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Syria’s Islamist-led government promised Druze leaders Tuesday that it would try those responsible after its security forces clashed with Druze fighters in a Damascus suburb, leaving 14 combatants dead.In a deal reached with representatives from the mainly Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana, authorities also promised measures to “put an end to incitement to sectarian and regional division”, according to a text seen by AFP.”An agreement has been reached,” said Rabih Mounzer, a member of a civilian coordination group in Jaramana who was among the delegates.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said seven security personnel and seven Druze fighters were killed in the clashes which erupted on Monday night and continued into Tuesday.They were sparked by the circulation on social media of an audio recording deemed blasphemous and met with condemnation from leaders of the Druze religious minority.The violence follows sectarian massacres last month in the Alawite coastal heartland — the worst bloodshed since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.While seeking to present a more moderate image to the world, the new authorities must also contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks.”Heavy clashes erupted in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed” parts of the suburb, the Britain-based Observatory said.The violence was spurred by “the circulation of an audio recording, attributed to a Druze citizen, containing religious insults”, it added.AFP was unable to confirm the recording’s authenticity.The interior ministry reported “intermittent clashes between groups of gunmen”, saying security forces deployed “to break up the clashes and protect the residents”.The justice ministry said it would “not tolerate any attack on the Prophet” Mohammed but stressed that the courts were the “sole legitimate recourse” and called on residents to “refrain from hate speech”.- ‘Full responsibility’ -An AFP correspondent saw gunmen shooting into the air during the funeral for two security force members killed in the clashes.Jaramana’s Druze religious leadership condemned “the unjustified armed attack” that “targeted innocent civilians and terrorised” residents.”We strongly condemn any insult against” the Prophet Mohammed, the statement said, calling the audio recording an attempt to “sow strife and division”.It said the authorities bore “full responsibility for the incident”.Local residents said the fighting had subsided by morning.Riham Waqqaf, a 33-year-old humanitarian worker, said she was staying home with her husband and children.She expressed worry that Jaramana “might turn into a battlefield… I am afraid of the situation escalating further”.- Alawite massacres -Security forces deployed in Jaramana last month following clashes between security forces and gunmen tasked with protecting the area.At the time, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned the Islamist-led authorities not “to harm the Druze” minority, which is also spread across Lebanon and Israel.Druze leaders rejected the Israeli warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.The clashes in Jaramana mark the latest test for the Islamist authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network but have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.The authorities have been seeking to persuade Western capitals that the jihadist origins of the forces who toppled Assad are confined to the past, and that crippling international sanctions should be lifted.Druze representatives have been negotiating with authorities on an agreement to integrate their armed groups into the new national army.Last month’s violence on the Mediterranean coast saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, according to the Observatory’s figures. The government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that toppled Assad, accused loyalists to the former leader of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.burs-lar/nad/kir/ysm

Amnesty International accused Israel on Tuesday of committing a “live-streamed genocide” against Palestinians by forcibly displacing Gazans and creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged territory, claims Israel dismissed as “blatant lies”.Echoing global concern after more than 18 months of war, the United Nations’ rights chief Volker Turk meanwhile called on the international community to launch “concerted efforts” to end Israel’s total aid blockade on the Gaza Strip, in effect since early March.Rights group Amnesty, in its annual report, said Israel was acting with “specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, thus committing genocide”.The war erupted after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 52,365 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.”Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas perpetrated horrific crimes against Israeli citizens and others and captured more than 250 hostages, the world has been made audience to a live-streamed genocide,” Amnesty’s secretary-general Agnes Callamard said.”States watched on as if powerless, as Israel killed thousands upon thousands of Palestinians, wiping out entire multigenerational families, destroying homes, livelihoods, hospitals and schools.”Israel rejected the accusations, accusing Amnesty of spreading Hamas propaganda and insisting that the military did not target civilians.