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Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Immediate strike': Netanyahu orders IDF to hit Syrian forces in Sweida; cites threat to Druze community
Image used for representative purposes Israel's armed forces announced they were conducting strikes against military vehicles of Syrian government forces in Sweida, southern Syria, following reports from Syrian state media about a fresh attack on the predominantly Druze city. "A short while ago, the (Israeli army) began striking military vehicles belonging to Syrian regime forces in the area of Sweida in southern Syria, " a military statement said, quoted by AFP, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they had ordered the army to "immediately strike regime forces and weaponry that were brought into the Sweida region in the the Druze mountains in Syria in order to carry out operations against the Druze." Israel has adopted an aggressive stance towards Syria's new leaders following the ousting of former President Bashar Assad during a rapid rebel offensive led by Sunni Islamist insurgent groups in December last year, stating it did not want militants near its borders. Israeli forces seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border with the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Signs That A Heart Attack Is Imminent Learn It Wise Undo Earlier Tuesday, religious leaders of the Druze community in Syria called for armed factions clashing with govt forces to surrender their weapons and cooperate with authorities as they entered the provincial capital of Sweida. One of the main religious authorities later released a video statement retracting the call. The initial statement urged armed factions in Sweida to 'cooperate with the forces of the Ministry of Interior, not to resist their entry, and to hand over their weapons to the Ministry of Interior.' It also called for 'opening a dialogue with the Syrian govt to address the repercussions of the events.' Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, commander of Internal Security in Sweida Governorate, welcomed the statement and called for 'all religious authorities and social activists to adopt a unified national stance that supports the Ministry of Interior's measures to extend state authority and achieve security throughout the province.' Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, a Druze spiritual leader opposed to the govt in Damascus, stated in a video message that the previous statement by Druze leaders had been issued after an agreement with the authorities in Damascus but 'they broke the promise and continued the indiscriminate shelling of unarmed civilians.' 'We are being subjected to a total war of annihilation,' he said.
Korea Herald
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Syrian, Israeli officials meet in Baku
DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) -- A Syrian and an Israeli official met face to face in Baku Saturday on the sidelines of a visit to Azerbaijan by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a diplomatic source in Damascus said. The meeting marked a major step for the two countries which have been foes for decades, and comes after Israel initially cold-shouldered Sharaa's administration as jihadist because of his past links to al-Qaida. "A meeting took place between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of Sharaa's visit to Baku," the source said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan and has a significant diplomatic presence in the Caucasus nation which neighbors its arch foe Iran. Sharaa himself did not take part in the meeting, which focused on "the recent Israeli military presence in Syria," the source added. After the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets falling into the hands of the Islamist-led interim administration headed by Sharaa. It also sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the opposing forces in the strategic Golan Heights, from which it has conducted forays deeper into southern Syria. Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not seek conflict with its neighbors, and has instead asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its attacks. His government recently confirmed that it had held indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement which created the buffer zone. Late last month, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was interested in striking a peace and normalisation agreement with Syria. A Syria government source quoted by state media responded that such talk was "premature." But during a visit to Lebanon this week, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said, "The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel." After meeting Sharaa in Riyadh in May, US President Donald Trump told reporters he had expressed hope that Syria would join other Arab states which normalised their relations with Israel. "(Sharaa) said yes. But they have a lot of work to do," Trump said. During his visit to Baku, Sharaa held talks with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev, the two governments said. Azerbaijan announced it would begin exporting gas to Syria via Turkey, a key ally of both governments, a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency said.
