Latest news with #sectarianfighting
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Syria: Israel strikes Damascus as fighting between government forces and Druze rages
The Israeli military struck the Syrian defence ministry and government forces in southern Syria, as deadly sectarian fighting in the predominantly Druze province of Suweida continued for a fourth Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its forces were "working to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime's gangs". The Syrian foreign ministry condemned Israel's "treacherous aggression".The Syrian interior ministry and one Druze leader said a ceasefire had been agreed on Wednesday night. But another Druze leader rejected than 300 people are reported to have been killed in Suweida since Sunday, when clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes erupted. The Israeli military began striking Syrian security forces and their weapons on Monday, after they were deployed to the city of Suweida for the first time since Sunni Islamist-led rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in groups including the Druze - whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs - are suspicious of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government despite his pledges to protect fears have been heightened by several outbreaks of deadly sectarian violence over the past eight months, including one in May in which dozens of people were reportedly killed in clashes between Druze, security forces and allied Islamist fighters in Damascus and the wake of that fighting, the government reached an agreement with Druze militias to hire local security forces in Suweida province from their has said he is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria because of their deep ties to those living in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Wednesday afternoon that "the warnings in Damascus" had ended and that the Israeli military would "continue to operate vigorously in Suweida to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until they withdraw completely".He later posted that "the painful blows have begun" above a video clip showing a TV presenter being forced to dive under a desk live on air as an Israeli missile hit the nearby entrance to the Syrian defence ministry in Umayyad Square, in central Israeli military said it struck the Syrian government's military headquarters in the capital as well as a "military target in the area" of the presidential also said strikes hit armoured vehicles loaded with heavy machine guns and weapons on their way to Suweida, as well as firing posts and weapons storage facilities in southern foreign ministry said the strikes targeted government institutions and civilian facilities in Damascus and Suweida and killed "several innocent civilians"."This flagrant assault, which forms part of a deliberate policy pursued by the Israeli entity to inflame tensions, spread chaos and undermine security and stability in Syria, constitutes a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and international humanitarian law," it Syrian interior ministry announced on Wednesday evening that it had reached a ceasefire agreement with Druze leaders "as part of efforts to restore security and stability". It said military operations would end immediately, police would set up checkpoints in Suweida city, and that the province would be "fully integrated" into the Syrian Druze leader, Sheikh Yousef Jarbou, confirmed the agreement. But another who supports Israel's intervention, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, called for Druze fighters to continue fighting until the "total liberation of our province from gangs".US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was "very worried" about the violence in the south, and that he was talking to Israel and Syria to calm the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, meanwhile reported that the humanitarian situation in Suweida city had rapidly cited sources as saying there were clashes in several area of the city and that tanks had attacked the national hospital, causing panic among the scores of casualties from the fighting being treated there. They also said there were acute shortages of water and medical SOHR says more than 300 people have been killed since Sunday in Suweida include 69 Druze fighters and 40 civilians, 27 of whom were summarily killed by interior ministry and defence ministry forces, according to the group. At least 165 members of the government forces and 18 Bedouin tribal fighters have also been killed in the clashes, while 10 members of government forces have been killed in Israeli strikes, it BBC is not able to verify the SOHR's casualty figures. The fighting between Bedouin tribes and Druze militias in Suweida is said to have been sparked by the abduction of a Druze merchant on the highway to Damascus last Sunday, armed Druze fighters reportedly encircled and later seized a neighbourhood of Suweida city that is inhabited by Bedouin. The clashes soon spread into other parts of Suweida province, with tribesmen reportedly launching attacks on nearby Druze towns and interior ministry later announced that its forces and those of the defence ministry would intervene and impose order, saying the "dangerous escalation comes in light of the absence of relevant official institutions".There was a brief period of calm on Sunday night before the fighting resumed, with local activists reporting that Druze villages west of the city had been attacked with drones and mortars as government forces deployed afternoon, the Israeli military said it had stuck several Syrian government tanks in Suweida, saying it aimed to prevent forces advancing towards Suweida Tuesday morning, Druze spiritual leaders said they had agreed to allow government forces to enter Suweida province in order to end the bloodshed. But Sheikh Hajri urged Druze to resist, accusing the government of violating a ceasefire by bombarding Suweida fighting continued as government forces entered the city. The defence minister declared a ceasefire and said they would only open fire if attacked, but witnesses reported that they joined the Bedouin fighters in attacking Druze fighters and afternoon, Netanyahu and Katz ordered the Israeli military to once again attack government forces and weaponry in Suweida. They said they were working to prevent them from harming the Druze and to "ensure the demilitarisation" of areas near Israel's this year, Israel's prime minister demanded the complete demilitarisation of Suweida and two other southern provinces. He said Israel saw President Sharaa's Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), as a threat. HTS is a former al-Qaeda affiliate that is still designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN and UK, but no longer by the Israeli military has already carried out hundreds of strikes across Syria to destroy the country's military assets since the fall of the Assad it has sent troops into the UN-monitored demilitarised buffer zone between the occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as well as several adjoining areas and the summit of Mount Hermon.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Deadly clashes threaten Syria's fragile peace