- ‘Extreme’ suffering -On the ground, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least seven people, four of whom in a tent encampment for displaced Palestinians in the territory’s south.”I just want to lay my head on a pillow and sleep. We don’t want to be collecting remains” of the dead, said Widad Fojo, who lost relatives in an Israeli strike.Amnesty said it had “documented multiple war crimes by Israel” including attacks on civilians, and that Israel had “deliberately engineered an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe”.The London-based rights group said 1.9 million people — about 90 percent of Gaza’s population — had been forcibly displaced during the war. The UN has cited similar figures.Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein rejected the accusations, saying that “the radical anti-Israel organisation Amnesty has once again chosen to publish baseless lies against Israel.””Israel is targeting only terrorists and never civilians,” he told AFP.Marmorstein charged that Hamas “deliberately targets Israeli civilians and hides behind Palestinian civilians”.Top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly said the military campaign in Gaza was aimed at securing the release of 58 hostages.Late on Tuesday, in a statement marking the annual Memorial Day to honour the country’s fallen soldiers, Netanyahu vowed to bring the hostages home.”We will continue to pursue the mission of victory — including the return of all our hostages”, Netanyahu said, while army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir too pledged to “defeat” Hamas.Amnesty said the war represented a collective failure by the international community.Heba Morayef, Amnesty’s regional director, said Palestinians had endured “extreme levels of suffering” while the world showed a “complete inability or lack of political will to put a stop to it”.- Children starving -Turk, the UN rights chief, said the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza must be stopped.”There must be concerted international efforts to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new unseen level,” he said in a statement.”Israel appears to be inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life increasingly incompatible with their continued existence as a group in Gaza”.The UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said children and the sick were the most vulnerable.”Children in Gaza are going to bed starving. The ill and the sick are not able to get medical care because of shortages in supplies,” said UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma.”Gaza has become a land of desperation… The siege on Gaza is a silent killer,” she said.The UN agency also said that more than 50 of its staff, including teachers and doctors, had been abused by Israeli forces in detention during the course of the war.”They reported being beaten + used as human shields,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.Israel has accused some UNRWA employees of involvement in the October 7 attack and has banned it from operating within its territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to achieve victory in the Gaza war and secure the return of hostages, as Israel remembered its fallen soldiers and civilian victims of attacks.”In the name of the fallen, and for their sake, we will continue to pursue the mission of victory — including the return of all our hostages”, Netanyahu said in a video statement marking Memorial Day.At 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), sirens sounded across Israel to mark the start of a minute’s silence in honour of its dead.The annual day of commemoration has always weighed heavily on Israelis, who have fought numerous wars since Israel’s creation in 1948. But since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza, which has lasted more than 18 months, the day has new meaning for many.Armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir too pledged to step up efforts to bring the hostages home.”Our enemies have misjudged our response,” Zamir said in a speech during the commemorations in Jerusalem.”So too has Hamas misjudged our determination to bring back the hostages and to defeat it. These two missions are intertwined. We will continue and intensify our efforts until both are achieved.”Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 58 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 52,365 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.Like Jewish religious holidays, Memorial Day is marked from sunset until the following evening, and ceremonies are planned in Israel’s 52 military cemeteries.It falls the day before Israel marks Independence Day, which will be observed from Wednesday evening.Palestinians commemorate the creation of Israel as the “Nakba” or catastrophe, marking the expulsion or flight of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

A Syria war monitor on Tuesday said 14 people including seven Druze fighters were killed in sectarian clashes near Damascus, as authorities blamed “gunmen” and vowed to pursue those involved.The overnight clashes, sparked by the circulation on social media of an audio recording deemed blasphemous, were met with condemnation from leaders of the Druze religious minority.The violence follows sectarian massacres last month in the Alawite coastal heartland — the worst bloodshed since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.While seeking to present a more moderate image to the world, the new authorities must also contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks.”Heavy clashes erupted in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed” areas of the mostly Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.The violence was spurred by “the circulation of an audio recording, attributed to a Druze citizen, containing religious insults”, it added.AFP was unable to confirm the recording’s authenticity.The Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, raised the toll to 14 dead “including seven local Druze gunmen… and seven security force members and affiliated personnel”.The interior ministry reported “intermittent clashes between groups of gunmen”, saying security forces deployed “to break up the clashes and protect the residents”.”We affirm our keenness to pursue those involved and hold them to account,” it said in a statement, adding that investigations were also ongoing to identify who was behind the recording “insulting our Prophet Mohammed”.”We will not be lenient in bringing to justice anyone who contributes to sowing chaos and undermining security,” the ministry statement added.