Al-Ahram Weekly
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Syrian, Israeli officials to meet in Baku: Diplomatic source in Damascus - Region
A Syrian and an Israeli official are expected to meet in Baku later Saturday on the sidelines of President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Azerbaijan, a diplomatic source in Damascus with knowledge of the issue said. "There will be a meeting between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of the visit being conducted by Sharaa in Baku," said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan and has a significant diplomatic presence in the Caucasus nation which neighbours its arch foe Iran. The diplomatic source stressed that Sharaa himself would not attend the Baku meeting, which would focus on "the recent Israeli military presence in Syria". After the December overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, Israel launched hundreds of air strikes in Syria, blatantly violating its sovereignty under the pretext of preventing key military assets from falling into the hands of the Islamist-led administration under Sharaa. It also occupied the UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the opposing forces on the strategic Golan Heights, from which it has conducted forays deeper into southern Syria. Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not seek conflict with its neighbours, and has instead asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its attacks. His government recently confirmed that it had held indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement which created the buffer zone. Israel has repeatedly characterised Sharaa's government as jihadist, in reference to his past links with Al-Qaeda. But late last month, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was interested in striking a peace and normalisation agreement with Syria. A Syria government source quoted by state media responded that such talk was "premature". But during a visit to Lebanon this week, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said: "The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel". After meeting Sharaa in Riyadh in May, US President Donald Trump told reporters he had expressed hope that Syria would join other Arab states which normalised their relations with Israel. "(Sharaa) said yes. But they have a lot of work to do," Trump said. The Syrian president arrived in Baku earlier Saturday for talks with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijan announced it would begin exporting gas to Syria via Turkey, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Ya Libnan
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Syrian, Israeli officials to meet in Baku, Azerbaijan
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (R) receiving Syria's interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Baku, Azerbaijan, July 12. — AFP A Syrian and an Israeli official are expected to meet in Baku later on Saturday on the sidelines of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Azerbaijan, a diplomatic source in Damascus with knowledge of the issue said. 'There will be a meeting between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of the visit being conducted by Sharaa in Baku,' said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan and has a significant diplomatic presence in the Caucasus nation, which neighbours its arch foe Iran. The diplomatic source stressed that Sharaa himself would not attend the Baku meeting, which would focus on 'the recent Israeli military presence in Syria'. After the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets from falling into the hands of the interim administration headed by Sharaa. It also sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the opposing forces on the strategic Golan Heights, from which it has conducted forays deeper into southern Syria. Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not seek conflict with its neighbors and has instead asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its attacks. Sharaa's government recently confirmed that it had held indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement, which created the buffer zone. Israel views Sharaa's government in the context of his past links with Al-Qaeda and ISIS . But late last month, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was interested in striking a peace and normalisation agreement with Syria. A Syrian government source quoted by state media responded that such talk was 'premature'. But during a visit to Lebanon this week, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said: 'The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel.' After meeting Sharaa in Riyadh in May, US President Donald Trump told reporters he had expressed hope that Syria would join other Arab states which normalized their relations with Israel under the Abraham Accord. '[Sharaa] said yes. But they have a lot of work to do,' Trump said. The Syrian president arrived in Baku earlier today for talks with his counterpart, Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijan announced it would begin exporting gas to Syria via Turkiye, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency. Syria's authorities are seeking to rebuild the country's infrastructure and economy after almost 14 years of civil war. The conflict badly damaged Syria's power infrastructure, leading to cuts that can last for more than 20 hours a day. 'The importance of cooperation between our countries, particularly in the energy sector, was highlighted at the meeting, and it was reported that Syria is currently facing a serious energy problem,' the presidency said in a statement. 'A project to export Azerbaijani gas to Syria via Turkey will be implemented in the near future, which will contribute to ensuring the energy security of this country,' the statement added. In May, Syrian Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir said Damascus and Ankara had reached a deal for Turkey to supply natural gas to the war-torn country via a pipeline in the north. Gas-rich Azerbaijan is a historic ally of Turkey which maintains close ties with the Syrian transitional government. Ilham Aliyev has regularly aligned himself with Turkey's positions on international issues, including Syria. News Agencies
Straits Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Syria, Israel officials to meet in Baku, says diplomatic source in Damascus
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox DAMASCUS - A Syrian and an Israeli official are expected to meet in Baku later on July 12 on the sidelines of President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Azerbaijan, a diplomatic source in Damascus with knowledge of the issue said. 'There will be a meeting between a Syrian official and an Israeli official on the sidelines of the visit being conducted by Sharaa in Baku,' said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. Israel is a major arms supplier to Azerbaijan and has a significant diplomatic presence in the Caucasus nation which neighbours its arch foe Iran. The diplomatic source stressed that Mr Sharaa himself would not attend the Baku meeting, which would focus on 'the recent Israeli military presence in Syria'. After the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria to prevent key military assets falling into the hands of the Islamist-led interim administration headed by Mr Sharaa. It also sent troops into the UN-patrolled buffer zone that used to separate the opposing forces on the strategic Golan Heights, from which it has conducted forays deeper into southern Syria. Mr Sharaa has said repeatedly that Syria does not seek conflict with its neighbours, and has instead asked the international community to put pressure on Israel to halt its attacks. His government recently confirmed that it had held indirect contacts with Israel seeking a return to the 1974 disengagement agreement which created the buffer zone. Israel has repeatedly characterised Mr Sharaa's government as militant, in reference to his past links with Al-Qaeda. But late in June, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was interested in striking a peace and normalisation agreement with Syria. A Syria government source quoted by state media responded that such talk was 'premature'. But during a visit to Lebanon this week, US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said: 'The dialogue has started between Syria and Israel'. After meeting Mr Sharaa in Riyadh in May, US President Donald Trump told reporters he had expressed hope that Syria would join other Arab states which normalised their relations with Israel. '(Mr Sharaa) said yes. But they have a lot of work to do,' Mr Trump said. The Syrian president arrived in Baku earlier on July 12 for talks with his counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijan announced it would begin exporting gas to Syria via Turkey, according to a statement from the Azerbaijani presidency. AFP
