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Japan Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Israel launches heavy airstrikes in Damascus, vowing to protect Druze
Smoke rises after strikes on Syria's defense ministry in Damascus, according to Al Jazeera TV, in Damascus, Syria July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi Israel launched powerful airstrikes in Damascus on Wednesday, blowing up part of the defense ministry and hitting near the presidential palace as it vowed to destroy government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw. The attacks marked a significant Israeli escalation against the Islamist-led administration of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. They came despite his warming ties with the U.S. and his administration's evolving security contacts with Israel. Describing Syria's new rulers as barely disguised jihadists, Israel has said it will not let them move forces into southern Syria and vowed to shield the area's Druze community from attack, encouraged by calls from Israel's own Druze minority. The U.S. said the fighting would stop soon. "We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria. We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media. The United Nations Security Council will meet on Thursday to address the conflict, diplomats said. WARPLANES OVER DAMASCUS Scores of people have been killed this week in violence in and around the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, pitting fighters from the Druze minority against government security forces and members of Bedouin tribes. Reuters reporters heard warplanes swoop low over the capital and unleash a series of massive strikes mid-afternoon. Columns of smoke rose from the area near the defence ministry. A section of the building was destroyed, the ground strewn with rubble. A Syrian medical source said the strikes on the ministry killed five members of the security forces. An Israeli military official said the entrance to the military headquarters in Damascus was struck, along with a military target near the presidential palace. The official said Syrian forces were not acting to prevent attacks on Druze and were part of the problem. "We will not allow southern Syria to become a terror stronghold," said Eyal Zamir, Israel's military chief of staff. Sharaa faces challenges to stitch Syria back together in the face of deep misgivings from groups that fear Islamist rule. In March, mass killings of members of the Alawite minority exacerbated the mistrust. On Monday, Syrian government troops were dispatched to the Sweida region to quell fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin armed men. The troops ended up clashing with the Druze militias. New clashes broke out in the city, according to a Reuters witness, after the Syrian interior ministry and a Druze leader, Sheikh Yousef Jarbou, said a ceasefire had been reached. Sweida residents said they were holed up indoors. "We are surrounded and we hear the fighters screaming ... we're so scared," a resident of Sweida said by phone. Cracks of gunfire interspersed by booms could be heard in the background. "We're trying to keep the children quiet so that no one can hear us," the man added, asking not to be identified for fear of reprisals. Syria's health ministry said dozens of bodies, including fighters and civilians, had been found in a hospital in the city. The Syrian Network for Human Rights said 169 people had been killed in this week's violence. Security sources put the toll at 300. Reuters could not independently verify the tolls. MINORITY Druze, followers of a religion that is an offshoot of Islam, are spread between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Following calls in Israel to help Druze in Syria, scores of Israeli Druze broke through the border fence on Wednesday, linking up with Druze on the Syrian side, a Reuters witness said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military was working to save the Druze and urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border. The Israeli military said it was working to safely return civilians who had crossed. Israeli Druze man Faez Shkeir said he felt helpless watching the violence in Syria. "My family is in Syria - my wife is in Syria, my uncles are from Syria, and my family is in Syria, in Sweida, I don't like to see them being killed. They kicked them out of their homes, they robbed and burned their houses, but I can't do anything," he said. On Tuesday, a Reuters reporter said they had seen government forces looting and burning homes and stealing cars and furniture in Sweida. One man showed the reporter the body of his brother who had been shot in the head inside their home. A Syrian government statement on Wednesday said those responsible for lawlessness in Sweida would be held accountable. It said the government was committed to protecting the rights of the people in Sweida. Sharaa has repeatedly promised to protect minorities. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
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First Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
In 2nd round of strikes, Israel hits Syrian defence ministry in Damascus over violence against Druze
