Latest news with #AhmadalSharaa
Washington Post
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Syria's interim president urges Bedouin tribes to commit to ceasefire ending clashes with the Druze
BEIRUT — Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa urged Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes Saturday to 'fully commit' to a ceasefire aimed at ending clashes with Druze-linked militias that left hundreds dead and threatened to unravel the country's post-war transition. This comes as government forces, initially deployed to restore order but effectively sided with the Bedouins against the Druze, were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted late Thursday. The violence has also drawn airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel before a truce was reached.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian government forces to re-enter province following renewed clashes
Renewed clashes have broken out between Druze armed groups and members of Bedouin clans in southern Syria. The clashes came as government forces were preparing to deploy again to the area on Friday after pulling out under a ceasefire agreement that halted several days of violence earlier this week, officials said. Government security forces agreed with some of the Druze factions that they would re-enter the area to impose stability and protect state institutions, according to two Syrian officials. Syrian government forces had largely pulled out of the Druze-majority southern province of Sweida after days of clashes with militias linked to the Druze religious minority that threatened to unravel the country's fragile post-war transition. The conflict drew air strikes against Syrian forces by neighbouring Israel in defence of the Druze minority before most of the fighting was halted by a truce announced on Wednesday that was mediated by the US, Turkey and Arab countries. Under that agreement, Druze factions and clerics would be left to maintain internal security in Sweida, Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Thursday. The clashes initially began between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes on Sunday before government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up taking the Bedouins' side against 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 intervened, launching dozens of air strikes on convoys of government fighters and striking the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters in central Damascus in a major escalation of its involvement. The Druze form a substantial community in Israel, where they are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the Israeli military. After the ceasefire and withdrawal of government forces, clashes once again flared between the Druze and Bedouin groups in parts of Sweida. State media reported Druze militias carried out revenge attacks against Bedouin communities, leading to a wave of displacement. The governor of the neighbouring province of Daraa 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'. Meanwhile, Bedouin groups arrived on 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.
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Syrian forces to re-enter conflict-stricken city despite Israeli warnings
Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to the Druze-majority city of Sweida to quell renewed fighting with Bedouin tribes, a Syrian interior ministry spokesperson said on Friday. The move further strains a fragile truce in the country's south. The ceasefire, announced on Wednesday, briefly ended days of bloody clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in Sweida province, which had intensified after the Syrian government initially sent in troops. Under that agreement, Druze factions and clerics would be left to maintain internal security in Sweida, Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said Thursday. The conflict had drawn in Israel, which, warning against Syrian government troop deployment to the south, struck Syrian troops in Sweida, the defence ministry, and near to the presidential palace in Damascus. Though Syrian troops withdrew from Sweida after the truce, fighting reignited late Thursday between the tribal Bedouin fighters and the Druze, a religious minority with followers in Lebanon and Israel. Israel's military carried out fresh strikes in Sweida province overnight. Describing Syria's new rulers as barely disguised jihadists, Israel has vowed to shield the area's Druze community from attack, encouraged by calls from Israel's own Druze minority. Its deep distrust of Syria's new Islamist-led leadership appears to be at odds with the United States, which said it did not support recent Israeli strikes on Syria. The US intervened to help secure the earlier truce between government forces and Druze fighters, and the White House said on Thursday that it appeared to be holding. Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has worked to establish warmer ties with the US, accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority. The clashes initially began between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes on Sunday before government forces intervened and took the Bedouins' side against the Druze.
