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BBC News
a day ago
- Health
- BBC News
'They shot patients in beds' – BBC hears claims of massacre at Suweida hospital
Syrian government forces have been accused of carrying out a massacre at a hospital during sectarian clashes which erupted just over a week ago. The BBC has visited Suweida's National Hospital where staff claim patients were killed inside This story contains descriptions of violence The stench hit me before anything the car park of the main hospital in Suweida City, dozens of decomposing corpses are lined up in white plastic body are open to the elements, revealing bloated and mutilated remains of those who were killed tarmac beneath my feet is greasy and slippery with blood. In the sweltering sun, the smell is overwhelming."It was a massacre," Dr Wissam Massoud, a Neurosurgeon at the hospital tells me."The soldiers came here saying they wanted to bring peace, but they killed scores of patients from the very young to the very old."Earlier this week, Dr Massoud sent me a video which he said was in the immediate aftermath of the government it, a woman shows you around the hospital. On the ground in the wards are dozens of dead patients still bundled up in their bloodied bed sheets. Everyone here, doctors, nurses, volunteers say the same last Wednesday evening, it was Syrian government troops targeting the Druze community who came to the hospital and carried out the Abu Motab, a volunteer at the hospital, said of the victims: "What is their crime? Just for being a minority in a democratic country?""They are criminals. They are monsters. We don't trust them at all," Osama Malak an English teacher in the city told me outside the hospital gates."They shot an eight-year-old disabled boy in the head," he said."According to international law, hospitals should be protected. But they attacked us even in the hospitals."They entered the hospital. They started shooting everybody. They shot the patients in their beds as they slept."All sides in this conflict have been accusing each other of committing Bedouin and Druze fighters as well as the Syrian Army have been accused killing civilians and extra judicial killings. There is not yet a clear picture of what happened at the hospital. Some here estimate the number of people to be killed last Wednesday at more than 300 but that figure cannot be Tuesday night the Syrian defence ministry said in a statement it was aware of reports of "shocking violations" by people wearing military fatigues in the country's predominantly Druze city this week Raed Saleh, the Syrian Minister for Disaster Management and Emergency Response, told me that any allegations of atrocities committed by all sides would be fully investigated. Who are the Druze and why did Israel attack Syria?Bedouins tell BBC they could return to fighting Druze in SyriaBBC sees fragile ceasefire holding in Syria's battle-scarred Suweida province Access to Suweida City has been heavily restricted meaning gathering first hand evidence has been city is in effect under siege with Syrian government forces restricting who is allowed in and get in we had to pass through numerous we entered the city, we passed burned out shops and buildings, cars that had been crushed my City had clearly seen a serious battle between Druze fighters and Bedouin was at that point that the Syrian government first intervened to try and enforce a ceasefire. Although numerous Druze villages in Suweida province have been recaptured by government forces, Suweida City, home to more than 70,000 people, remains under full Druze we left the hospital, we found eight-year-old Hala Al Khatib sitting on a bench with her face is bloodied and bandaged. She appears to have lost an tells us that gunmen came and shot her in the head at she was hiding in a cupboard in her doesn't know it, but both Hala's parents are dead.
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Japan avoids criticizing Israel for bombing and invading Syria
TOKYO: Despite the recent attacks on Gaza and Syria, Japan has notably refrained from condemning Israel's actions. This stance contrasts sharply with Tokyo's more vocal criticisms of military actions taken by other nations, such as Russia. Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya reiterated Japan's commitment to peaceful conflict resolution, emphasizing the need for restraint and dialogue. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of countries working to resolve the situation in Syria. 'As I mentioned previously, we are deeply concerned about the situation in Syria,' Iwaya stated, adding that Israel's attacks on Syria could be 'severely worsening' the situation there. 'We are calling for the steadfast implementation of the ceasefire agreement agreed upon by the involved parties and strongly urging all parties, including Israel, to exercise maximum restraint.' Furthermore, Iwaya emphasized that Syria's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence should be respected. He acknowledged that the Syrian government has engaged in dialogue aimed at achieving a political solution and national reconciliation. 'We are committed to demanding that all parties play a constructive role in achieving a peaceful and stable transition in Syria,' he added. Israel's aggressive invasion of Syrian territories and its ongoing bombings of critical Syrian establishments — most recently, airstrikes on the presidential palace and the defense ministry — have raised serious concerns. When Iwaya was asked whether Japan would take a stronger stance, including condemnation and sanctions against Israel like its response to Russia's actions in Ukraine, he reiterated, 'We are committed to demanding that all parties play a constructive role in achieving a peaceful and stable transition in Syria.'
