U.S. supports a centralised Syria under Sharaa's government, which has pledged to rule for all citizens, while Israel says the government is dominated by jihadists and a danger to minorities.
In March, Syria's military was involved in mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, to which much of Assad's elite belonged.
ISRAEL-SYRIA TENSIONS
In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate ceasefire and urged an immediate end to hostilities. Sharaa said Syria would not be a 'testing ground for partition, secession, or sectarian incitement'.
'The Israeli intervention pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability,' he said in a televised speech.
Sharaa appeared to blame Druze gunmen for the latest clashes, accusing them of revenge attacks against Bedouins.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Sharaa was siding with the perpetrators.
'In al-Shara's Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority — Kurd, Druze, Alawite, or Christian,' he posted on X.
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire.
Barrack, who is both U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Washington's Syria envoy, urged Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis, together with other minorities, to 'build a new and united Syrian identity'.
Israel has attacked Syrian military facilities in the seven months since Assad fell, and says it wants areas of southern Syria near its border to remain demilitarised.
On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to Sweida for two days.
SWEIDA HOSPITAL FILLS WITH CASUALTIES
Mansour Namour, a resident of a village near Sweida city, said mortar shells were still landing near his home on Saturday afternoon, and that at least 22 people had been wounded.
A doctor in Sweida said a local hospital was full of bodies and wounded people from days of violence.
'All the injuries are from bombs, some people with their chests wounded. There are also injuries to limbs from shrapnel,' said Omar Obeid, director of the hospital.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
4 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Trump may travel to China to meet Xi in 'not-too-distant future'
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he may visit China soon for a landmark trip at a time of simmering trade and security tensions. "President Xi has invited me to China, and we'll probably be doing that in the not-too-distant future," Trump told reporters in the White House's Oval Office. "A little bit out, but not too distant. And I've been invited by a lot of people, and we'll make those decisions pretty soon." Reuters has reported that Trump and Xi's aides have discussed a potential meeting between the leaders during a trip by the U.S. president to Asia later this year, citing two people familiar with the plans. While plans for a meeting have not been finalized, discussions on both sides of the Pacific have included a possible Trump stopover around the time of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea or talks on the sidelines of the October 30-November 1 event, the people said. Another possible trip would be for a September 3 Beijing ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to attend. The White House and the Chinese government had declined to comment on that earlier Reuters report. Trump made the comment about meeting Xi during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a key Pacific ally who Trump said he had successfully moved away from China, even as he said it was fine for the two countries to have relations. Trump has sought to lower tensions with Beijing in recent weeks after pausing a tit-for-tat tariff war that has upended global trade and supply chains. Trump has sought to impose tariffs on virtually all foreign goods, which he says will stimulate domestic manufacturing and which critics say will make many consumer goods more expensive for Americans. He has called for a universal base tariff rate of 10% on goods imported from all countries, with higher rates for imports from some, including China. Imports from China have the highest tariff rate of 55%. Trump has set a deadline of August 12 for the U.S. and China to reach a durable tariff agreement. Other points of friction between the countries include China's support for Russia, trade in fentanyl-related chemicals, regional security worries, and exit bans on some American residents.
Tokyo Weekender
8 hours ago
- Tokyo Weekender
A Record 42 Women Win Seats in Upper House Election
Last month, Japan ranked a disappointing 118th for the second successive year in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, with political empowerment being the country's weakest category. It was, therefore, encouraging to see a record number of 42 female candidates elected in Sunday's Upper House election. The previous high was recorded during the last House of Councillors vote in 2022, when 35 women secured seats. List of Contents: Decrease in Women Candidates in Upper House Election Four Women Elected in Tokyo Related Posts Decrease in Women Candidates in Upper House Election In total, women won 33.6% of the 125 contested seats. However, the number of female candidates dropped from 181 in 2022 to 152 this year — with 102 running from electoral districts and 50 through proportional representation. That represented 29.1% of all candidates, compared with 33.2% three years ago. The government was aiming for a 35% quota for female parliamentary candidates in 2025. Twelve female candidates from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) were elected, the highest number among all parties. That included Renho Saito, commonly known by her given name, Renho, for what was her fifth reelection. She automatically lost her Upper House seat after announcing she was running for the post of Tokyo governor last year. Incumbent Yuriko Koike won the gubernatorial election, with Renho finishing third. Four Women Elected in Tokyo Another female from the CDP to be reelected was Ayaka Shiomura, who was famously heckled in 2014 with the words 'hurry up and get married' by fellow council member Akihiro Suzuki after she asked about measures to help mothers. She was one of four women to win seven of the seats up for grabs in Tokyo. The other three were Mayu Ushida of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), Yoshiko Kira of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and Saya, representing Sanseito. 'I am really feeling the weight of each and every vote , and I feel a strong sense of responsibility,' said the singer-turned-politician Saya, who only goes by her first name. 'I believe that the real battle for Japan and for the Japanese people will now begin,' she added. Women accounted for five out of the seven seats Sanseito won in the electoral districts. It fielded 24 female candidates, compared to just 22 who ran for the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (17) and Komeito (5). Related Posts LDP-Led Coalition Lose Upper House Majority, Ishiba Vows To Continue as Prime Minister Sanseito Explained: The Alarming Rise of Japan's Far-Right Movement Why Japanese Leftists Are Using Melonpan to Mock Sanseito
Nikkei Asia
14 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Washington says China will not let US government employee leave country
The United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia: The U.S. government has confirmed that a USPTO employee visiting China has been prevented from leaving. © Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The U.S. State Department said on Monday that the Chinese government had blocked a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee visiting the Asian country in a personal capacity from leaving. "We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible," a State Department spokesperson said. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is part of the federal Department of Commerce. The individual's name and whether the person was detained were not disclosed. The Chinese embassy in Washington and the U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Washington Post reported on Sunday that a U.S. citizen who works for the Commerce Department had traveled to China several months ago to visit family. The man was being prevented from leaving the country after he failed to disclose on his visa application that he worked for the U.S. government, the newspaper said, citing sources. Beijing has used exit bans on both Chinese and foreign nationals in connection with civil disputes, regulatory enforcement and criminal investigations. Analysts say the tactic is at times used to crack down on local dissent and also as diplomatic leverage in disputes with other nations. Washington and Beijing have had friction for years over tariffs, the origins of COVID-19, Taiwan and other issues. Chenyue Mao, a Wells Fargo banker, has also been blocked from leaving China. Beijing's foreign ministry said on Monday she was involved in a criminal case and obliged to cooperate with an investigation. Mao was the latest of several executives from foreign corporations to be stopped as they tried to depart China. The U.S. bank suspended all employee travel to China after Mao's exit ban, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last week, saying Mao was a U.S. citizen.
