This is Beirut

Abi al-Muna Urges Arab Action to Stop Violations Against Druze in Syria

This is Beirut, 18:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna, the spiritual leader of Lebanon’s Druze community, spoke over the phone with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari on Thursday. Abi al-Muna briefed him on the alarming developments in the town of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and surrounding areas near Damascus, Syria, where clashes are still ongoing between Druze and Sunni ...

Syria's Druze Take Up Arms to Defend Their Town Against Islamists

This is Beirut, 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

syria conflict druze jaramana

Syrian estate agent Fahd Haidar shuttered his business and got out his rifle to defend his hometown of Jaramana when it came under attack this week by Islamists loyal to the new government. Seven Druze fighters were among the 17 people killed in the Damascus suburb as clashes raged from Monday into Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights ...

Israel Strikes Syria, Citing Threat to Druze Community Amid Rising Tensions

This is Beirut, 30/04 19:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Israel Benjamin Netanyahu Damascus Druze

Israel has confirmed a strike in southern Syria targeting what it described as an "extremist group" preparing to attack members of the Druze minority in the town of Sahnaya, near Damascus. According to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, the operation served as a warning and was aimed at preventing further ...

Joumblatt Steps In to End Deadly Clashes Near Damascus as Israel Strikes Syria

This is Beirut, 30/04 15:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Druze Walid Joumblatt Syria Islamists

A ceasefire between gunmen linked to Syrian authorities and Druze fighters was reportedly reached on Wednesday, following intensive mediation by former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Joumblatt. The effort involved contacts with the new Syrian administration, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan, according to al-Markazia news ...

Syria Monitor: 14 Killed as Druze Fighters Clash with Security Forces Near Damascus

This is Beirut, 29/04 20:52 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Syria Conflict Religion Druze SOHR

A Syria war monitor on Tuesday said 14 people, including seven Druze fighters, were killed in sectarian clashes near Damascus, as authorities blamed "gunmen" and vowed to pursue those involved. The overnight clashes, sparked by the circulation on social media of an audio recording deemed blasphemous, were met with condemnation from ...

From Homs to Damascus: An Alarming Escalation of Tensions Between Sunnis and Druze

This is Beirut, 29/04 16:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Damascus Syria Druze Islamists HTS fighting

Sectarian tensions between the Sunni and Druze communities are alarmingly resurging in Syria. From Homs to the outskirts of Damascus, to Sweida, a Druze heartland south of Syria, several violent incidents have reignited sectarian divisions in a country still deeply scarred by more than a decade of war. Clashes in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana ...

Syrian Druze Plan First Israel Pilgrimage

This is Beirut, 13/03 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Druze Syria Lebanon

A delegation of Syrian Druze clerics is planning to visit a pilgrimage site in Israel on Friday for the first time since Israel's creation in 1948, a source close to the group said. "A delegation of dozens of Druze clerics will visit Israel on Friday," the source said, adding that it follows an invitation from the Druze community in Israel. "The ...

Preliminary Agreement Reached Between Sweida and Damascus

This is Beirut, 11/03 19:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Sweida Druze

Discussions between leading figures of the Druze community in Sweida and the new Syrian administration have reportedly resulted in a tacit agreement for the Druze to integrate into the new Syrian state, according to Lebanese daily An-Nahar. Syrian writer and researcher Jamal al-Shoufi revealed to An-Nahar an “attempt to unify ranks by community ...

The Druze: Riding the Tide in a Turbulent Middle East

Samar El-Kadi, 05/03 13:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Middle East Israel Druze Syria Lebanon

The Druze question has reemerged at the forefront of the current regional scene, following the regime change in Syria and Israel’s incursion into Syrian territory through the demilitarized zone in the occupied Golan Heights. All this is compounded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that Israel would intervene in Syria to ...

Syria Forces Deploy in Damascus Suburb After Deadly Unrest

This is Beirut, 02/03 22:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Damascus Jaramana Druze

The forces of Syria's new authorities deployed Sunday in a Damascus suburb following deadly clashes with Druze gunmen, state media said amid tensions after Israeli demands to protect the minority group. Jaramana, a mostly Druze and Christian suburb of the capital, saw a fatal shooting at a checkpoint on Friday, followed a day later by clashes ...

Joy and Apprehension Among Syria’s Druze Community

Samar El-Kadi, 2024-12-17 18:20 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Israel Sweida Syria Druze

Like everywhere else in Syria, the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s totalitarian regime was acclaimed with joy and celebrations in the predominantly Druze southern province of Sweida. While they have historically been close to the regime, the esoteric minority Druze community, making up some 3 to 4% of Syria’s ...

Druze Leadership on High Alert to Avert Reckless Ventures

Toni Issa, 2024-11-08 10:25 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu druze

Lebanon's political and sectarian forces cannot approach the current Israeli war as they did previous conflicts, including the 1982 invasion that reached Beirut. This war risks dismantling the existing “rules of engagement” between Lebanese sectarian groups, potentially ushering in a new balance of power. As a result, all factions are bracing ...

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