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Los Angeles Times
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Druze-Bedouin clashes flare up again after government forces pull out of southern Syria
MAZRAA, Syria — Syrian government forces prepared to return to a southern region Friday after renewed clashes broke out between Druze armed groups and members of Bedouin clans, leaving tens of thousands of people displaced in a worsening humanitarian crisis. The government forces had withdrawn from Sweida province following a ceasefire agreement announced Wednesday that halted much the violence that plagued the area earlier in the week, but which ultimately did not stop the fighting. Officials were negotiating with Druze factions on an agreement to re-enter the area to impose stability and protect state institutions, according to two Syrian officials who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. They said an agreement was reached, but later said the deployment was delayed, without giving an explanation. Tens of thousands of people remained displaced by the violence and the United Nations has been unable to bring in much-needed humanitarian and medical aid because of ongoing clashes. Clashes began Sunday between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes. Government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up taking the Bedouins' side against the Druze. Israel later in the week launched airstrikes against Syrian forces in defense of the Druze. The fighting killed hundreds of people over four days, with allegations that government-affiliated fighters executed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Israel launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and even struck the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus. The Druze form a substantial community in Israel, where they are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the Israeli military. A truce mediated by the U.S., Turkey and Arab countries was announced Wednesday. Under the accord, Druze factions and clerics were to maintain the internal security in Sweida as government forces pulled out, Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Thursday. By late Thursday clashes were flaring again between the Druze and Bedouin groups in parts of Sweida province. State media reported Druze militias carried out revenge attacks against Bedouin communities, leading to a new wave of displacement. The governor of neighboring Daraa province said in a statement that more than 1,000 families had been displaced to the area from Sweida as a result of 'attacks on Bedouin tribes by outlaw groups.' The United Nations' migration agency said Friday that nearly 80,000 people had been displaced altogether since clashes started on Sunday. It also noted that essential services, including water and electricity, have collapsed in Sweida, telecommunications systems are widely disrupted, and health facilities in Sweida and Daraa are under severe strain. Meanwhile 'there are severe disruptions to supply routes, with insecurity and road closures blocking aid deliveries,' Adam Abdelmoula, U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator in Syria, said in a statement Friday. The World Health Organization was able to send trauma care supplies to Daraa province, but Sweida remains inaccessible, he said. 'Once conditions allow, we are planning to send a mission to assess needs and provide critical aid, in full coordination with authorities,' Abdelmoula said. Bedouin groups and supporters arrived Friday from other areas of Syria to join the fight. On the outskirts of Sweida, groups of them gathered in front of buildings that had been set ablaze. An armed man who gave his name only as Abu Mariam ('father of Mariam') said he had come from the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor to 'support the oppressed.' 'We will not return to our homes until we crush Al-Hijri and his ilk,' he said, referring to a prominent Druze leader opposed to the government in Damascus, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri. 'We have nothing to do with civilians and innocent people as long as they stay in their homes.' The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. While predominantly Druze, Sweida is also home to Bedouin tribes who are Sunni Muslim and have periodically clashed with the Druze over the years. The latest escalation began with members of a Bedouin tribe in Sweida setting up a checkpoint and attacking and robbing a Druze man, which triggered tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings. Ahmed Aba Zeid, a Syrian researcher who has studied armed groups in southern Syria, said there is 'no specific reason' for the historic tensions between the groups. 'All of Syria is full of social problems that have no reason,' he said. In this case, however, 'The state exploited the latest problem to try to change the situation in Sweida, and this only increased the scope of it,' he said. In Israel, members of the Druze community had called for intervention to protect the Druze in Syria. But elsewhere in the region, Druze leaders have rejected Israeli intervention. The spiritual leader of the Druze community in Lebanon, Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna, said Friday at a gathering of Druze officials in Beirut that sectarian clashes in Syria 'give an excuse for Israeli intervention and for blowing up the situation in the region.' 'We do not accept to request protection from Israel, which we believe is harmful to our history and identity,' he said. Al-Muna called for all parties to adhere to the ceasefire agreement reached Wednesday and for a national dialogue to address the issues between different communities in Syria. Lebanese Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, who had been one of the regional figures mediating the ceasefire reached Wednesday, at the same gathering called for formation of and investigative committee to investigate violations against both Druze and Bedouins in Syria. Alsayed and Sewell write for the Associated Press. Sewell reported from Beirut.
