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Reuters
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Syrian forces struggle to implement ceasefire in Druze region
DAMASCUS, July 19 (Reuters) - Syria's Islamist-led government struggled to implement a ceasefire in the predominantly Druze region of Sweida on Saturday, with machinegun fire and mortar shelling ringing out after days of bloodshed. Reuters reporters heard gunfire from inside the city of Sweida and saw shells land in nearby villages. There were no immediate, confirmed reports of casualties. The government earlier said its security forces were deploying in the southern region and urged all parties to respect the ceasefire after nearly a week of factional bloodshed in which hundreds have been killed. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a speech that "Arab and American" mediation had helped bring calm, and criticised Israel for airstrikes against Syrian forces and Damascus during the week. The fighting is the latest challenge to the control of the Islamist-dominated government in Damascus, which came to power after rebels toppled autocratic president Bashar al-Assad in December. It has involved clashes between the Druze - a religious minority native to southern Syria, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and parts of Lebanon and Jordan - and Syrian Bedouin tribes. It has led to clashes between government forces and Druze gunmen and attacks on the Druze community by government forces. The fighting has drawn in neighbouring Israel, which carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the Defence Ministry in Damascus this week. Israel says it is protecting the Druze, who also form a significant minority in Israel. But Israel is at odds with Washington. The U.S. supports a centralised Syria under Sharaa's government, which has pledged to rule for all citizens, while Israel says the government is dominated by jihadists and a danger to minorities. In March, Syria's military was involved in mass killings of members of the Alawite minority, which much of Assad's elite belonged to. It also clashed with Druze gunmen in May. The fighting in Sweida province began with clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions before government security forces were sent in. In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to end hostilities immediately. The interior ministry said internal security forces had begun deploying. Sharaa called for calm and said Syria would not be a "testing ground for partition, secession, or sectarian incitement". "The Israeli intervention pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability," he said in a televised speech. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused him of siding with the perpetrators. "In al-Shara's Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority — Kurd, Druze, Alawite, or Christian," he posted on X. "This has been proven time and again over the past six months." Mansour Namour, a resident of a village near Sweida city, said mortar shells were still landing near his home on Saturday afternoon, and that at least 22 people had been wounded. A doctor in Sweida said a local hospital was full of bodies and wounded people from days of violence. "All the injuries are from bombs, some people with their chests wounded. There are also injuries to limbs from shrapnel," said Omar Obeid, director of the hospital. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Barrack, who is both U.S. ambassador to Turkey and Washington's Syria envoy, urged Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis, together with other minorities, to "build a new and united Syrian identity". Israel has attacked Syrian military facilities and weaponry in the seven months since Assad fell, and says it wants areas of southern Syria near its border to remain demilitarised. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel had agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area for the next two days.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Who are the Druze and why does Israel say it is hitting Syria for their sake?
Druze gunmen stand next to a checkpoint a day after clashes between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters left at least four people dead in the southern suburb of Jaramana, Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Violence in Syria pitting the Islamist-led government against members of the Druze community has put a spotlight on the small but influential minority. Straddling Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Druze occupy a special niche in the region's complex politics. Israel has cited protecting the Druze as a reason for attacking forces from the Islamist-led government this week. Who are 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, emphasizing monotheism, reincarnation and the pursuit of truth. Some hardline Sunni Muslims deem them heretics. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, an Islamist who once belonged to al Qaeda, called them part of the Syrian fabric and vowed to protect their rights in a speech on Thursday. Where do they live? 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, Druze reside primarily in the north and the occupied Golan. In Lebanon, they are concentrated in mountain regions, including Chouf and Aley, and others such as Hasbaya in south Lebanon. How do they fit into regional politics? Though a small minority, the Druze have often played an outsized role in the politics of countries where they live. In Israel, the Druze number 150,000. Unlike Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, many Druze Arabs serve in the Israeli military and police, including during the war in Gaza, and some have reached a high rank, meaning their voices cannot be easily ignored by Israel's political leadership. While most Druze in Israel identify as Israeli citizens, more than 20,000 living in the occupied Golan still identify as Syrians and have close ties to family on the other side of the border. Facing calls from Israeli Druze to help Syrian Druze, Israeli leaders have cited protecting them as a reason for attacking Syria repeatedly this year. Syria's Druze population is estimated to number around 1 million people. They held some protests against Bashar al-Assad after the eruption of the war in 2011 but there was little conflict between them and Damascus as it focused on trying to crush the uprising in Sunni-majority areas. Since Assad was toppled in December, friction with the Islamist-led authorities has ignited fighting several times. While some Druze leaders have urged accommodation with Damascus, others have come out strongly against Sharaa, notably Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari, who urged resistance to government forces and appealed to world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during this week's violence. Some Druze figures have criticized this approach. Lebanon's Walid Jumblatt, one of region's most prominent Druze politicians, has rejected the notion that Israel is protecting Syria's Druze. He has warned against calls for international protection and called for Syrian national unity. What is driving Israel's intervention? 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 won't allow it to deploy forces into southern Syria. Israel has said it wants to avoid any hostile build-up at its border, whilst also vowing to protect the Druze minority. Israeli troops have also seized Syrian territory adjoining the occupied Golan Heights since December. 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.' (Additional reporting by Crispian Balmer in Jerusalem and Laila Bassam in Beirut; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Edmund Blair and Sharon Singleton)
Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Israeli airstrikes target Syrian government troops amid sectarian unrest
BEIRUT — Israel deepened its military involvement in a Syrian civil conflict Tuesday, carrying out a wave of airstrikes against government troops who had deployed to the southern city of Sweida in a bid to contain an outbreak of sectarian violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday he had ordered the military to target any Syrian government troops and weaponry that had entered Sweida province. He said the intervention was an effort to secure Israel's northern border and protect Syria's Druze minority from the country's newly formed Islamist-run government.