- ‘Full responsibility’ -An AFP correspondent saw gunmen shooting into the air during the funeral for two security force members killed in the clashes.Jaramana’s Druze religious leadership in a statement condemned “the unjustified armed attack” that “targeted innocent civilians and terrorised” residents.”We strongly condemn any insult against” the Prophet Mohammed, the statement said, calling the audio recording an attempt to “sow strife and division”.It said Syria’s authorities bore “full responsibility for the incident” and any “worsening of the crisis”.Prominent Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri condemned what he said were “terrorist attacks” and accused Syria’s new rulers of wanting to marginalise the Druze as the previous government did.Local residents said the fighting had subsided by morning.”We were trapped in our homes as the sound of intermittent gunfire continued,” a resident of Jaramana who requested anonymity due to safety concerns told AFP.”The children have not gone to school and the streets of our neighbourhood are empty this morning,” they added.Riham Waqqaf, a 33-year-old humanitarian worker, said she was staying home with her husband and children.She expressed worry that Jaramana “might turn into a battlefield… I am afraid of the situation escalating further”.Fighter Jamal, declining to provide his full name, said local armed groups had asked residents of the suburb to stay home “for their safety”.The area is also home to families displaced by Syria’s conflict which erupted in 2011.- Coastal violence -Security forces deployed in Jaramana last month following clashes between security forces and local gunmen tasked with protecting the area.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz at that time warned the new Islamist-led authorities not “to harm the Druze” minority, which is also spread across Lebanon and Israel.Druze leaders rejected the Israeli warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.The clashes in Jaramana mark the latest test for the Islamist authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist group but have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.The authorities have been seeking to persuade Western capitals that the jihadist origins of the forces who toppled Assad are confined to the past, and that crippling international sanctions should be lifted.Druze representatives have been negotiating with authorities on an agreement to integrate their armed groups into the new national army.Last month’s coastal violence saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, the Observatory had said. The government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that toppled Assad, accused loyalists to the former leader of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.burs-lar/nad/lg/ysm

In her home in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana, Riham Waqqaf spent the night trying to distract her children from the sound of sectarian clashes that have terrified local residents.”The gunfire didn’t stop throughout the night and intensified at dawn,” said the 33-year-old humanitarian worker.She told AFP by telephone on Tuesday that she tried to shield her children, but “turning up the TV volume or giving them my phone to watch video clips… did not help”.According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, six Druze fighters and three “attackers” were killed in the clashes that have left Jaramana residents fearing a repeat of sectarian bloodshed on Syria’s coast last month.A mostly Druze and Christian suburb in southeast Damascus, Jaramana is also home to families who were displaced during Syria’s conflict, which erupted in 2011. According to unofficial estimates, the area is home to around one million people.The latest violence erupted after a voice recording deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed and attributed to an individual from Syria’s Druze minority began circulating on social media.AFP was unable to confirm the authenticity of the recording, which sparked outrage and calls for revenge.Druze leaders condemned the “fabricated” message as well as the attack on Jaramana.The clashes are the latest challenge for Syria’s new Islamist authorities who took power after ousting longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad in December.