Latest news with #bedouins
Ya Libnan
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Death toll in Sweida Syria, tops 1265, monitor
Heavy smoke rises as a member of Bedouin and tribal forces runs during clashes with Druze fighters in Syria's southern city of Sweida on July 19, 2025. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) Sectarian violence between the Druze and the bedouins in Sweida of southern Syria killed more than 1,265 people before the implementation of a recent ceasefire, a war monitor says, offering an updated toll, as it continues to document deaths that took place prior to the truce. The observatory provided the following breakdown on the deaths 609 people from the Sweida Governorate, including 104 civilians (including 6 children and 16 women), 440 members of the Ministry of Defense and Public Security (including 32 members of the Bedouin tribes and a Lebanese militant), 15 members of the Ministries of Defense and Interior who were killed as a result of Israeli raids, 3 people were killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Ministry of Defense building, one journalist was killed during the clashes in Sweida, 194 people (including 28 women, 8 children and an elderly man) were executed in the field by bullets from members of the Ministries of Defense and Interior, and 3 members of the Bedouin tribes, including a woman and a child, were executed in the field by Druze militants.' Calm returned Calm returned to southern Syria 's Sweida province on Sunday, a monitor and AFP correspondents reported, after a week of sectarian violence A ceasefire announced on Saturday appeared to be holding after earlier agreements failed to end fighting between longtime rivals the Druze and the Bedouin that spiralled to draw in the Islamist-led government, the Israeli military and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. AFP correspondents on the outskirts of Sweida city reported hearing no clashes on Sunday morning, with government forces deployed in some locations in the province to enforce the truce. According to a Red Crescent official, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered Sweida on Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that since around midnight (2100 GMT Saturday), 'Sweida has been experiencing a cautious calm', adding government security forces had blocked roads leading to the province in order to prevent tribal fighters from going there. AFP/ Syria observatory.
Ya Libnan
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Druze regain control of Sweida city after Syria announces ceasefire
A Syrian government military vehicle drives along a street in the southern Druze city of Sweida on Jul 16, 2025. Instead of quelling the fight between the Druze and the Bedouins the Syrian security forces joined the bedouins against the Druze , executed at close range hundreds of Druze fighters and civilians , looted their homes and set them on fire (Photo: Reuters/Karam al-Masri) SWEIDA, Syria: Druze fighters pushed out rival armed factions from Syria's southern city of Sweida on Saturday (Jul 19), a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. Fighting nonetheless persisted in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria and Lebanon. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that 'tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday evening' after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack. Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 940 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria and Lebanon. Earlier Saturday, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and armed men setting fire to shops and homes after looting them. But in the evening, Bassem Fakhr, spokesman for the Men of Dignity, one of the two largest Druze armed groups, told AFP there was 'no Bedouin presence in the city'. HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS The deal between the government and Israel was announced by Washington early on Saturday Damascus time. US pointman on Syria, Tom Barrack, said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'have agreed to a ceasefire' negotiated by the United States. Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighboring Jordan. 'We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbors,' he wrote on X. Barrack later held a meeting in Amman with the Syrian and Jordanian top diplomats, during which they 'agreed on practical steps to support Syria in implementing the agreement', the US envoy said in a later post on X. The US administration, which alongside Turkey and Saudi Arabia, has forged ties with the president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda and ISIS , was critical of its Israeli ally's recent air strikes on Syria and had sought a way out for Sharaa's government. Sharaa followed up on the US announcement with a televised speech in which he announced an immediate ceasefire in Sweida and renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities, a promise on which he never delivered 'The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country … We condemn all crimes committed' in Sweida, he stated. But the Syrian minorities stopped trusting him since the government forces always ended up supporting the Sunni rebels in their fights against the minorities as was evident in Sweida The president paid tribute to the 'important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability'. The European Union welcomed the deal between Syria and Israel, saying it had been 'appalled' by the deadly sectarian violence of recent days. France urged all parties to 'strictly adhere' to the ceasefire. But Israel expressed deep skepticism about Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, pointing to deadly violence against Alawites , Christians as well as the Druze since he led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. In Sharaa's Syria 'it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority – Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian', Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 940 people had been killed in the violence since last Sunday. They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed by the government forces , according to the Observatory. They also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were ' executed by Druze fighters'. Another 15 government troops were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory said. Syria's Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on Saturday evening said that after the first phase of the ceasefire, which began on Saturday and involved the deployment of security forces to the province, a second phase would see the opening of humanitarian corridors. Raed al-Saleh, Syria's minister for emergencies and disaster management, told state television that 'the humanitarian situation is bad' and that convoys were waiting to enter Sweida when 'the appropriate conditions' present themselves. According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced least 87,000 people. Only Federalism Can Save Syria Despite his hollow promises, Ahmed al-Sharaa has failed miserably in protecting Syria's vulnerable minorities. His brief rule has not ushered in a new era of inclusion or reconciliation, but one of betrayal and brutality. Many minorities across Syria—from Christians to Alawites, Druze to Kurds—no longer see Sharaa as a protector but as a former ISIS affiliate in a business suit. In this climate of deep mistrust and sectarian tension, the idea of a strong, centralized government led by one faction is no longer tenable. Syria needs a new path forward—one that gives every group a stake in the country's future while ensuring local governance, autonomy, and protection. That path is federalism. CNA/ YL
Ya Libnan
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Israel strikes military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces clash with Druze militias
Syrian security forces joined the bedouins in their attack against the Druze in Swida province BUSRA AL-HARIR, Syria (AP) — Israel's army said Monday it has struck military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces and Bedouin tribes clashed with Druze militias. Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting between local militias and clans in Syria 's Sweida province. Government security forces that were sent to restore order Monday also clashed with local armed groups. Syria's Interior Ministry has said more than 30 people have died and nearly 100 others have been injured. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, reported at least 89 dead, including two Druze children and two Druze women and 14 members of the security forces. The clashes in Syria initially broke out between armed groups from the Druze and Sunni Bedouin clans, the observatory said, with some members of the government security forces 'actively participating' in support of the Bedouins. Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba claimed the government forces entered Sweida in the early morning to restore order 'Some clashes occurred with outlawed armed groups, but our forces are doing their best to prevent any civilian casualties,' he told the state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV. A clear warning Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated that striking targets in Syria was a clear warning to the Syrian regime, stressing that Israel would not allow harm to the Druze in Syria. Failure to protect ninorities 'Ahmed al-Sharaa is not just any leader. He is a former jihadist figure with documented ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS. His sudden transformation into a statesman has done little to reassure those who remember the cruelty of Syria's darkest years. While he and his allies now speak the language of governance and unity, the ground reality tells a very different story.' Ya Libnan, a Lebanese dailynwrote in its editorial today'. 'Ahmed al-Sharaa still has a choice to make—though time is quickly running out. If he is truly seeking redemption from his militant past, if he truly believes in a future for Syria, then protecting the country's minorities must be his immediate priority. That means deploying state resources to guard vulnerable communities, prosecuting those responsible for sectarian violence, and publicly affirming the equal rights of all Syrians, regardless of sect or ethnicity, ' Ya Libnan added. 'If Sharaa fails to rise to this moment, Syria's minorities will not wait to be slaughtered—they will flee, they will resist, and they may ultimately seek international protection. And when that happens, Syria may cease to exist as we know it', Ya Libnan concluded AP
