More than 30 people have been killed and about 100 injured in sectarian fighting between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, according to the the interior ministry on Monday.
The gun-battles erupted after a spate of kidnappings, including Friday’s abduction of a Druze merchant on the Damascus–Sweida highway, witnesses said. Fighting focused on the Maqwas district, home to Bedouin tribes, which armed Druze groups surrounded and seized by nightfall.
“This cycle of violence has exploded in a terrifying way and if it doesn’t end we are heading toward a bloodbath,” warned Rayan Marouf, a Druze researcher who runs the Suwayda24 monitoring site.
Bedouin fighters also stormed Druze villages on the western and northern fringes of the city. The interior ministry said security forces would “intervene directly” and urged local factions to cooperate.
A doctor at Sweida state hospital said at least 15 bodies had been taken to the morgue and some 50 wounded transferred to Sweida and neighbouring Deraa. The ministry’s initial tally put the overall toll at more than 30 dead and 100 hurt.
It is the first sectarian battle inside Sweida since Syria’s 14-year civil war ended last December, when Islamist-led rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia. Similar Druze-Sunni clashes flared in Jaramana, near Damascus, in April.
Minority fears have grown after the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March in apparent retaliation for earlier attacks by Assad loyalists.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar wi...
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf...
Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the str...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
A Chinese national was pulled alive from a tunnel in Nepal on Saturday, authorities said, 10 days after a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through a Himalayan valley, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 5,600 missing.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Spanish authorities are preparing a new site in Ceuta to accommodate hundreds of migrants who remain on the streets following large-scale arrivals in July, local media reported Saturday.
At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Friday after an explosion at a military barracks in the Bolivian municipality of Viacha, about 30 km (20 miles) from La Paz, Defence Minister Ernesto Justiniano said.
The resolution, sponsored by African countries and led by Togo, passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions. The United States was the only country to vote against it.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment