Hussain Abdul-Hussain, 22/07 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Lebanon Syria Middle East Druze Kurds United States
Self-determination in the Middle East is inconsistent. For Muslim Palestinians, statehood is seen as an unfulfilled destiny. Yet for religious minorities like the Druze or ethnic groups like the Kurds, pursuing sovereignty is branded as betrayal or capitulation to imperialism. There’s no clear logic to why Israel should be divided into two ...
Philippe Abi Akl, 22/07 08:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Syria Sweida Bedouin Ahmad al-Sharaa Druze
As heavy clashes enter their second week in Syria’s southern province of Sweida, pitting Druze factions against tribal groups backed by the Syrian Army and security forces, Israel’s quiet but deliberate involvement is raising alarm. Official claims of protecting Syria’s Druze are met with widespread skepticism. The real story lies in Tel ...
This is Beirut, 20/07 14:46 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Calm returned to southern Syria's Sweida province on Sunday, a monitor and AFP correspondents reported, after a week of sectarian violence between Druze fighters and rival groups that killed more than 1,000 people. A ceasefire announced on Saturday appeared to be holding after earlier agreements failed to end fighting between longtime rivals ...
This is Beirut, 19/07 17:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria Sweida Druze Israel United States
Syrian Bedouin and their allies fought Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day Saturday despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. AFP correspondents reported clashes in the west of the provincial capital as Druze fighters battled ...
This is Beirut, 19/07 00:10 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Armed tribes supported by Syria's Islamist-led government clashed with Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure. The United Nations called for an end to the "bloodshed" and demanded an "independent" investigation of the ...
This is Beirut, 18/07 15:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Sweida Lebanon Tribes Syria Conflict Druze
The Arab tribes of Khaldeh and Mount Lebanon released a firm statement on Friday condemning the violence in Syria’s Sweida province, describing it as a “dangerous sedition” that threatens Syria’s unity and could spill into Lebanon. In a heartfelt appeal, the tribes addressed their Syrian counterparts, especially those in Sweida and Daraa, ...
Sana Richa Choucair, 18/07 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Clashes between Druze groups and government forces backed by tribal militias in the Syrian city of Sweida have claimed more than 500 lives since Sunday. Alongside this unprecedented wave of violence in this southern region, several Lebanese municipalities, mostly in Druze villages, have introduced preventive measures against foreigners, especially ...
This is Beirut, 18/07 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon Druze Sunni Sweida Unity Sectarianism
In a joint appeal for unity and restraint, Sheikh Akl of the Druze community, Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mona, and Grand Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, emphasized on Friday the importance of preserving national and intercommunal harmony amid the escalating violence in Syria’s Sweida region. In a phone conversation, the two ...
This is Beirut, 18/07 12:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Syria Israel Druze Ahmad al-Sharaa
Under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure, Ahmed al-Sharaa pulled troops from Syria's Druze heartland -- a move that exposes the interim leader's weakness just as he sought to assert control. Since seizing office in December after ousting longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad, Sharaa has worked to recast himself from jihadist to statesman, ...
This is Beirut, 18/07 11:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
Syria Druze bedouin mobilization Israel
Tensions continue to rise in the predominantly Druze province of Sweida in southern Syria. A spokesperson for the Syrian Interior Ministry said that government forces were preparing to redeploy to the city of Sweida in order to put an end to the ongoing clashes between Druze and Bedouin communities. Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon ...
This is Beirut, 17/07 20:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Damascus Israel Erdogan Druze Syria Sweida
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused Israel of using the Druze minority in Syria as a pretext for expanding into the war-torn country. "Israel, using the Druze as an excuse, has been expanding its banditry into neighboring Syria over the past two days," Erdogan said in a televised speech after the weekly cabinet meeting. "I ...
This is Beirut, 16/07 19:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
An emergency meeting in solidarity with the Druze of Sweida was held on Wednesday in the village of Sharoun, in the Aley district, at the invitation of the religious authority of the Druze community in Lebanon. Numerous dignitaries, religious leaders, and members of parliament gathered around the Sheikh Akl, Sami Abu el-Mona. In his ...