Druze, Syria and Israel
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Syria, Sectarian
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Clashes have intensified in Syria after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups broke down.
Members of the Druze community have faced humiliation and massacres at the hands of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's regime, Attorney Raad Shanan, Director-General of the Druze Community Council, said in an interview with 103FM on Wednesday.
DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Poor infrastructure, regional conflict and sporadic Israeli airstrikes are holding back more airlines from returning to Syria, industry officials told Reuters, hampering efforts to rebuild a shattered economy after 14 years of civil war.
Washington and Jerusalem have kept a watchful eye on Damascus ever since the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime by Sunni Muslim rebels in December. Of greatest concern has been the level of solidarity the new Syrian government maintains with ISIS — the terrorist organization that Syrian interim president
The ceasefire followed deadly clashes between the Druze of Suwayda and Bedouin tribes that left over 100 people dead.
Defense Minister Israel Katz called on the Syrian regime to withdraw its forces from the Sweida area and stop its operations against the Druze in the area and threatened that Israel's response would escalate.
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Agence France-Presse on MSNSyrian Druze say govt mission of peace devolved into rampageThe mainly Druze residents of the Syrian city of Sweida had hoped the arrival of government forces on Tuesday would spell an end to deadly sectarian clashes with local Bedouin tribes. On Tuesday, government forces entered Sweida with the stated aim of ending the sectarian violence that had claimed more than 100 lives earlier this week.
A leading Druze spiritual leader accused the Syrian leadership in Damascus of bombarding the southern city of Sweida despite having reached an agreement to quell violence, and he called on fighters to confront Syrian troops entering the city.