CNA
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Key players in Syria's latest violence, from the Druze and Bedouin to government forces
Clashes that shook southern Syria this week killed hundreds of people, including civilians, and drew in an array of local and international players, harking back to the dynamics of the country's years-long civil war. The violence underscored the difficulties facing the Syrian new government struggling to consolidate control over the country, months after insurgents ousted longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive last December. Some key players and alliances in Syria are different now than during the civil war, but the landscape remains complex. Here's a look at the main parties in the four days of violence in Sweida province before a ceasefire mediated by the US, Turkey and Arab countries took effect. The truce mostly held on Thursday (Jul 17), although scattered violence was reported. THE GOVERNMENT Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa leads the new government and is Syria's international face. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, once an Al-Qaeda affiliate that later split from it, spearheaded the anti-Assad charge. Since taking power, al-Sharaa has taken a more moderate tone, preached coexistence and formed diplomatic ties with Western countries, including the US. His government has faced suspicion from minority communities, including Assad's Alawite sect, Christians, Syrian Kurds and the Druze, and there have been outbreaks of sectarian violence. Damascus also struggles to turn a patchwork of former rebel groups - including some extremists - into a professional army. In Sweida, al-Sharaa's government forces intervened in clashes that started between local Bedouin tribes and Druze militias, but ended up themselves clashing with the Druze, drawing Israeli airstrikes, purportedly in defence of the Druze. Some government fighters allegedly killed Druze civilians, looted and burnt houses. THE DRUZE The Druze are Arabs who follow a religion derived from a branch of Islam. They maintain a degree of secrecy about the practice of their faith that emerged in the 11th century and incorporates elements from Islam and other philosophies, emphasising monotheism, reincarnation and the pursuit of truth. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa called them part of the Syrian fabric and vowed to protect their rights in a speech on Thursday. Syria's Druze are concentrated in the southwest in the Sweida region bordering Jordan and in areas of Quneitra province, near the occupied Golan. They also reside in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana. In Israel, about 150,000 Druze reside primarily in the north and the occupied Golan. During Syria's civil war, the Druze were split between supporting Assad, who offered them a degree of autonomy and exemption from army conscription, and his opposition. They established their own militias, partly to defend against militants who consider them heretics. Until this week's clashes, the Druze were split between those who wanted to integrate with the new government and those seeking to maintain autonomy. THE BEDOUINS While predominantly Druze, Sweida is also home to Bedouin tribes who are Sunni Muslim and who have on occasion clashed with the Druze. In 2000, unrest broke out after a Bedouin killed a Druze man in a land dispute. Assad's forces intervened, shooting Druze protesters. After a 2018 Islamic State group attack on the Druze in Sweida that killed more than 200 people, the Druze accused the Bedouins of helping the militants. The latest escalation began with a Bedouin tribe in Sweida setting up a checkpoint and attacking and robbing a Druze man, which triggered tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. Al-Sharaa's forces then intervened, ostensibly to restore calm, but sided with the Bedouins. Some Druze groups allegedly carried out revenge attacks against Bedouins after a ceasefire was reached. ISRAEL Israel bombed Syria frequently when Assad was in power, seeking to roll back the influence established by Iran and Iran-backed groups that deployed there to help him fight rebels. Israel has painted the new Syrian government as a jihadist threat, saying it would not allow it to deploy forces into southern Syria. Israel has said it wants to avoid any hostile build-up at its border, while also vowing to protect the Druze minority. Sharaa on Thursday said Israel was promoting division among Syrians, accusing it of seeking to "dismantle the unity of our people", saying it had "consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime". Washington has been pushing for Syria and Israel to move toward normalising relations. Syrian officials have acknowledged holding indirect talks with Israel to defuse tensions. UNITED STATES In a watershed moment, President Donald Trump met with al-Sharaa during a visit to Saudi Arabia in May, a major boost from Washington as the new Damascus authorities try to consolidate control. Amid the Sweida violence, the US, which has been pushing to broker ties between Syria and Israel, launched a flurry of diplomacy to push for a ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was "very worried" about the violence, describing it as a "direct threat to efforts to help build a peaceful and stable Syria", and added that Washington was in "repeated and constant talks with the governments of Syria and Israel" to de-escalate. The US on Thursday said that it did not support Israel's recent strikes. Rubio said the US had engaged all parties and that steps had been agreed to end a "troubling and horrifying situation". CHINA In a Chinese foreign ministry press conference on Thursday, spokesperson Lin Jian said: "Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected. "In particular, given the continuous ongoing turbulence in the Middle East, there shouldn't be any action that may lead to escalation." China was a backer of the Assad government during the civil war. In January, al-Sharaa met China's ambassador to Damascus - the first public engagement between the two countries since Assad was overthrown. Earlier this year, Syria's foreign minister said the new government seeks to strengthen relations with China and to build a "long-term strategic partnership". TURKEY Turkey, an ally of both the US and al-Sharaa's government, was also part of the mediation efforts over Sweida. Ankara wants a strong state in Damascus and is primarily concerned with curtailing the influence of Kurdish groups in Syria along the border with Turkey - specifically, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. While the Kurdish SDF fighters are allied with the US and were key in defeating the Islamic State militants, Ankara considers them terrorists because of their association with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey. THE KURDISH-LED FORCES The Kurdish-led SDF controls much of northeast Syria and was not part of the Sweida violence. But its fighters have in the past clashed with Turkish-backed groups that are now part of the new Syrian government forces. In March, the SDF and Damascus signed a landmark deal - backed by Washington - under which the Kurdish-led forces would merge with the new Syrian national army. The deal also said Syria's border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, as well as airports and oil fields in the northeast that are now under the SDF control, would be turned over to the central government.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Key players in Syria's latest eruption of violence, from the Druze and Bedouin to government forces