After issuing warnings to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa over the violence against minority Druze community, Israel has launched the second round of airstrikes in Damascus and struck the defence ministry near the presidential palace. read more Smoke rises after strikes on Syria's defense ministry in Damascus, according to Al Jazeera TV, in Damascus, Syria July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi In the second round of airstrikes in Syrian capital Damascus, Israel hit the defence ministry on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Israel had struck the Syrian army headquarters in Damascus in what it dubbed a message to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to stop the violence against the minority Druze community in the southern Sweida province. In recent days, pro-regime fighters backed by Syrian military have killed dozens from the Druze community, a distinct religious group spread across southern Syria, northern Israel, and Lebanon in West Asia. This is the latest round of violence against minorities in Sharaa's Syria. Previously, pro-regime groups had massacred more than 1,000 Shia Alawites in western Syria. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Visuals of the Israeli strikes on the defence ministry near the presidential palace in Damascus surfaced on X. Firstpost could not immediately verify the visuals. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military shared aerial footage of the strike on the Syrian army headquarters and said, 'From the General Staff compound in Damascus, Syrian regime commanders manage the fighting and dispatch regime forces to the As-Suwayda area. In addition, a military target was struck in the area of the Syrian regime's Presidential Palace in the Damascus area.' At least 248 people, including at least 92 Druze community members, have been killed in clashes in southern Sweida province in recent weeks, with the Syrian military itself killing at least 21 community members, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). While Sharaa has claimed that the Syrian military has been deployed in the province and its capital with the same name to contain violence, the SOHR, witnesses, and Druze community members told AFP that the military joined Sunni groups in attacking Druze people. צה"ל ממשיך לתקוף מטרות צבאיות של המשטר הסורי בדמשק צה״ל תקף לפני זמן קצר את קריית המטה הכללי של המשטר הסורי במרחב דמשק שבסוריה. מקריית המטה הכללי בדמשק מפקדי המשטר הסורי מנהלים את הלחימה ושולחים את כוחות המשטר למרחב א-סווידא׳. בנוסף, הותקפה מטרה צבאית במרחב ארמון הנשיאות של… — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 16, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So far, Israel has conducted 160 strikes inside Syria to deter pro-regime fighters and the military from continuing the violence against the Druze people. Previously, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz told Al-Sharaa to 'leave the Druze in Sweida alone'. 'As we have made clear and warned, Israel will not abandon the Druze in Syria and will enforce the demilitarisation policy we have decided on,' Katz further said.
Express Tribune
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Seeking conflict with N-power will be sheer stupidity'
Listen to article Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is fully secure, and invincible, the chief military spokesperson says, warning that seeking conflict with an established nuclear power for elusive objectives will be sheer stupidity. In an interview, Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that India is involved in fomenting terrorism as part of an organised conspiracy to destabilise and disrupt security in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. General Chaudhry, the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), explained that the term Fitna al-Khawarij refers to armed groups that attack the armed forces and the state of Pakistan, while the term Fitna al-Hindustan is used to describe terrorists, who are supported by India. India's nefarious intentions are part of an organised conspiracy to destabilise and disrupt security in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, the DG ISPR told Al Jazeera TV in an exclusive interview. India had adopted state-sponsored terrorism as a policy against Pakistan, he added, while commenting on last month's bomb blast in Waziristan in which 16 soldiers embraced martyrdom, while over 20 people sustained injuries, according to Al Jazeera TV. The attack was claimed by Fitna al-Khawarij – a reference to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), he said. Pakistan has a clear stance that India is directly involved in these attacks, he added. "India is not only supporting but also financing terrorist activities in Pakistan." The ISPR chief explained that the term Khawarij referred to armed groups that attacked the armed forces and the state of Pakistan. "The current Fitna al-Khawarij is a continuation of the misguided ideology that has historically led to the killing of Muslims under a false religious narrative," he said. In Islam, the DG ISPR continued, the right to Jihad or armed conflict lies solely with the state — no individual, organisation, or group is authorized to declare it. "Fitna al-Khawarij has no connection with Islam, humanity, Pakistan, or Pakistani traditions," he said. Lt-General Chaudhry said that the term Fitna al-Hindustan was used in Pakistan to describe terrorists, who were supported by India. "Fitna al-Hindustan is particularly active in destabilising the country, especially in the province of Balochistan," he said. "Even India's political leadership has admitted multiple times to supporting terrorism within Pakistan," he said, adding that even the United States and Canada "have also acknowledged" Indian-state terrorism, he said. Lt-General Chaudhry pointed out that Ajit Doval, India's the national security adviser (NSA), was the mastermind behind the Indian state-sponsored terrorism network. He declared that any aggression against Pakistan would be a threat to regional stability. He made it clear that Pakistan was a responsible and declared nuclear power and its nuclear programme was completely secure. "Our nuclear capability is invincible and no one can dare to target our nuclear programme," he added. The chief military spokesperson also addressed broader geopolitical issues, reaffirming Pakistan's support for Iran. "In the context of the recent conflict, Pakistan's support for Iran has been entirely principled — based on the UN Charter, international law, and the laws of armed conflict," he said. When asked whether there was any concern in military that Pakistan could be the next target following recent developments in Iran, he denied such a notion. "Absolutely no concern whatsoever in the military that Pakistan can become the next target — absolutely no concern," he emphasised. He stated that there was a "sea of difference" between Pakistan and these two countries. "We are an established and declared nuclear power, and the world has no experience of going to — or even attempting to go into - a misadventure against an established nuclear power," he said. "If such a misadventure is taken or attempted, it will lead to horrific consequences which the world may not be able to endure. Hence, I have said it before and I will say it again very clearly - seeking military space or conflict space with an established nuclear power for elusive objectives is absurd, sheer stupidity, and inconvincible." (WITH INPUT FROM APP)