Shafaq News
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Autonomous Administration offers help as wildfires ravage Syria's coastal forests
Shafaq News – Qamishli The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria announced on Tuesday its readiness to assist in extinguishing the wildfires that have swept across Syria's coastal forests in recent days, causing significant destruction to vegetation and raising fears of worsening environmental and economic damage. In a statement, the Environmental Authority of the Autonomous Administration described the fires as 'an escalating environmental disaster whose consequences go beyond natural impact.' It expressed solidarity with residents of the affected areas and pledged to provide 'all possible forms of assistance to contain the fires and prevent their spread.' The Authority also called on the international community and environmental organizations to intervene and support ongoing efforts to protect Syria's forests and prevent future disasters. Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, Raed al-Saleh, previously confirmed that Damascus had requested support from the European Union to combat the blazes, which have continued for a sixth consecutive day in the Latakia countryside. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, stated that the fast-moving fires in northwestern Latakia had forced hundreds of families to flee their homes, while large areas of farmland and vital infrastructure have been destroyed. He added that UN teams are conducting emergency assessments to gauge the scale of the disaster and identify the most urgent humanitarian needs. Firefighting teams from Turkiye and Jordan have joined Syrian Civil Defense efforts, providing aerial support with helicopters. The blaze has already destroyed hundreds of thousands of trees across an estimated 10,000 hectares (about 38.6 square miles). Syrian Civil Defense teams warned that unexploded ordnance left behind from the country's 14-year conflict may be present in some of the affected forested areas, complicating containment and evacuation operations.
The National
13-07-2025
- Climate
- The National
'You don't get to rest': relentless battle against fires in Syria's coast hampered by landmines
Despite hours of relentless effort, firefighters have not been able to contain the flames consuming the once-lush valley of Qastal Maaf, a village in Syria's Latakia province. 'It's out of control,' one firefighter shouted to his fellow rescuers, as the flames quickly gained ground. Apocalyptic scenes have emerged along Syria's coastal region, as unprecedented blazes have swept through the area for more than 10 days. In Qastal Maaf, the sky turned orange in the haze and ash rained down like snow, carried across Syria's coast by strong winds. Panicked birds circled the smoke-choked sky, their chirps now desperate cries. The battle fought by firefighters that day was one of many they faced over the week. Syria's worst drought in decades and parched soil have whipped devastating blazes, torching more than 15,000 hectares across Latakia − an area bigger than Paris − including agricultural land and crops. That afternoon, the firefighters lost the fight. Despite the efforts of the Syrian Civil Defence, supported by several fire vehicles deployed from Turkey – one of the neighbouring countries that offered assistance – the fire only grew bigger, ripping through the hillside. 'Civilians, leave now,' firefighters ordered. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, said the wildfires had 'catastrophic consequences on local communities and require our immediate attention'. The UN announced the allocation of $625,000 to support emergency response efforts. The National embedded on Friday with the Syrian Civil Defence, whose members shared the challenges they face in responding to the catastrophe. These include a lack of equipment, the threat of unexploded war ordnance and rough roads. 'The challenges are clear. The mountain roads are difficult. We've had to open paths using chains to reach certain points and access the burning valleys,' Osama Aswad, a responder with the White Helmets, an internationally praised rescue organisation that operated in opposition-held areas, told The National. Deadly legacy Firefighters said they had to use bulldozers to carve paths through forest to reach the raging fires. But the operation is fraught with danger: the land there is full of unexploded ordnance, a deadly legacy across Syria, including Latakia region, which was once among the front lines of Syria's 13-year civil war. In 2014, the part of Latakia now affected by the fire was at the centre of intense fighting between rebels, including the Al Nusra Front- a previous name of the main group within Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, whose leader Ahmad Al Shara is now Syria's President - and former Syrian government forces. Following the surprise offensive by opposition groups, the battle to recapture the region left the land contaminated with unexploded ordnance. This danger has hampered civil defence efforts to tackle the blazes, leading to frustration among fire crews. 'Because there are landmines here, we couldn't go up further,' said civil defence member Turki Sahel, gesturing at burning greenery, the tip of a massive fire that had engulfed the rest of the area. During operations, rescuers have become accustomed to the sound of landmines detonating from the heat, these occasional booms joining the roar of the fire. 'Honestly, it's a hard feeling, if the area were clear, we would have gone in,' added Mr Sahel, as the white haze from the flames thickened, shrouding the area completely. Aerial support has proven essential for accessing contaminated areas. 'We alert the operations unit to see if aerial support is possible,' said Mr Aswad. Above the firefighters, Turkish aircraft could be seen circling overhead. 'You don't get to rest' Efforts have been relentless. At makeshift resting point, a few firefighters are sleeping between shifts tackling the wildfire. Most haven't slept for more than two hours at a time in a week. 