10 h. ago Clashes continue in Sweida after Syrian presidency’s ceasefire declaration

Government urges all parties to commit to truce and says any breaches will be violation of sovereignty Escalating unrest lays bare new regime’s momentous challengesBedouin fighters and their allies have continued to clash with Druze fighters in the Syrian province of Sweida, despite an order by the government to put down their arms in a conflict that has killed more than 900 people since Sunday.The Syrian presidency had earlier declared an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire and deployed its internal security forces in the southern province after almost a week of fighting in the predominantly Druze area. Continue reading...

Events

12 h. ago Syria's leader urges Bedouin tribes to commit to a ceasefire ending clashes with the Druze

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has urged Sunni Bedouin tribes to honor a ceasefire aimed at ending deadly clashes with Druze-linked militias Sweida

Politics

16 h. ago Syrian government declares ‘comprehensive’ ceasefire in Sweida

Presidency urges all parties to commit to truce and says any breaches will be violation of sovereignty• Analysis: Escalating unrest lays bare new regime’s momentous challengesThe Syrian presidency has declared an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire in Sweida, saying internal security forces have been deployed in the southern province after almost a week of fighting in the predominantly Druze area which has killed more than 700 people.Armed tribes had clashed with Druze fighters on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure. Continue reading...

Politics

20 h. ago Escalating unrest in Syria lays bare new regime’s momentous challenges

Division between minority populations drag Syria further into cycle of violence and attracts Israeli opportunismSeven months on from Bashar al-Assad’s fall, Syria is descending into yet another wave of bloody sectarian violence.A local dispute between a Bedouin tribesman and a member of the Druze minority sparked clashes that drew in Syrian government forces and triggered Israeli airstrikes – leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago Israeli airstrike hits Sweida city in Syria as Bedouin tribes clash with Druze

Conflict restarts in southern province as Druze groups reportedly target Bedouin villages in ‘revenge’ attacksThe Israeli military has carried out an airstrike on the outskirts of Sweida city as clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters intensified on Thursday night.The clashes started a wave of tit-for-tat retaliatory violence earlier on in the day after Syrian government forces withdrew from Sweida. Continue reading...

Events

64 h. ago Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida after days of clashes with Druze fighters

President Ahmed al-Sharaa says move avoids dragging country ‘into a new, broader war’ after Israel attacks DamascusSyrian government forces have withdrawn from the Druze-majority province of Sweida, ending four days of clashes between the army and local Druze fighters.In a speech on Thursday, the Syrian president said Druze groups would be left to govern security affairs in the southern province, in what he described as a choice to avoid war. Continue reading...

Politics

65 h. ago Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida after ceasefire goes into effect

Syrian government forces have started withdrawing from the southern province of Sweida following days of vicious clashes with militias from the Druze minority

Events

2 d. ago Syrian government and Druze minority leaders announce new ceasefire as Israeli strikes continue

Convoys of government forces have begun withdrawing from the city of Sweida

Politics

3 d. ago Moment Syrian TV journalists are sent running for cover during live broadcast as huge blasts from Israeli airstrikes erupt behind them

Israel had vowed to ramp up its attacks unless Syrian government forces withdrew from the southern city of Suwayda

Politics

4 d. ago Photos in southern Syria after soldiers move in to quell sectarian violence

Injured government soldiers and civilians were treated after Syrian troops moved into the city of Sweida and surrounding areas after clashes broke out between Druze militiamen and Sunni Bedouin tribes in southern Sweida province.

Events

2 w. ago Trump expected to sign executive order to lift some sanctions on Syria

The US president is to issue an order cancelling a 2004 declaration, in move to stabilise country’s new governmentDonald Trump is expected to issue an executive order to lift some financial sanctions on Syria in a move that the White House says will help stabilise the country after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad.The US was expected on Monday to “terminate the United States’ sanctions programme on Syria”, a White House spokesperson said, cancelling a 2004 declaration that froze Syrian government property and limited exports to Syria over Damascus’s chemical weapons programme. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Mideast governments condemn suicide bombing of Syrian church as death toll rises to 25

The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on a church in Syria has risen to 25, state media say

Events