Express Tribune
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
State-sponsored terrorism part of India's policy to destabilise Pakistan: DG ISPR
India is using state-sponsored terrorism as a policy against Pakistan, especially in Balochistan, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Wednesday. In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera TV, the military spokesperson said India's support for terrorist activities is aimed at destabilising Pakistan's security, particularly in the volatile region of Balochistan. "These nefarious designs of India are a systematic conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan, especially in Balochistan," he said. He added that India had admitted multiple times to supporting terrorism within Pakistan. Lt Gen Chaudhry reiterated that Pakistan views any aggression against its sovereign territory as a direct threat to regional stability. "India's political leadership has repeatedly admitted to supporting terrorism in Pakistan," said Gen Chaudhry, naming Ajit Doval, India's National Security Advisor, as the mastermind behind New Delhi's network of state-sponsored terrorism. Read: Doval Doctrine: India's trail of terror The military spokesperson also referred to the recent attack in Waziristan, claimed by the proscribed TTP, which martyred 16 Pakistani soldiers and injured over 20 others. Pakistan has consistently maintained that India is directly involved in such attacks. "India is supporting and financing terrorist activities in Pakistan," reiterated Gen Chaudhry while speaking to Al Jazeera TV. The term 'Khawarij' has been widely used by Pakistan's military and media recently to refer to armed groups that attack the state and its military forces. These nefarious designs of India are a systematic conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan, especially in Balochistan. ISPR DG Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry 'The current Fitna al-Khawarij is a continuation of the misguided ideology that has historically led to the killing of Muslims under a false religious narrative,' he said. In Islam, only the state has the authority to wage holy war (jihad) or engage in combat, and no individual, organisation, or group has this power, he said. Read More: COAS warns of crippling response to aggression "The Khawarij have no relation to Islam, humanity, Pakistan, or Pakistani traditions," maintained Gen Chaudhry. DG ISPR added that the term Fitna al-Hindustan was used in Pakistan to describe terrorists supported by India. 'Fitna al-Hindustan is particularly active in destabilising the country, especially in the province of Balochistan,' he said. He emphasised that several countries, including the United States and Canada, have acknowledged Indian state-sponsored terrorism on their soil. Referring to the country's nuclear capability, the senior army general maintained that Pakistan was a responsible and declared nuclear power and its nuclear program was completely secure. 'Our nuclear capability is invincible and no one can dare to target our nuclear programme,' he added. The army spokesperson also spoke about broader geopolitical issues, reaffirming Pakistan's support for Iran in the face of Israeli aggression. 'Pakistan stands firmly with Iran in these challenging times.'
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In a first, Iran says N-facilities 'badly damaged' in US strikes
Iran said its nuclear installations were "badly damaged" by US airstrikes, the first such comments by Tehran as debate grows over how much the bombardment managed to dent the Islamic Republic's atomic programme. "Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure," foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told Al Jazeera TV in an interview on Wednesday. Baghaei did not give further details and said authorities were still assessing the situation on the ground. He added that the US attacks were a "detrimental blow" to international law and the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to which Iran is a signatory. The comments are the first time an Iranian official has addressed the scope of damage caused by the June 22 strikes which involved US attacks on three nuclear facilities in Iran. Trump contests intel report The comments came hours after US President Trump disputed a US intelligence report that said the attacks had limited impact on Iran's nuclear programme below ground. An assessment from the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency said the bombing likely didn't cripple the core components stored underground including centrifuges, according to people familiar with its contents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Commenting on the intelligence leak, Trump said the report was "very inconclusive" but that he still believed the sites were demolished. "The intelligence says we don't know," he told reporters at a Nato summit in the Hague. "It could have been very severe. That's what the intelligence says. So I guess that's correct, but I think we can take that we don't know. It was very severe. It was obliteration." 'War's over; talks next' Trump said the US would hold a meeting with Iran next week but cast doubt on the need for a diplomatic agreement, citing the damage that the US bombing had done to its key nuclear sites. He said the conflict was effectively "over" after the US mission - though he also warned: "Can it start again? I guess someday it can. It could maybe start soon."