France 24
15-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Who are the Middle East's Druze minority?
In Syria, Druze fighters have clashed both with neighbouring Bedouin tribes and with forces loyal to the Islamist government, as they have struggled to find their place in the new order ushered in by the December overthrow of longtime president Bashar al-Assad. Israel's bombardment of government forces deployed to the community's Sweida province following the latest unrest has further complicated Druze relations with the ruling Islamists. Israel says it is acting to protect the minority community, a claim challenged by most Druze outside Israel as well as the Damascus authorities. Here is a brief look at Druze beliefs and history: Religion and customs The Druze emerged in Egypt in the early 11th century as a branch of the Ismaili sect of Shiite Islam. They are monotheistic and call themselves "muwahhidun", or unitarians. The sect is highly secretive and includes mystical elements like a belief in reincarnation. It does not allow new converts and marriage outside the community is strongly discouraged. A source familiar with Druze rituals, requesting anonymity to discuss matters considered sensitive, said the faith's emergence was influenced by other religious and philosophical teachings, including those of Greek philosopher Plato. Some Druze religious occasions align with those of other Islamic sects. Traditional Druze garb is black, with men wearing white caps or turbans and women covering their heads and part of their faces with a flowing white scarf. Where are they? "The Druze don't really recognise borders," said Makram Rabah, assistant professor of history at the American University of Beirut. "You have marriages and you have standing relationships between the Druze across the region," he said, adding that "clerics play a very important role in keeping this relationship alive." Before civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, the community was estimated to number around 700,000. According to "The Druze Faith" by historian Sami Makarem, Druze have been migrating to southern Syria since the 16th century, to an area now known as Jabal al-Druze, meaning Druze Mountain, in Sweida province. Syria's Druze are now mainly concentrated in their Sweida heartland, as well as nearby Quneitra province, with smaller pockets in the Damascus suburbs, notably Jaramana and Sahnaya, which saw sectarian violence earlier this year. In Lebanon, an estimated 200,000 Druze are concentrated in the mountainous centre as well as in the south near Israel and Syria. In Israel, some 153,000 Druze are Israeli citizens, living mainly in the north. Unlike other Arab Israelis, Druze serve in the Israeli army. In the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967, more than 22,000 Druze hold permanent resident status. Only around 1,600 have taken up the offer of Israeli citizenship. The rest maintain their Syrian identity. Some Druze from southern Syria have settled in neighbouring Jordan, where the community is estimated to number between 15,000 and 20,000. Two delegations of Syrian Druze clerics have made pilgrimages to a holy site in Israel this year. Outside the Middle East, there is a Druze diaspora, particularly in North America and Australia. Well-known Druze include prominent human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin Clooney and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. Leading role Despite their minority status, Druze "have filled an important and sometimes a leading role in the political and social life" of the Middle East, according to historian Makarem. In Syria, Druze Sultan Pasha al-Atrash led a nationalist revolt against the French mandatory power which had established a Druze statelet in southern Syria during the 1920s and 1930s. In Lebanon, Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt played a key role in politics from the 1950s until his assassination in 1977, and his son Walid is a powerful politician. In April, Jumblatt urged Syria's Druze to reject "Israeli interference", after Israel warned the Islamists who ousted Assad against harming the minority. Druze leaders have declared their loyalty to a united Syria, though some have called for international protection. Israeli Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif has urged Israel to protect Syria's Druze. Rabah said there was a Druze "power struggle across three states", adding that he believes Syria's community does not aspire to statehood. The Druze largely stayed on the sidelines of the Syrian civil war, focusing on defending their heartland. Most Druze armed groups have yet to reach a settlement with the new authorities. © 2025 AFP
Bloomberg
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Israel Eyes Peace with Syria After Months of Scorning New Leader
Israel expressed openness to peace with Syria, a change of tack after warning against engaging with the new Islamist-rooted government that took power last year. The overture came amid calls by US President Donald Trump for a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza and predictions that more Middle East countries would join a regional peace pact with Israel after this month's war against Iran.
