US EditionSyria Troops Quit Druze Heartland After Violence Leaves Nearly 600 Dead
SWEIDA PROVINCE, SYRIA, JUL 17 – More than 500 people died in sectarian clashes as Syrian government forces withdrew and Druze fighters took control, following Israeli air strikes targeting military positions.
- After four days of sectarian clashes, Syrian government forces withdrew from Sweida province on Thursday, after over 500 people were killed, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
- Amid growing sectarian tensions, Ahmed al-Sharaa said community leaders would resume control over security, following clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes since Sunday.
- Amid the turmoil, an AFP photographer counted 15 bodies in central Sweida, highlighting the severity of sectarian clashes, and Israel targeted government troops to protect the Druze, authorities say.
- Following the troop withdrawal, Druze fighters deployed across Sweida, Rami Abdel Rahman said, and Islamist-led government convoys entered to restore order.
- Meanwhile, the United States said an agreement had been reached to restore calm, urging all parties to deliver on their commitments.
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85 Articles
New clashes rock Syria’s Druze heartland
WALGHA, Syria - 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.
After bloody battles between Druses and Bedouins with hundreds of dead, the situation in Suwaida in southern Syria is getting worse again. Israel offers help, the UN demand enlightenment, Damascus sets troops in readiness.
Sharaa’s pullout from Syria Druze heartland exposes shaky leadership
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, even earning praise from
Syria troops quit Druze heartland after violence leaves nearly 600
SWEIDA: Syrian troops on Thursday pulled out of the Druze heartland of Sweida on the orders of the Islamist-led government, following days of deadly clashes that killed nearly 600 people, according to a war monitor. The southern province has been gripped by deadly sectarian bloodshed since Sunday, with hundreds reportedly killed in clashes pitting Druze fighters against Sunni
After the bombings ordered by Netanyahu, Damascus troops leave Suwayda, but tension and violence remain.
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