'The rest areas here are just for quick breaks, people rest for two or three hours and then go back to work,' Rawad Tobaji, 30, volunteer with the White Helmets since 2016, told The National. The space is sparse: a stove for coffee, a few food parcels and a handful of mattresses laid directly on the ground. 'The job is non-stop, we don't get long rest periods. You never know when a fire might flare up, so you always have to be ready,' he added. Rescue teams also lack equipment to face the disaster as Syria is still reeling from a steep economic crisis as years of w estern sanctions, and more than a decade of conflict have left institutions in tatters. Most of them were wearing simple Covid mask against the fumes. 'Generally, the focus of our needs is on logistical support: diesel, firefighting hoses, spare parts, and bulldozers and heavy engineering equipment,' Raed Saleh, Syria's Minister of Disaster Management and Emergency Response, told The National on Thursday. Mr Saleh was the head of the White Helmets before being appointed to the ministerial role in March. The White Helmets have recently announced that they will join state institutions as the country attempts to reunite, after the fall of former president Bashar Al Assad last December. Since the fires broke out, Mr Saleh has remained on the ground with civil defence teams. Other countries have sent reinforcements to assist, including Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. The disaster has sparked a wave of solidarity. Some came spontaneously as volunteers, like Othman Taleb, from Lebanese youth-led environmental organisation Akkar Trail. 'Because Syria and Lebanon have always been one hand, one people. Borders don't divide us, and God willing, nothing ever will,' said Mr Taleb. 'Their forests are our forests, and their people are our people.' Fires were still raging on Saturday in Latakia province while blazes had also erupted in other areas on Friday. Two major wildfires have also broken out in Syria's central Hama province.
Shafaq News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Autonomous Administration offers help as wildfires ravage Syria's coastal forests
Shafaq News – Qamishli The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria announced on Tuesday its readiness to assist in extinguishing the wildfires that have swept across Syria's coastal forests in recent days, causing significant destruction to vegetation and raising fears of worsening environmental and economic damage. In a statement, the Environmental Authority of the Autonomous Administration described the fires as 'an escalating environmental disaster whose consequences go beyond natural impact.' It expressed solidarity with residents of the affected areas and pledged to provide 'all possible forms of assistance to contain the fires and prevent their spread.' The Authority also called on the international community and environmental organizations to intervene and support ongoing efforts to protect Syria's forests and prevent future disasters. Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, Raed al-Saleh, previously confirmed that Damascus had requested support from the European Union to combat the blazes, which have continued for a sixth consecutive day in the Latakia countryside. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, stated that the fast-moving fires in northwestern Latakia had forced hundreds of families to flee their homes, while large areas of farmland and vital infrastructure have been destroyed. He added that UN teams are conducting emergency assessments to gauge the scale of the disaster and identify the most urgent humanitarian needs. Firefighting teams from Turkiye and Jordan have joined Syrian Civil Defense efforts, providing aerial support with helicopters. The blaze has already destroyed hundreds of thousands of trees across an estimated 10,000 hectares (about 38.6 square miles). Syrian Civil Defense teams warned that unexploded ordnance left behind from the country's 14-year conflict may be present in some of the affected forested areas, complicating containment and evacuation operations.
The National
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
UN teams sent to Syrian coast amid raging wildfires
UN teams have been posted to the Syrian coast to 'determine the scale of the disaster' as firefighters battle wildfires raging for a fifth consecutive day. The flames have forced hundreds to flee their homes and destroyed vast agricultural land and vital infrastructure, according to UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula. The UN teams have been charged with conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of damage and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs, said Mr Abdelmoula in a statement. 'The United Nations stands ready to swiftly mobilise support for authorities and affected communities,' he wrote. The forest fires rampaging across Syria's coastal area have affected about 10,000 hectares of land and turned hundreds of thousands of forest trees 'into ashes', said Raed Al Saleh, Syria's Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, who described the situation as 'very tragic'. The coast where most of the fires have occurred contains most of Syria's green cover, about 4,000 square kilometres, or 2 per cent of Syria's land mass, according to data recorded in 2010 before the country's civil war broke out. 'We deeply regret and mourn every tree that has burned, which was a source of clean air for us and our future generations,' wrote Mr Al Saleh on X. Firefighting teams from Turkey and Jordan have joined efforts with the Syrian civil defence and local volunteers to help put out the flames, providing support both on the ground and with helicopters. Lebanon has also sent two firefighting helicopters to support operations in co-ordination with Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Firefighting efforts on Monday were focused on preventing the flames from reaching Al Frunloq natural reserve, classified as one of the largest and most important forests in Syria, said Mr Al Saleh in an update posted to his account on X. 'We confirm that efforts are ongoing, and the challenges are significant due to strong winds, the nature of the terrain, and the risk from war remnants, but the teams' determination to protect lives and forests remains unwavering,' wrote the Syrian minister.