Clashes that shook southern Syria this week killed hundreds of people, including civilians, and drew in an array of local and international players, harking back to the dynamics of the country's yearslong civil war. The violence underscored the difficulties facing the Syrian new government struggling to consolidate control over the country, months after Islamist-led insurgents ousted longtime autocrat Bashar Assad in a lightning offensive last December. Some key players and alliances in Syria are different now than during the civil war, but the landscape remains complex. Here's a look at the main parties in the four days of violence in Sweida province before a ceasefire mediated by the United States, Turkey and Arab countries took effect. The truce mostly held on Thursday, though scattered violence was reported. The government Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa leads the new government and is Syria's international face. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, once an al-Qaida affiliate that later split from it, spearheaded the anti-Assad charge. Since taking power, al-Sharaa has taken a more moderate tone, preached coexistence and formed diplomatic ties with Western countries, including the U.S. His government has faced suspicion from minority communities — including Assad's Alawite sect, Christians, Syrian Kurds and the Druze — and there have been outbreaks of sectarian violence. Damascus also struggles to turn a patchwork of former rebel groups — including some extremists — into a professional army. In Sweida, al-Sharaa's government forces intervened in clashes that started between local Bedouin tribes and Druze militias, but ended up themselves clashing with the Druze, drawing Israeli airstrikes, purportedly in defense of the Druze. Some government fighters allegedly killed Druze civilians, and looted and burned houses. The Druze The Druze sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Others mostly live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. During Syria's civil war, the Druze were split between supporting Assad, who offered them a degree of autonomy and exemption from army conscription, and his opposition. They established their own militias, partly to defend against Islamic militants who consider them heretics. Until this week's clashes, the Druze were split between those who wanted to integrate with the new government and those seeking to maintain autonomy. The Bedouins While predominantly Druze, Sweida is also home to Bedouin tribes who are Sunni Muslim and who have on occasion clashed with the Druze. In 2000, unrest broke out after a Bedouin killed a Druze man in a land dispute. Assad's forces intervened, shooting Druze protesters. After a 2018 Islamic State group attack on the Druze in Sweida that killed more than 200 people, the Druze accused the Bedouins of helping the militants. The latest escalation began with a Bedouin tribe in Sweida setting up a checkpoint and attacking and robbing a Druze man, which triggered tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor. Al-Sharaa's forces then intervened, ostensibly to restore calm, but sided with the Bedouins. Some Druze groups allegedly carried out revenge attacks against Bedouins after a ceasefire was reached. Israel Israel frequently launched strikes on Iranian and Iran-backed forces who were Assad's allies during Syria's civil war. Since Assad's fall, Israel has been suspicious of the new Islamist authorities in Damascus. Israeli forces seized have control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in Syria and carried out airstrikes on military sites in what officials they was a move to create a demilitarized zone south of Damascus. Washington has been pushing for Syria and Israel to move toward normalizing relations. Syrian officials have acknowledged holding indirect talks with Israel to defuse tensions. Israel stepped up its intervention during the Sweida escalation this week, saying it was acting to protect the Druze, who are seen as a loyal minority in Israel and often serve in the military. Israel launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of Syrian forces around Sweida and struck the headquarters of the Syrian Ministry of Defense in the heart of Damascus. The U.S. In a watershed moment, President Donald Trump met with al-Sharaa during a visit to Saudi Arabia in May, a major boost from Washington as the new Damascus authorities try to consolidate control. Amid the Sweida violence, the U.S., which has been pushing to broker ties between Syria and Israel, launched a flurry of diplomacy to push for a ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was 'very worried' about the violence, describing it as a 'direct threat to efforts to help build a peaceful and stable Syria,' and added that Washington was in 'repeated and constant talks with the governments of Syria and Israel' to deescalate. Turkey Turkey, an ally of both the U.S. and al-Sharaa's government, was also part of the mediation efforts over Sweida. Ankara wants a strong state in Damascus and is primarily concerned with curtailing the influence of Kurdish groups in Syria along the border with Turkey — specifically, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. While the Kurdish SDF fighters are allied with the U.S. and were key in defeating the Islamic State militants, Ankara considers them terrorists because of their association with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey. The Kurdish-led forces The Kurdish-led SDF controls much of northeast Syria and was not part of the Sweida violence. But its fighters have in the past clashed with Turkish-backed groups that are now part of the new Syrian government forces. In March, the SDF and Damascus signed a landmark deal — backed by Washington — under which the Kurdish-led forces would merge with the new Syrian national army. The deal also said Syria's border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, as well as airports and oil fields in the northeast that are now under the SDF control would be turned over to the central government. But the details of the deal were left vague, and the two sides have been at odds over how to implement it. The Sweida escalation could further sideline those discussions.
