Source: The Paper
According to Xinhua News Agency, Nuruddin Baba, a spokesperson for the internal affairs department of the Syrian regime, stated on a social media platform on the 19th that all Bedouin tribal armed personnel in the capital city of Suweida Province in southern Syria had left, and the conflicts in various districts of the city had ceased. Nuruddin Baba said that in order to implement the ceasefire agreement, security forces under the Syrian internal affairs department had deployed in the northern and western areas of Suweida Province earlier that day to restore order and prevent new conflicts.
报道称，美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）报道，叙政权领导人艾哈迈德·沙拉19日发表声明，宣布叙南部苏韦达省立即全面停火，呼吁各方允许叙利亚“负责任地实施停火，确保稳定并停止流血事件”。他再次承诺保护德鲁兹人，并呼吁民族团结。
据此前报道，7月13日，德鲁兹少数派一名商人遭到绑架，引发苏韦达省德鲁兹武装派别与逊尼派的贝都因部落爆发激烈冲突。总部位于英国的叙利亚人权观察组织表示，冲突爆发以来已造成至少940人死亡，死者包括326名德鲁兹武装人员和262名德鲁兹平民，其中165人被处决。死者还包括312名政府武装安全人员和21名贝都因人，其中3名平民被德鲁兹武装人员处决。
有分析认为，苏韦达冲突或成为沙拉上台后面临的最严峻挑战。目前，沙拉面临两难抉择——要么放弃国家统一计划，任由叙利亚南部由地方势力掌控，要么冒险与以色列爆发更激烈对抗。“这是叙利亚过渡进程最危险的时刻，沙拉的应对将决定其总统生涯的成败。”叙利亚问题专家马利克·阿布德分析道。
American call for the Syrian regime to investigate atrocities
The Syrian internal affairs department announced on the 16th that a ceasefire agreement had been reached in Suweida Province. U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that day that the United States had worked with all relevant parties and "reached an agreement on specific steps to end this troubling and fearful situation." Shortly after these remarks, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported that government forces had begun to withdraw from Suweida, indicating that the most violent period of the conflict "seemed to have ended," but conflicts still occasionally occurred in some areas.
The New York Times reported that compared to previous ceasefire agreements, the ceasefire agreement on the 19th seemed to cover more content, including allowing the Syrian regime to redeploy its troops to the southern part of the country.
Another report by Jordan News Agency stated that the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Jordan, Safadi, the head of the Syrian regime's foreign affairs department, Hibani, and the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, Barak, held a trilateral meeting in Amman, Jordan on the 19th to discuss the situation in Syria and agreed on a series of practical measures to support the newly reached ceasefire agreement in Suweida Province. The report stated that these measures include deploying Syrian regime security forces in the province, releasing people detained by all parties, achieving social reconciliation in Suweida Province, strengthening domestic peace, and providing humanitarian aid.
Regarding the situation, Rubio made another statement on the social media platform X on the night of the 19th local time. He stated that if the Damascus authorities wished to establish a unified, inclusive, peaceful Syria free from the control of "ISIS" and Iran, they must use their security forces to prevent "ISIS" and other violent jihadist groups from entering the region to commit massacres and end this disaster.
"They (the Syrian regime) must hold accountable anyone who committed atrocities and bring them to justice, including their own ranks. In addition, the fighting between the Druze and the Bedouin must stop immediately," Rubio wrote.
Reports show that in the Suweida Province where recent conflicts erupted, many houses of the Druze community were burned down, and corpses lay on the streets. In addition, Druze men were subjected to humiliating treatment, including being forced to shave off their beards, which symbolize honor. For this, Salih has promised to conduct an investigation.
This is not the first time the regime has clashed with local minority groups. As early as March this year, the regime had conflicts with the Alawite supporters of Assad along the coast, resulting in civilian casualties. The international community is concerned that the Suweida conflict may trigger deeper sectarian divisions, and some Sunni groups in Syria have called for economic sanctions against the province. At the same time, autonomous regions such as the Kurds in the northeast also maintain a negative attitude toward the central integration plan led by the Syrian regime.
