This is Beirut

Syria’s Sweida on Edge: Clerics’ Deaths Expose Fractures in Druze Heartland

Samar El-Kadi, 05/12 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Four months after a ceasefire agreement halted a weeklong wave of clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters in Syria’s southern province of Sweida, insecurity continues to plague the region. The truce, reached on July 19 with U.S. and Jordanian mediation, remains volatile and has been repeatedly violated by renewed outbreaks of violence, ...

Progressive Socialist Party Secures Release of 24 Sweida Detainees

This is Beirut, 22/09 22:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sweida Detainees Release Joumblatt

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) announced on Monday the release of 24 detainees from Sweida following sustained mediation efforts. According to a statement from the party’s Media Commission, these releases are the result of ongoing communications and initiatives led by the party since the bloody events of July. The party intensified ...

Syria: The Province of Sweida Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

This is Beirut, 17/09 16:15 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Syria Sweida Ahmad al-Sharaa

In southern Syria, since the summer, the Druze province of Sweida has become the scene of bloody clashes and geopolitical rivalries. The violence that took place in July, which pitted Druze militias against Bedouin clans and government forces, deeply shook the region, leaving behind thousands of dead and accusations of massacres. As autumn ...

Progressive Socialist Party Hails Damascus Agreement on Sweida Crisis

This is Beirut, 16/09 18:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Sweida Damascus Jumblatt Agreement PSP Syria

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) welcomed on Tuesday the agreement signed in Damascus on the situation in Sweida, describing it as a step that echoes the party’s long-standing proposals and regional outreach. In a statement, the PSP said the deal reflected ideas it had previously advanced in meetings with US envoy Tom Perriello, during ...

Syria Announces Plan with Jordan, U.S. to Restore Calm in Druze-Majority Sweida

This is Beirut, 16/09 17:01 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria United States Asaad al-Shaibani Sweida

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. The situation in the province has been tense since the clashes, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said killed more than 2,000 ...

Teymour Joumblatt Condemns Violence in Sweida, Calls for National Dialogue

This is Beirut, 29/08 19:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam taymour jumblatt PSP Sweida Druze Syria

Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader and Lebanese MP Teymour Joumblatt spoke out on Friday with deep sorrow and frustration over the recent violence in Sweida, Syria. He called for peace and unity in the wake of the tragedy. “We are going through a very sensitive time, filled with sadness and anger over what has happened in Sweida,” ...

Sectarian Violence in Syria's Druze Heartland Killed Nearly 2,000

This is Beirut, 29/08 13:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Syria Sweida Druze Bedouin

A Syria monitor said Friday that the death toll from sectarian violence in Sweida province in July has climbed to nearly 2,000, after dozens more bodies were identified. The week of bloodshed erupted on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and fighters from other parts ...

Syrian Religious Leader Demands 'Separate' Region for Druze

This is Beirut, 25/08 18:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Syria Druze Hikmat al-Hijri Sweida

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. The week of bloodshed in Sweida province began on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin but rapidly escalated, ...

UN Experts Denounce Attacks on Syria's Druze

This is Beirut, 21/08 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United Nations Druze Syria Sweida

A panel of UN experts denounced Thursday what they described as an outbreak of massacres, sexual violence and kidnappings targeting the Druze minority in southern Syria in the past month. Fighting erupted in the Sweida region on July 13. Clashes between local Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and ...

Syrian, Israeli Diplomats Met in Paris to Discuss De-Escalation: Syrian State Media

This is Beirut, 20/08 10:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Damascus USA Paris Sweida

Syria's foreign minister met with an Israeli delegation in Paris to discuss de-escalation and the situation in Druze-majority Sweida province after deadly sectarian violence last month, state media reported Wednesday. State news agency SANA said late Tuesday that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister ...

PSP Calls for International Probe into Sweida's Violence

This is Beirut, 15/08 17:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Syria Sweida Aid Druze PSP Walid Jumblatt

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) called on Friday for an international investigation into the recent violence in Sweida, the Druze heartland of southern Syria, where hundreds were killed. Rejecting what it described as “rumors and claims” about its stance, the PSP reiterated its demands for justice, urgent relief for the embattled city ...

Renewed Sectarian Clashes in South Syria Kill Four

This is Beirut, 03/08 17:41 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Sweida SOHR

Renewed sectarian clashes in southern Syria's Druze-majority Sweida province killed at least four people on Sunday, a war monitor said, in the first deadly incident since a ceasefire last month. The province witnessed deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins in July that drew the intervention of government forces and tribal ...

Sweida