Latest news with #Ahmed al-Sharaa
News.com.au
10 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Syria evacuates Bedouin from Druze-majority Sweida as ceasefire holds
Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Monday, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,260 people. The violence, which followed massacres of Alawites in March and clashes involving the Druze in April and May, has shaken the Islamist rule of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to protect minorities in a country devastated by 14 years of war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the ceasefire was largely holding despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city, with no new reports of casualties. An AFP correspondent saw a convoy of buses and other vehicles enter the provincial capital and exit carrying civilians, including women and children. State news agency SANA quoted the governor of neighbouring Daraa, Anwar al-Zubi, as saying his province had "received about 200 Bedouin families who had been detained in Sweida", sending them to local shelters. The ceasefire announced on Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that killed more than 1,260 people -- about 800 of them Druze fighters and civilians, including nearly 200 noncombatants "summarily executed" by government forces, according to the Observatory. The toll also includes more than 400 government security personnel. Fatima Abdel-Qader, 52, a Bedouin who was leaving the city on foot, said her family had been surrounded during the fighting, "unable to leave or come back -- anyone who wanted to go out risked gunfire and clashes". "We were afraid that someone would come to our home and kill us all," she told AFP, adding they had no way of getting food or water. Damascus has accused Druze groups of attacking and killing Sunni Bedouins during the clashes, which broke out on July 13 after a Druze vegetable seller was kidnapped by local Bedouins, according to the Observatory. The Observatory's toll includes 35 Bedouins, three of them civilians executed by Druze fighters. The Druze and Bedouin tribes have had tense relations for decades. - 'Unthinkable' - Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses when they entered Sweida last week. Sunni Arab tribes also converged on the area in support of the Bedouin. The ceasefire effectively began on Sunday after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city and Druze groups regained control. The US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said on Monday that what had happened in Sweida was "unthinkable". "You have a Syrian government in effect. They need to be held accountable," he told a press conference on a visit to neighbouring Lebanon. The weekend ceasefire announcement came hours after Barrack said the United States had negotiated a truce between Syria's Islamist authorities and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. An AFP correspondent said security forces had erected sand mounds to block some of Sweida's entrances. Sunni tribal fighters were sitting on the roadside beyond the checkpoints. - Aid convoy - At the main hospital in Sweida city, dozens of bodies were still waiting to be identified, with a forensic medicine official at the facility saying "we still have 97 unidentified corpses". According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult. More than 450 of the dead had been brought to the Sweida national hospital by Sunday evening, with more still being recovered from the streets and homes. "The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital," said nurse Hisham Breik, who had not left the facility since the violence began. "The situation has been terrible. We couldn't walk around the hospital without wearing a mask," he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly. The United Nations' humanitarian office said hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with "reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns". Humanitarian access to Sweida "remains highly constrained", it said in a statement late Sunday. On Sunday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city, which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies. A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags.
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Syria forces deploy in Druze heartland after US brokers deal with Israel
Israel had bombed defence ministry forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 700 people have been killed in Sweida since Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Sunni Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. The office of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced an "immediate ceasefire" in Sweida which it called on "all parties to fully respect". But AFP correspondents in and around the city reported gunfire and sporadic rocket fire and explosions as Druze fighters battled armed Bedouin who had seized some neighbourhoods on Friday with the support of volunteers from other parts of Syria. The Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said the armed volunteers had been deployed with the support of the Islamist-led government although an AFP journalist said security personnel were manning checkpoints on Saturday to prevent further reinforcements getting through. Druze fighters said the volunteers were mostly Islamists, who advanced to shouts of "Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)". One armed tribesman told AFP he had come to fight against the Druze clergy and their "pig followers". "Today we came to their homes and we will slaughter them in their homes," he said. US-brokered deal The deal between the Islamist-government and Israel was announced by Washington early on Saturday Damascus time. US pointman on Syria, Tom Barrack, said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "have agreed to a ceasefire" negotiated by the United States. Barrack, who is US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. "We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," he wrote on X. The US administration, which has sided with Turkey and Saudi Arabia in forging ties with the Islamist president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's air strikes on Sria earlier this week and had sought a way out for his government. Sharaa followed up on the US announcement with a televised speech in which he renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. "The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country... We condemn all crimes committed" in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the "important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability". He also thanked Turkey and Arab countries for their support. 'No more room in morgue' The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 718 people had been killed since Sunday. They included 146 Druze fighters and 245 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed. The monitor said 287 government troops and 18 Bedouin fighters were also killed along with three Bedouin "who were summarily executed by Druze fighters". Fifteen more government troops were killed in Israeli air strikes. In the corridors of the city's main public hospital, a foul odour emanated from the swollen and disfigured bodies piled up in refrigerated storage units, an AFP correspondent reported. A small number of doctors and nurses at the hospital worked to treat the wounded arriving from the ongoing clashes, some in the hallways. Doctor Omar Obeid told AFP that the hospital had received "more than 400 bodies" since Monday morning. "There is no more room in the morgue. The bodies are in the street," he added. The International Committee for the Red Cross warned that health facilities were overwhelmed, with power cuts impeding the preservation of bodies in overflowing morgues. "The humanitarian situation in Sweida is critical. People are running out of everything," said Stephan Sakalian, the head of the ICRC's delegation in Syria. The International Organization for Migration said 79,339 civilians had fled the fighting. burs-kir/ysm © 2025 AFP
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Syria forces deploy in Druze heartland after US brokers deal with Israel