Dozens of people were killed as clashes broke out between armed groups from the Druze religious minority and Sunni Bedouin clans in southern Syria, raising fresh concerns of a breakdown in the country's fragile post-war order. Fighting erupted in the Druze-majority Sweida city on Sunday, after an armed robbery of a Druze man led to retaliatory attacks and kidnappings between Druze and Bedouin clans, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . The interior ministry said at least 30 people were killed and 100 people were injured while the UK-based monitoring group said 99 people were killed. Thousands of people were also displaced in what was the first time sectarian fighting has erupted inside the city of Sweida itself. By Monday, government forces enteredthe city to impose a curfew and quell the fighting, which also marked the first time Syrian troops had entered Sweida since the fall of Assad. Shortly after, Israel launched air attacks on Sweida as part of Tel Aviv's pledge to protect the Druze minority. Israel had previously warned Damascus against sending troops closer to its border in southern Syria, which it wants to be a demilitarised zone. The Druze spiritual leadership initially opposed Syrian troop deployment in Sweida then later called on Druze fighters to disarm and let government forces enter. But a Druze political leader again reversed the position, saying he had been forced to welcome government troops under duress. The government later replaced its soldiers with a police force. Later on Tuesday, Syria's defence minister announced a ceasefire. Tensions between forces loyal to the government and Druze fighters have continued since Sunni rebels led a lightning assault to topple President Bashar Assad in early December. The violence highlights President Ahmed al-Sharaa's struggle to maintain control, as many minorities continue to distrust his Islamist-led government. Distrust was heightened after Syrian troops and allied militia were accused of massacring hundreds of Alawis in March. While the transitional government minorities promised to include religious minorities, only one Druze minister was appointed in the new cabinet - Minister of Agriculture Amjad Badr. Religious freedom was officially protected under Assad and now the Druze are split between favouring dialogue with the new government and confrontation. More than half of the million-strong Druze religious minority, originating from a 10th-century offshoot of Shiite Islam, live in Syria in Sweida and the southern suburbs of Damascus. Most others live in Lebanon and Israel, and the annexed Golan Heights.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israeli forces bomb Syrian military after sectarian fighting
Israeli forces bomb Syrian military after sectarian fighting NewsFeed Israel's military has carried out air attacks against Syrian forces sent to a southern region where sectarian fighting has left dozens of people dead. Israel says it was acting to protect the Druze community after gun battles in Suwayda. On Tuesday, the Syrian defence minister announced a ceasefire. Video Duration 01 minutes 58 seconds 01:58 Video Duration 00 minutes 54 seconds 00:54 Video Duration 02 minutes 20 seconds 02:20 Video Duration 01 minutes 10 seconds 01:10 Video Duration 01 minutes 34 seconds 01:34 Video Duration 00 minutes 47 seconds 00:47 Video Duration 03 minutes 10 seconds 03:10
News24
14-07-2025
- Politics
- News24
30 killed in Syria, raising fears of country ‘heading toward to a bloodbath'
More than 30 people were killed as sectarian fighting erupted in Sweida, Syria. Sweida is the capital of the majority Druze province. Fears are increasing for minority groups following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. More than 30 people were killed and 100 injured in armed clashes in Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, the Syrian interior ministry said early on Monday, in the latest bout of sectarian clashes. The violence erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida, witnesses said. This is the first time sectarian fighting has erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, the provincial capital of the mostly Druze province. Last April saw clashes between Sunni fighters and armed Druze residents of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, which later spread to another district near the provincial capital. 'This cycle of violence has exploded in a terrifying way and if it doesn't end we are heading toward to a bloodbath,' said Rayan Marouf, a Druze researcher based in Sweida who runs the Suwayda24 website. The clashes involving Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias were centred in Maqwas neighbourhood east of Sweida, which is inhabited by Bedouin tribes, and was encircled by armed Druze groups and later seized. The Syrian ministry of interior said that its forces will begin direct intervention in Sweida to resolve the conflict, calling on local parties in the Druze city to cooperate with the security forces. Armed Bedouin tribesmen also launched attacks on Druze villages on the western and north outskirts of the city, residents said. A medical source told Reuters that at least 15 bodies had been taken to the morgue at Sweida's state hospital. Around 50 people were injured, with some transported to Deraa city for medical care. The violence marked the latest episode of sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where fears among minority groups have surged since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces. Those concerns intensified following the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack carried out by Assad loyalists. It was the deadliest sectarian flare-up in years in Syria, where a 14-year civil war ended last December with Assad fleeing to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebel forces.
