Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa yesterday urged Sunni Muslim Bedouin groups to “fully commit” to a ceasefire aimed at ending clashes with Druze-linked militias that have left hundreds dead and threatened to unravel the country’s post-war transition.
This comes as government forces, initially sent to restore order, but effectively sided with the Bedouins against the Druze, were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted late on Thursday in the southern province of Sweida. The violence has also drawn airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel before a truce was reached.
In his second televised address since the fighting started, al-Sharaa blamed “armed groups from Sweida” for reigniting the conflict by “launching retaliatory attacks against the Bedouins and their families.” He also said Israeli intervention “pushed the country into a dangerous phase.”
Photo: AP
Israel had launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and even struck the Syrian Ministry of Defense headquarters in central Damascus, saying it was in support of the Druze, who form a substantial community in Israel and are seen as a loyal minority, often serving in the Israeli military.
Reports had surfaced of Syrian government-affiliated fighters executing Druze civilians and looting and burning homes over the four-day violence.
US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack earlier yesterday announced that Israel and Syria had agreed to a ceasefire. Al-Sharaa made no direct reference to the agreement, but said “American and Arab mediations stepped in” to restore calm.
Addressing the Bedouins, al-Sharaa said they “cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country’s affairs and restoring security.”
He also said: “We thank the Bedouins for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state’s orders.”
Meanwhile, a prominent Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who opposes the current government and has distanced himself from the two ceasefires announced on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, said an agreement, brokered under the sponsorship of guarantor states, has several measures aimed at de-escalating tensions in Suweida.
This includes the deployment of General Security checkpoints outside the province’s administrative borders to contain clashes and prevent infiltration, a 48-hour ban on entry by any party into border villages, and safe, guaranteed passage for remaining members of the Bedouin groups still inside the province.
Al-Sharaa reiterated that Suweida “remains an integral part of the Syrian state, and the Druze constitute a fundamental pillar of the Syrian national fabric,” vowing to protect all minorities in Syria.
He also thanked the US for its “significant role in affirming its support for Syria during these difficult times,” as well as Arab countries and Turkey, who mediated Wednesday’s truce.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
RSS