US Edition
Syria's Sharaa vows to protect Druze rights as ceasefire holds
SYRIA, JUL 17 – Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vows to protect the Druze as a U.S.-brokered ceasefire holds and Syrian troops withdraw from the Druze-majority Sweida province amid escalating violence.
- On Thursday, Ahmed al-Sharaa promised to protect Druze citizens' rights, with a US-brokered ceasefire appearing to be holding in southern Syria.
- On Wednesday, the conflict escalated as the Syrian government forces launched attacks, with Israel saying its actions aimed to protect the Druze minority.
- Human rights monitors reported 193 people killed this week, including six women and six children, while Syrian forces withdrew from Sweida and scores of Israeli Druze crossed into Syria.
- Sharaa designated new security oversight in Suweida province, pledging `an integral part of the nation's fabric` as part of the ceasefire agreement.
- The United States helped negotiate a ceasefire plan that appears to be holding, with Benjamin Netanyahu pledging, `We will not allow harm to come to the Druze in Jabal al Druze`.
72 Articles
72 Articles
The transitional president had to give in to Israel's pressure in favour of the Druzes and struggled to impose a line of moderation on his troops.
The new President Sharaa wants to build Syria as a centralist state. But the skirmishes of the past days show that the country is confessional and ethnically deeply divided, the government far from control.
Different interests of foreign powers fuel the current outbreak of violence in Suweida Province. Al-Sharaa, who has been resident since the seizure of power in Damascus, is increasingly under pressure.
Support for Druze in Syria and Lebanon may slow disarming of Kurdish militias, Hezbollah
Wednesday's cease-fire after the fighting between Druze in Sweida province and the al-Sharaa regime could help delay the regional framework that Trump wants after he withdraws U.S. forces from Syria
The Avery Journal-Times
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.
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