Latest news with #SunniBedouins
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Salam counts on the 'wisdom' of political leaders to prevent the events in Sweida from destabilizing Lebanon
Caretaker Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday night he was relying on the Lebanese Army, the wisdom of political leaders and the awareness of the Lebanese people to prevent the country from being dragged into a new spiral of violence amid sectarian clashes in neighboring Syria. In an interview with Al-Jadeed TV, Salam also confirmed that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack is expected in Lebanon early next week to follow up on the implementation of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. 'We are surrounded by flames. What matters now is how to protect Lebanon from them,' Salam said, referring to the deadly fighting in Syria's southern province of Sweida. 'We can only do that by preserving our national unity and avoiding any adventure or internal conflict.' Over 940 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in Syria since July 13, as tribal militias and Sunni Bedouins clashed with Druze residents, according to an NGO. The Syrian government declared a second cease-fire on Saturday after another brief truce collapsed. The violence has sparked limited sectarian tensions in parts of Lebanon, particularly the Bekaa Valley and North Lebanon. 'Dangers' and 'opportunities' 'Since day one, I've been in constant contact with all ministers and heads of Lebanon's security forces,' Salam said. 'Syria's stability matters greatly to us and to the Syrian people, considering the potential fallout if the country unravels.' He warned of Lebanon's own painful history: 'We know what it means to kill each other. We lived through that for many years and paid the price. I hope we've all learned the lessons from that time and won't repeat them.' Asked about recent comments by Druze leader Walid Joumblatt, who spoke of a prolonged war and the threat of partition in Syria, Salam said the situation was still fluid. 'Nothing is written yet — everything depends on our behavior. If, God forbid, Syria doesn't stabilize soon, we must hold onto our national unity even more tightly,' he said. 'I'm counting on the army, our leaders' wisdom and the people's awareness, because they do not want to return to those dark days, despite recent incidents in Tripoli and the Bekaa.' Salam ended on a cautiously optimistic note: 'Syria faces many dangers, including the risk of partition, which threatens its unity. But there's also a real opportunity — the fall of the previous regime on Dec. 8, growing Arab support for the new government, and possibly even the lifting of sanctions. I believe Syria is on a path toward stability, despite the challenges.' Awaiting the U.S. envoy Salam confirmed that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack is expected in Beirut early next week, though he did not specify whether the visit would begin Monday or Tuesday. It will be Barrack's second trip to Lebanon in two weeks. During his last visit, Barrack received Lebanon's official response to a U.S. proposal aimed at reinforcing the cease-fire agreement reached in November between Israel and Hezbollah. That deal has since been regularly violated by Israeli airstrikes, while Hezbollah has yet to formally commit to transferring its weapons to the state. Salam said the American proposal outlines 'a set of ideas related to implementing the cessation of hostilities statement adopted by the previous government, to which our government has also confirmed its commitment.' At the heart of the proposal is the principle of 'complementarity' between two goals: the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the reassertion of the state's monopoly over weapons. Under the plan, arms would be held only by official bodies: the Lebanese Army, Internal Security Forces, General Security, State Security, customs and municipal police. 'The roadmap suggests practical steps to implement these two complementary goals gradually,' Salam said. 'This won't happen overnight. We've discussed the plan and provided our comments.'
L'Orient-Le Jour
12 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Inter-communal fighting kills 940 in Syria; 1 killed in Israeli strike in Khiam
At least 940 people have been killed in Syria's Sweida province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Saturday in an updated toll for a week of violence in the heartland of the Druze minority. According to the NGO, 588 Druze — 326 fighters and 262 civilians — were killed, including 182 'summarily executed by members [of forces under] the Defense and Interior Ministries.' The dead also include 312 members of government forces and 21 Sunni Bedouins, including three civilians 'summarily executed by Druze fighters,' according to the SOHR. In addition, 15 members of government forces were killed in Israeli strikes, according to the NGO.
L'Orient-Le Jour
12 hours ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Death toll from Sweida violence rises to 940: Monitor
At least 940 people have been killed in Syria's Sweida province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Saturday in an updated toll for a week of violence in the heartland of the Druze minority. According to the NGO, 588 Druze — 326 fighters and 262 civilians — were killed, including 182 'summarily executed by members [of forces under] the Defense and Interior Ministries.' The dead also include 312 members of government forces and 21 Sunni Bedouins, including three civilians 'summarily executed by Druze fighters,' according to the SOHR. In addition, 15 members of government forces were killed in Israeli strikes, according to the NGO.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu says Syrian troops barred from region south of Damascus
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Syrian government troops will be blocked from the area south of the capital Damascus to protect the Druze minority following Israel's attacks in the country earlier this week. "We have set forth a clear policy: demilitarization of the region to south of Damascus, from the Golan Heights and to the Druze Mountain area," Netanyahu said in a video address on Thursday. "That's rule number one." "Rule number two is protecting the brothers of our brothers, the Druze at the Druze Mountain," the Israeli prime minister added. "We will not allow Syrian army forces to enter the region south of Damascus, and will not allow any harm to the Druze at the Druze Mountain," he said. The Syrian government deployed troops and other security forces to the country's southern province of Sweida during escalating clashes between Sunni Bedouins and Druze in the Syrian province of Sweida in recent days. Israel then carried out airstrikes on multiple targets in Damascus on Wednesday, including within the compound of Syria's Defence Ministry, stating that its aim was to protect the Druze minority. