Latest news with #Bedouin tribal fighters
South China Morning Post
14-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Attacks on Syrian security forces sent to quell sectarian fighting leave 18 dead
At least 18 members of Syria's security forces have been killed in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, the Defence Ministry said, after they deployed to quell deadly sectarian clashes that had resumed on Monday, while Israel said it struck tanks in a town in the same province on the same day. Sunday's fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribal fighters was the first time that sectarian violence erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, following months of tensions in the broader province. Defence Ministry spokesman Hassan Abdel-Ghani said in statements reported by Syrian state news agency SANA that a number of troops were also injured during attacks on military points by 'outlawed groups'. Earlier, the ministry said in a statement to Reuters that these groups, who it did not identify further, had attacked a number of its units at dawn. It said its forces responded to the attacks and had pursued the groups that refused to halt hostilities and continued to target security forces. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it attacked several tanks in a town in Sweida. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes were a 'clear warning to the Syrian regime', adding that Israel would not allow harm to the Druze living in Syria.
Free Malaysia Today
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Syrian security personnel killed after sectarian clashes
At least six Syrian troops were killed following clashes in the Druze city of Sweida. (AP pic) DAMASCUS : Six members of Syria's security forces have been killed in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, a security source told Reuters, after they deployed to halt deadly sectarian clashes that local media reported had resumed today. Yesterday's fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribal fighters was the first time that sectarian violence erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, following months of tensions in the broader province. The fighting left 30 people dead and prompted Syria's security forces to deploy units to the city to restore calm and guarantee safe passage for civilians looking to leave, the defence ministry said in a statement. But intense clashes broke out again today, local news outlet Sweida24 reported. At least six Syrian troops were subsequently killed, a defence ministry source told Reuters. It marked the latest episode of sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where fears among minority groups have surged since Islamist-led rebels toppled president Bashar al-Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces. Sunni Muslim Arab rebel groups which fought Assad during the war agreed in December to dissolve into the defence ministry but efforts to integrate armed factions from minority groups – including Druze and Kurds – have largely stalled. In southern Syria, efforts have been further complicated by Israel's stated policy that it would not allow Syria's new army to deploy south of Damascus and that Sweida and neighbouring provinces should make up a demilitarised zone. Interior minister Anas Khattab said in a written statement carried on state media that the 'absence of state institutions, especially military and security institutions, is a major cause of the ongoing tensions in Sweida and its countryside'. Yesterday's violence erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida, witnesses said.
