Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced on Tuesday a plan backed by Jordan and the United States to restore calm to Druze-majority Sweida province, which witnessed deadly sectarian violence in July.
Syrian religious leader demands ‘separate’ region for Druze
A prominent Druze leader in southern Syria demanded on Monday the creation of a separate region for his minority community, as he seeks to unite local armed factions following sectarian violence last month.
Syria postpones selection of lawmakers from Druze, Kurdish-held areas
A Syrian official said Saturday that the selection process planned for a transitional parliament next month will be postponed in Druze-majority Sweida and two Kurdish-held provinces.Syrian president says unifying country ‘should not be with blood’
Damascus, Syria -- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war "should not be with blood", rejecting any partition and accusing Israel of meddling in the south. His remarks, released by state TV on Sunday, came as hundreds demonstrated in south...Jordan says to host Syria-US meeting on reconstruction
The meeting, which will be attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, "will discuss the situation in Syria and ways to support the process of rebuilding Syria on foundations that guarantee its security, stability and sovereignty".Israel’s Druze organise aid for violence-hit Syria community
In the quiet Galilee village of Julis, Israeli Druze volunteers are busy collecting food donations and gathering information to support members of the minority community in Syria reeling from deadly sectarian violence
Putin stresses Syrian ‘territorial integrity’ in call with Netanyahu after Druze unrest
Russia, a close ally of Syria's former long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, who reportedly fled to Moscow with his family, still has two military bases in the country, and is also close to Iran, having boosted military ties amid the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine.Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to ‘contain escalation’
Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the escalation" after recent sectarian violence in southern Syria prompted Israeli intervention.US President Trump ‘caught off guard’ by Israeli strikes in Syria
US President Donald Trump was "caught off guard" by Israeli strikes in Syria last week, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Monday, adding that he discussed the issue with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Syrian govt says fighting in Sweida halted after tribal forces pull out
Druze fighters had pushed out rival armed factions from the city on Saturday, a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention.Ceasefire order fails to halt fighting in Syria’s Druze heartland
Sweida, Syria - Syrian Bedouin and their allies fought Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day Saturday despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. AFP correspondents reported clashes in the west of the provincial capital as...New clashes rock Syria’s Druze heartland as tribal fighters reinforce Bedouin
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.Erdogan accuses Israel of using Druze as pretext to expand into Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused Israel of using the Druze minority in Syria as a pretext for expanding into the war-torn country.Syria says agreement reached to halt military operations in Sweida
Syria said a new ceasefire reached on Wednesday in the Druze-majority city of Sweida will bring a complete halt to military operations and be overseen by government officials and local representatives.Israel launches strikes in Syria’s Druze area in defence of religious minority
Israel has sought to portray itself as a defender of the community, while also warning the Syrian government against maintaining any military presence south of Damascus, which Israel considers a security threat.Israel launches new Syria strikes amid Druze tensions
Israel launched more than 20 air strikes inside Syria late Friday, a war monitor said, following up an attack near the presidential palace in Damascus which was condemned as a "dangerous escalation" by the country's Islamist rulers.Israel strikes near Damascus presidential palace over Druze violence that kills over 100 people
Israel has since then attacked hundreds of Syrian military sites and on Friday announced its "fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the palace" in the capital Damascus, a military statement said.Women play ‘prominent’ role as hundreds protest in Syria
Peaceful protests have swept Sweida province, the heartland of the country's Druze minority, since President Bashar al-Assad's government ended fuel subsidies last month. The move dealt a heavy blow to Syrians reeling from more than a decade of war and economic woes.Lebanon’s main Druze party choses Taymur Jumblatt as new leader
Almost 2,000 supporters gathered in Ain Zhalta, in the Druze heartland of the Chouf mountains, where members of the Progressive Socialist Party named the lawmaker as their new leader. The PSP was founded by Taymur's grandfather Kamal and has become all but synonymous with the Druze community.
