Latest news with #DruzeCommunity
Al Mayadeen
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
'Israel' launches strikes on Syrian forces citing Druze protection
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Israel Katz announced that they have instructed the occupation military to launch strikes against Syrian government forces, citing attacks on members of the Druze community in Syria. The statement claimed that the occupation forces would target "regime forces and weapons that were brought into the Sweida area," alleging violations of what they called a "demilitarization policy" that bars the presence of Syrian military units and weapons in southern Syria. "Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria," the statement said. The occupation authorities framed their actions as a measure to 'prevent the Syrian regime from harming them' and to 'ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria.' Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the occupation's Air Force has launched a wave of large-scale attacks on southern Syria. The remarks come amid heightened tensions and ongoing conflict in and around the governorate of Sweida, where Syrian government forces have launched operations targeting armed groups following recent violent clashes between Sweida's Druze community and Bedouin tribes. 116 people have been killed, while over 200 were left injured in the fatal clashes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights stated on Tuesday. Israeli occupation warplanes launched a series of airstrikes on Monday targeting military factions linked to the new Syrian Ministry of Defense in the southern countryside of Sweida, according to local sources who spoke to Al Mayadeen. The airstrikes specifically targeted convoys and gatherings of these forces along the strategic road connecting the village of al-Mazraa to the city of Sweida, where Syrian government-affiliated factions have reportedly been mobilizing and advancing. In response to the strikes, Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz confirmed that the raids were deliberate and served as 'a clear message and warning' to the government of Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's interim president. Katz claimed the attacks were meant to deter what the Israeli regime perceives as emerging threats along its northern frontier. Katz further asserted that the Israeli occupation 'will not stand idly by' in the face of any perceived threat to the Druze community in Syria, stating that the occupation would take 'necessary measures' to prevent harm or influence against Druze populations in the region. Read more: Damascus forces move troops to Sweida, bomb villages
Al Jazeera
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Syrian troops enter Druze city of Suwayda after days of deadly clashes
Syrian troops have entered the predominantly Druze city of Suwayda after days of deadly clashes with Bedouin tribes that have killed dozens of people. The deployment on Tuesday came after the Druze spiritual leadership, which had resisted any deployment of Syrian troops in the southern city, urged Druze fighters to lay down their arms and allow government forces in. A curfew was to be imposed on the city in a bid to halt the violence, which erupted during the weekend and has since spread across the Suwayda governorate, killing at least 99 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor. The dead include 60 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms, the monitor said. The Ministry of Defence reported 18 deaths among the armed forces. On Tuesday morning, Syrian military columns were seen advancing towards Suwayda, with heavy artillery deployed nearby. The Defence Ministry later said they had entered the city, and urged people to 'stay home and report any movements of outlaw groups'. It is the first time government forces have deployed to Suwayda since the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December and the formation of an interim government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The Druze religious sect is a minority group that originated as a 10th-century offshoot of a branch of Shia Islam. In Syria, the 700,000-strong community primarily resides in the southern Suwayda province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south. Bedouin and Druze factions have a longstanding feud in Suwayda, with violence occasionally erupting. Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Deir Az Azor in Syria, said fighting in the city had been ongoing since Friday. 'It escalated and more than two dozen people were killed. The government sent its reinforcements and then there was an ambush of the government troops as well, where at least 18 soldiers we believe were either killed or wounded,' he said. Bin Javaid said the situation has been exacerbated by Israeli attacks on government positions in Syria. Israel, which has attempted to portray itself as a protector of the Druze in Syria and sees them as potential allies, bombed several Syrian tanks on Monday. 'There have been a number of attacks by Israel, and the Israelis have said that any movement of personnel or hardware in the south of Syria will continue to be monitored by the Israeli army and [they] will continue to attack them as well,' Bin Javaid said.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Israel Strikes Syria After New Clashes Involving Druze Minority
Israel launched attacks in southern Syria on Monday after deadly clashes that involved the Druze community, a minority group that the Jewish state has pledged to protect. The Israel Defense Forces struck several tanks advancing toward Suwayda province, where confrontations broke out Sunday and persisted into Monday. 'The IDF struck the tanks in order to prevent their arrival to the area,' the army said on Telegram.
