Syria's Sharaa vows to protect Druze
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While some Druze leaders have urged accommodation with Damascus, others have come out strongly against Sharaa, notably Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari, who urged resistance to government forces and appealed to world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during this week's violence.
Hundreds of Druze from Israel pushed across the border in solidarity with their Syrian cousins they feared were under attack. Many then met relatives never seen before.
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Syrian officials and Druze leaders have announced a new ceasefire after days of violent clashes, but Israel has continued its airstrikes after intervening.
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of undermining Syrian unity and promised to protect the Druze minority amidst escalating conflicts involving government forces, Druze fighters, and Bedouin tribes.
Israel carried out a series of powerful strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus Wednesday, escalating a campaign it says is in support of an Arab minority group involved in deadly clashes with Syrian government forces.
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Syrian government forces have started withdrawing from the southern province of Sweida following days of vicious clashes with militias from the Druze minority.
Claims circulated that he was dead after a video appeared online of men in military attire taunting the 80-year-old. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.