In fact, after the fall of the Assad regime, the regime has not yet completed the unification process of the country. A professor from the China-Arab Institute of Ningxia University wrote an article stating that the civil war in Syria has not ended, and the transitional government controls only about one-third of the territory. He pointed out that although the "Syrian National Army" cooperates with the transitional government, it still controls parts of the northern territory of Syria and maintains its own army. The "Syrian Democratic Forces" control large areas in the east and north of Syria, the Druze armed forces dominate the southern province of Suweida, and the local armed forces under the "Southern Operations Room" are active in the southern province of Daraa, while the extremist organization "ISIS" also controls parts of the territory of Syria.
Syria and Israel accuse each other regarding the conflict in Suweida Province
Over the past week, Israel has intervened in the conflict in Suweida Province, which is closely related to its Druze minority. Israel has promised to protect the Druze who basically control the province. At the same time, Israel clearly stated that it will prevent any hostile forces from taking root in the southern area near its territory in Syria.
Since July 14, Israel has intervened in the conflict in Suweida Province, citing the protection of the Druze in Syria and the refusal of the Syrian regime's armed forces to enter the southern part of Syria. On the 16th, Israel launched a fierce air strike on the area near the Syrian "Presidential Palace" and the "General Staff Building" in the capital Damascus, causing civilian and Syrian security force casualties.
On the 19th, the leader of the Syrian regime, Salih, said in a televised speech, "Despite the difficult situation, the Syrian government has successfully calmed the situation." He also said that the recent bloodshed was a "dangerous turning point" for Syria. "Israel's intervention has placed the country in a dangerous stage, posing a threat to its stability," he added.
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Salih of "taking the side of the perpetrators." He posted on X: "It is very dangerous to be a Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian under Salih's rule."
On the issue of Syria, Israel's statement clearly differs from the U.S. position. Reuters analysis stated that the United States supports the unification process of Syria under the Salih government. However, Israel believes that the Syrian regime is controlled by jihadists and poses a threat to minorities.
According to a previous report by The Paper, although some Druze once opposed Assad's rule, they now remain cautious about the new leader of Syria, Salih, who has a jihadist background, and accuse him of having ties to armed groups associated with the "Nusra Front" that participated in the killing of Druze. In April of this year, the Druze and the Syrian regime had also clashed over the issue of weapon confiscation.
Some analysts believe that after the establishment of the new Syrian regime, certain Druze who were originally unwilling to cooperate with Israel have turned to Israel. The prominent pro-Israeli Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijli has taken the opportunity to propose expanding the autonomy of Suweida. Such views, which were previously marginalized, are now gaining more support.
However, some Druze in Syria and Lebanon pointed out that Israel is actually inciting sectarian divisions to serve its regional expansion ambitions. Al Jazeera analyzed that since the sudden change in the Syrian political situation last December, Israel has been trying to expand its control over southern Syria. Netanyahu previously referred to the new government in Damascus as an "extreme Islamic regime" and viewed it as a threat to the Israeli state.
Although the Syrian regime has declared a "ceasefire" in Suweida Province, given the close relationship between the Israeli government and its Druze population, the situation could further complicate. Currently, about 150,000 Druze live in the northern part of Israel in the Carmel Mountains and Galilee region. Unlike most other ethnic minorities in Israel, many Druze show strong loyalty and a sense of belonging to Israel.
Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan News) reported on the 20th that about 2,000 Druze in Israel signed a statement declaring that if attacks by the Bedouin tribal armed forces and the Syrian regime's military on the Druze continue, they would go to Syria to fight. Since the signatories include active reserve soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces, this open letter has raised high alert among Israeli security agencies, and the authorities are trying hard to persuade the local Druze to leave the task of dealing with violent incidents to the Israeli Defense Forces.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7529051630714405412/
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