Syrian interior ministry forces began deploying in Sweida on Saturday under a US-brokered deal intended to avert further Israeli military intervention in the Druze-majority province. Israel had bombed defence ministry forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 700 people have been killed in Sweida since Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Sunni Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. The office of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced an "immediate ceasefire" in Sweida which it called on "all parties to fully respect". But AFP correspondents in and around the city reported gunfire and sporadic rocket fire and explosions as Druze fighters battled armed Bedouin who had seized some neighbourhoods on Friday with the support of volunteers from other parts of Syria. The Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said the armed volunteers had been deployed with the support of the Islamist-led government although an AFP journalist said security personnel were manning checkpoints on Saturday to prevent further reinforcements getting through. Druze fighters said the volunteers were mostly Islamists, who advanced to shouts of "Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest)". One armed tribesman told AFP he had come to fight against the Druze clergy and their "pig followers". "Today we came to their homes and we will slaughter them in their homes," he said. - US-brokered deal - The deal between the Islamist-government and Israel was announced by Washington early on Saturday Damascus time. US pointman on Syria, Tom Barrack, said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "have agreed to a ceasefire" negotiated by the United States. Barrack, who is US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. "We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," he wrote on X. The US administration, which has sided with Turkey and Saudi Arabia in forging ties with the Islamist president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's air strikes on Sria earlier this week and had sought a way out for his government. Sharaa followed up on the US announcement with a televised speech in which he renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. "The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country... We condemn all crimes committed" in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the "important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability". He also thanked Turkey and Arab countries for their support. - 'No more room in morgue' - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 718 people had been killed since Sunday. They included 146 Druze fighters and 245 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed. The monitor said 287 government troops and 18 Bedouin fighters were also killed along with three Bedouin "who were summarily executed by Druze fighters". Fifteen more government troops were killed in Israeli air strikes. In the corridors of the city's main public hospital, a foul odour emanated from the swollen and disfigured bodies piled up in refrigerated storage units, an AFP correspondent reported. A small number of doctors and nurses at the hospital worked to treat the wounded arriving from the ongoing clashes, some in the hallways. Doctor Omar Obeid told AFP that the hospital had received "more than 400 bodies" since Monday morning. "There is no more room in the morgue. The bodies are in the street," he added. The International Committee for the Red Cross warned that health facilities were overwhelmed, with power cuts impeding the preservation of bodies in overflowing morgues. "The humanitarian situation in Sweida is critical. People are running out of everything," said Stephan Sakalian, the head of the ICRC's delegation in Syria. The International Organization for Migration said 79,339 civilians had fled the fighting.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Syrian presidency urges all parties to respect ceasefire following deadly conflict
Syria 's Islamist-led government has begun deploying internal security forces in Sweida, a predominantly Druze area, following intense bloodshed that has claimed hundreds of lives. The deployment, confirmed by the interior ministry spokesperson on Saturday, coincides with an urgent call from the Syrian presidency for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, urging all parties to commit to ending hostilities across all areas. Israel had intervened in the conflict earlier this week, hitting government forces and the defence ministry building in Damascus, while declaring support for the Druze minority. Barrack, who serves as both Washington 's Syria envoy and ambassador to Turkey, stated the ceasefire is supported by Turkey, Jordan, and other neighbouring countries. Syria's Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence which began with clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions, before drawing in government security forces that were sent to the area by Damascus. Barrack said Israel and Syria had agreed to a ceasefire and called on Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons "and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity". Israel has said it aims to protect Syria's Druze minority while also saying it wants areas of south Syria near its border to remain demilitarised. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has accused Israel of seeking to sow division among Syrians. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area for the next two days. 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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian presidency to send new force to halt clashes in south
The Syrian presidency says it will deploy a new force to halt the deadly sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in the south of the country. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's office urged "all parties to exercise restraint", amid reports of renewed fighting near the city of Suweida on Friday. Almost 600 people are reported to have been killed since the violence erupted on Sunday. Government troops deployed to the area were accused by residents of killing Druze civilians and carrying out extrajudicial executions. Israel later struck targets in Syria to force the troops to withdraw from Suweida province. On Friday, the US ambassador to Turkey said that Israel and Syria had agreed a ceasefire. In a post on X, ambassador Tom Barrack said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sharaa "have agreed to a ceasefire" embraced by Syria's neighbours Turkey and Jordan. "We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," the envoy said. Israel and Syria have not publicly commented on the reported ceasefire agreement. Shortly before Sharaa's office announced its planned military deployment to the south, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow the limited entry of Syrian Internal Security Forces personnel into Suweida for 48 hours to protect Druze civilians "in light of the ongoing instability". Suweida's predominantly Druze community follows a secretive, unique faith derived from Shia Islam, and distrusts the current jihadist-led government in Damascus. The BBC correspondent in the Syrian capital says that sectarian hatred of the Druze is now spreading across the country. The Druze are a minority in Syria, as well as in neighbouring Lebanon and Israel. Earlier this week, the UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, said his office had received credible reports indicating widespread violations and abuses, including summary executions and arbitrary killings in Suweida. Among the alleged perpetrators were members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim government, as well as local Druze and Bedouin armed elements, Türk said in a statement. "This bloodshed and the violence must stop," he warned, adding that "those responsible must be held to account". The BBC has contacted the Syrian government and security forces about allegations of summary killings and other violations. In a televised address early on Thursday, Sharaa vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable and promised to make protecting the Druze a "priority". "We are eager to hold accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people because they are under the protection and responsibility of the state," he said. He went on to blame "outlaw groups", saying their leaders "rejected dialogue for many months". 'There were bodies everywhere': Druze residents describe 'bloodbath' in Syrian city Suweida Who are the Druze and why is Israel attacking Syria?