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said 15 personnel from Syria's Defence and Interior Ministries were killed in Israeli airstrikes. The monitor said on Thursday that at least 516 people had been killed in the clashes in Sweida since fighting erupted on July 13. Netanyahu said that as a result of Israel's intervention, a ceasefire had come into force and the Syrian armed forces had withdrawn to Damascus. It remained unclear whether a ceasefire agreement announced on Wednesday between Syrian authorities and the spiritual leader of the Druze community, Sheikh Yusuf al-Jarbou, would bring peace, after a local Druze leader rejected the deal. According to the observatory, the humanitarian situation in Sweida was precarious. Activists called on the international community to provide urgent aid. The Druze emerged from Shiite Islam in the 11th century and today reside primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Many Druze serve voluntarily in the Israeli army. Hundreds fled from Syria into Israel Hundreds of people fled from Syria into Israel amid the violence, Israeli media reported on Thursday. Israeli security sources confirmed the cross-border movements, without giving numbers. Security forces were in the process of returning the Syrian civilians home, they added. The Israeli military had returned dozens to the neighbouring country overnight, the ynet news portal wrote. Most of them were said to be members of the Druze religious minority. Efforts were currently under way to locate more Syrian Druze. The Times of Israel reported that it was unclear how many Syrian Druze remained in Israel. Report: 1,000 Israeli Druze enter Syria At the same time, Israeli security sources said the military had brought dozens of Israeli Druze back from Syria overnight. According to ynet, around 1,000 Druze from Israel had crossed the border into Syria on Wednesday to help protect their brethren from the violence. Many Druze in Israel have relatives in the neighbouring country. According to the Times of Israel, several dozen Druze from Israel are still in Syria. Holes in the border fence are now being repaired, the Times reported, citing the military. According to security sources, blockades are being erected to prevent further border crossings. The military warned that crossing the border is a criminal offence. Media reported that members of the Israeli parliament belonging to the religious minority also crossed the border fence to bring Israeli Druze back home. Syrian president to Israel: Don't try to drag us into war Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel earlier Thursday of attempting to drag Syria into a war and said his country would not take the bait. "We, the people of Syria, know very well who is trying to drag us into war and who is working to divide us," al-Sharaa said in a dawn speech broadcast on national television. "We will not give them the opportunity to entangle our people in a war that serves only to fragment our homeland and sow destruction." Al-Sharaa blamed Israel for exploiting instability in the wake of regime change, accusing it of targeting civilian infrastructure and seeking to derail reconstruction efforts. "Power alone does not guarantee victory, and igniting a war is not the same as controlling its outcome," he said. "We are stronger than any attempt to tear us apart." Addressing the internal unrest in the southern province of Sweida, al-Sharaa said the government had intervened to end armed clashes between local groups. He said government troops had since handed responsibility back to local militias and promsied to hold the perpetrators of crimes accountable. Al-Sharaa blamed "outlawed factions" for rejecting dialogue and fuelling disorder while accusing Israel of exploiting the unrest through strikes on civilian infrastructure to derail peace efforts. He also reaffirmed the Druze community's place in Syrian society, underscoring the state's commitment to protecting their rights and freedoms, and warned against attempts to drag it into foreign agendas. At the same time, he held Druze leaders partly responsible for the clashes. A direct conflict with Israel had been averted thanks to mediation by the United States, Turkey and Arab states, al-Sharaa said. Solve the daily Crossword
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Syrian troops positioned outside Sweida city as violence continues
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrian government troops have returned to the outskirts of the embattled city of Sweida, security sources and eyewitnesses said on Friday, amid reports of further violence in nearby villages. The troops were preparing to re-enter the city to act as a buffer between warring Sunni Bedouins and Druze, the sources said. Days of deadly fighting in the city have left over 500 people dead, amid reports of atrocities carried out against civilians. Syrian official Nour al-Din al-Baba denied media reports that troops had entered the city, and accused media outlets of spreading disinformation. The spiritual leader of Syria's Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, denounced any re-entry of government troops into Sweida. A Druze source close to al-Hijri told dpa, "We do not trust government forces because they are backing the Bedouin tribes." Representatives of Arab tribal militias - who claim to have mobilized tens of thousands of fighters from across Syria in support of the Bedouins - have also warned the government against intervening. Clashes continue near Sweidacity Violent armed clashes broke out on Friday between fighters from Bedouin tribes and local Druze militias, a war monitoring group and eyewitnesses said. The confrontations occurred near the village of Walgha, on the western outskirts of Sweida city, and the village of al-Surah al-Kabira, the sources said. Inside the city of Sweida itself, a tense calm is prevailing, a Druze resident of the city told dpa. "Everyone is cautious. We moved our families to safer areas. Men stayed in the city to protect it and protect our properties," said the man, who did not want to reveal his name for security reasons. The city, home to nearly 400,000 people - mostly Druze - has seen deadly clashes between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes since Sunday, prompting many Bedouin families to flee. The U.K.-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, has accused government forces of executing 83 Druze civilians, raising concerns of possible war crimes. The situation briefly de-escalated after international mediation and an Israeli airstrike on Syrian government targets, but violence has since resumed. Israeli aid package In a show of support, Israel announced an emergency humanitarian aid package worth 2 million shekels ($590,000) for the Druze in Sweida. The aid includes food, medical supplies, and first aid kits, and will be airdropped into affected Druze areas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel has a duty to protect the Druze, and underlined the group's unique status in Israeli society. The Druze serve in the Israeli military, unlike Muslim and Christian Arabs. The Druze in Sweida province have enjoyed considerable autonomy, even during Syria's civil war, and many were supporters of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Many of them are sceptical of the Sunni Islamist-led transitional government now in charge in Damascus. ---------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