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Sweida evacuations and Turkey to cancel Iraqi Kurdistan oil deal
The Syrian government has evacuated Bedouin families from Sweida. Turkey is ending an oil export agreement with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Israel is continuing its offensive on Houthi targets in Yemen. On this episode of Trending Middle East: Syrian authorities evacuate Bedouin civilians from Sweida as fragile truce holds Turkey to end oil pipeline deal with Iraqi Kurdistan Israeli army strikes Houthi targets at Yemen's Hodeidah port This episode features Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Jordan Correspondent; Fareed Rahman, Senior Business Reporter; and Vanessa Ghanem, Arab Affairs Editor. Editor's note: We want to hear from you! Help us improve our podcasts by taking our 2-minute listener survey. Click here.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Syrian government starts evacuating Bedouin families from Sweida
The Syrian government on Monday started evacuating Bedouin families trapped inside the city of Sweida, where Druze militiamen and Bedouin fighters have clashed for over a week. Busses and trucks accompanied by Syrian Arab Red Crescent vehicles and ambulances were seen leaving Sweida province Monday heading towards Daraa. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bodies and looted homes: Syria's Druze reeling after Sweida bloodshed
Residents from the Syrian-Druze city of Sweida described friends and neighbors being shot at close range in their homes or on the streets. One elderly man had been shot in the head in his living room. Another in his bedroom. The body of a woman lay in the street. After days of bloodshed in Syria's Druze city of Sweida, survivors emerged on Thursday to collect and bury the scores of dead found across the city. A ceasefire announced on Wednesday night brought an end to ferocious fighting between Druze militia and government forces sent to the city to quell clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters. The violence worsened sharply after the arrival of government forces, according to accounts to Reuters by a dozen residents of Sweida, two reporters on the ground and a monitoring group. Residents described friends and neighbors being shot at close range in their homes or in the streets. They said the killings were carried out by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and the insignia on them. Reuters was able to verify the time and location of some videos showing dead bodies, but could not independently verify who conducted the killings or when they occurred. Syrian Information Minister Hamzah al-Mustafa, in comments to Reuters after this story was published, said the authorities were "aware of the reports concerning serious violations during the recent events in Sweida, including acts that may constitute atrocities and sectarian incitement." "The Syrian Government strongly condemns all such acts and reaffirms its absolute rejection of sectarian violence in all its forms," Mustafa said. Mustafa added that Syria's authorities were unable to conduct immediate investigations due to the redeployment of their forces after international mediation to secure a ceasefire. Sweida, lying on ruins, knows the battle's not over The residents of Sweida who Reuters spoke to said the bloodshed had deepened their distrust of the Islamist-led government in Damascus and their worries about how Sharaa would ensure that Syria's minority groups were protected. In sectarian violence in Syria's coastal region in March hundreds of people from the Alawite minority were killed by forces aligned to Sharaa. "I can't keep up with the calls coming in now about the dead," said Kenan Azzam, a dentist who lives on the eastern outskirts of Sweida and spoke to Reuters by phone. He said he had just learned of the killing of a friend, agricultural engineer Anis Nasser, who he said had been taken from his home by government forces this week. "Today, they found his dead body in a pile of bodies in Sweida city," Azzam said. Another Sweida resident, who asked to be identified only as Amer out of fear of reprisals, shared a video that he said depicted his slain neighbors in their home. The video, which Reuters was not able to independently verify, showed the body of one man in a chair. On the floor were an elderly man with a gunshot wound to his right temple and a younger man, face down, in a pool of blood. Like the other cases of descriptions of killings in the city, Reuters could not verify who was responsible. Spokespeople for the interior and defense ministries did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on whether government forces were responsible for the killings in the homes and streets. In a video statement early on Thursday, Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said that protecting the rights of Druze was among his priorities and blamed "outlaw groups" seeking to inflame tensions for any crimes against civilians. He vowed to hold accountable those responsible for violations against the Druze, but did not say whether government forces were responsible. The government's statement on Wednesday on a ceasefire for the region said a fact-finding mission would investigate the "crimes, violations and breaches that happened, determine who was responsible and compensate those affected... as quickly as possible." The Syrian Network for Human Rights, a rights monitor that documented violations throughout the civil war and has continued its work, said on Friday it had verified 321 people killed in Sweida, including medical personnel, women and children. Its head, Fadel Abdulghany, said the figure included field executions by both sides, Syrians killed by Israeli strikes and others killed in clashes, but that it would take time to break down figures for each category. Abdulghany said the Network had also documented cases of extrajudicial killings by Druze militias of government forces. The government did not give a death toll for its troops or for civilians killed in Sweida. The health ministry said dozens of dead government forces and civilians were found in the city's main hospital, but did not give further details. Shot at close range Syria's Druze follow a religion derived from Islam and is part of a minority that also has members in Lebanon, Israel, and the Golan Heights. Ultra-conservative Sunni groups including Islamic State consider the Druze as heretics and attacked them throughout Syria's conflict, which erupted in 2011. Druze militias fought back, and Sweida was largely spared the violence that engulfed Syria. The 14-year war ended with the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last December. When Sharaa's forces began fighting their way from northwest Syria to Damascus last year, many minorities feared the rebels and were heartened when fighters passed their towns and went straight to the capital. A reporter in Sweida who asked not to be identified said he witnessed government forces shoot four people at close range, including a woman and teenage boys. He said bodies littered the streets. One of them, a woman, lay face up on the pavement with an apparent stab wound to the stomach, he said. One resident, who asked to remain anonymous, showed the reporter the body of his slain brother in a bedroom of their home on Tuesday. He had been shot in the head. A video verified by Reuters showed two bodies on a commercial street in central Sweida. Another showed bodies, several with gunshot wounds to the chest, in the Al-Radwan guest house in Sweida. Ryan Maarouf of local media outlet Suwayda24 told Reuters on Thursday he had found a family of 12 killed in one house, including naked women, an elderly man and two young girls. It was not possible to verify who killed the people in these cases. Looting homes The reporter said he heard government forces yell "pigs" and "infidels" at Druze residents. The reporter said troops looted refrigerators and solar panels from homes and burned homes and alcohol shops, including after the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday. Some of the residents interviewed by Reuters said government forces shaved off the mustaches of Druze men - a humiliating act. Spokespeople for the interior and defense ministries did not immediately respond to questions on troops looting, burning homes, or using sectarian language and shaving mustaches. As the violence unfolded, Israel's military began strikes on government convoys in Sweida and the defense ministry and near the presidential palace in Damascus. US intervention helped end the fighting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "historic longtime rivalries" between Druze and Bedouin communities had "led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, it looks like, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side."