- ‘Not reassuring’ -The new authorities have repeatedly sought to reassure minorities that they will be protected, and are trying to present a moderate image while also contending with pressures from radical Islamists among their ranks.Jaramana residents told AFP they heard clashes through the night but that the violence abated in the morning.An AFP photographer saw local gunmen at the suburb’s entrances, while forces affiliated with the defence and interior ministries were stationed near the airport road that overlooks the area.Some shops reopened but streets were largely empty as residents stayed indoors.”The situation is not reassuring,” said Waqqaf, who was unable to take her mother to a hospital appointment or her children to school.”I am afraid that Jaramana might turn into a battlefield,” she added.Syrian authorities, local sources and the Observatory said fighters from outside Jaramana attacked the district.The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, blamed “security forces and affiliated gunmen”.However Rabih Munzir, a member of a citizens’ coordination group in Jaramana, said central security forces had contacted the local command centre, reporting “an attempt by uncontrolled crowds to enter Jaramana”.Gunmen attacked local security force personnel affiliated with the central authorities, killing two of them, Munzir added.After that, “intermittent clashes” took place from midnight until the early hours with armed groups who tried to enter the district, he said.Druze religious leaders said most of the dead and wounded were local security force personnel who were on duty when the assault took place.- ‘Afraid’ -Residents expressed fear the clashes could escalate, after violence last month on the Syrian coast saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly from the Alawite minority, according to the Observatory.The Islamist authorities accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and have launched an inquiry into the bloodshed, the worst since Assad’s fall.Munzir said the risk of an armed incursion into Jaramana was “very great”.”We are afraid of a repeat of what happened on the coast,” he said.”A fabricated recording by someone whose identity nobody can prove must not endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of people,” he added.”This is what we fear — particularly as there is still an ongoing sectarian mobilisation… there is strife,” Munzir said.The interior ministry vowed to bring those involved to justice.During Syria’s conflict, Jaramana’s outskirts saw bombings and armed attacks, but its interior was largely spared.Since Assad’s ouster, Jaramana has seen tensions and clashes with Druze fighters, and last month security forces deployed in the area.A local gunman, identifying himself as Jamal, said that “Jaramana has not witnessed a day like this in many years”.The area “is usually packed, lively, it never sleeps” but on Tuesday it was “dead and everyone is at home”.

France wants to start charging non-EU online sellers a handling fee for each low-value package shipped to domestic customers, government ministers said Tuesday as the country copes with an influx of cheap goods from China.Such a fee, of “a few euros” per parcel, would help cover the cost of checking the incoming billions of small …

France targets cheap Chinese goods with fee on packages Read More »

A Syria war monitor on Tuesday said nine people including six Druze fighters were killed in sectarian clashes near Damascus, as authorities blamed “gunmen” and vowed to pursue those involved.The overnight clashes, sparked by the circulation on social media of an audio recording deemed blasphemous, were met with condemnation from leaders of the Druze religious minority.The violence follows sectarian massacres last month in the Alawite coastal heartland that were the worst bloodshed since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime president Bashar al-Assad in December.While seeking to present a more moderate image to the world, the new authorities must also contend with pressures from radical Islamists within their ranks.”Heavy clashes erupted in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed” areas of the mostly Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.It added that the clashes erupted after “the circulation of an audio recording, attributed to a Druze citizen, containing religious insults”.AFP was unable to confirm the recording’s authenticity.The Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said six Druze fighters from Jaramana and three “attackers” were killed.The interior ministry reported “intermittent clashes between groups of gunmen”, adding that security forces “went to break up the clashes and protect the residents”.It reported unspecified casualties including among the security forces.”We affirm our keenness to pursue those involved and hold them to account,” it said in a statement, adding that investigations were also ongoing to identify who was behind the recording “insulting our Prophet Mohammed”.An AFP correspondent saw armed men deployed on the road to Jaramana and at its entrances.- ‘Full responsibility’ -“We will not be lenient in bringing to justice anyone who contributes to sowing chaos and undermining security,” the ministry statement added.Jaramana’s Druze religious leadership in a statement condemned “the unjustified armed attack” that “targeted innocent civilians and terrorised” residents.”We strongly condemn any insult against” the Prophet Mohammed, the statement said, calling the “fabricated” audio recording an attempt to “sow strife and division”.It said that the Syrian authorities bore “full responsibility for the incident and for any further developments or worsening of the crisis”.Local residents told AFP they heard gunfire and shelling overnight but that fighting had subsided by morning.A Jaramana resident, requesting anonymity due to safety concerns, told AFP that “we were trapped in our homes as the sound of intermittent gunfire continued”.”The children have not gone to school and the streets of our neighbourhood are empty this morning,” the resident added.Riham Waqqaf, a 33-year-old humanitarian worker, said she was staying home with her husband and children.She expressed worry that Jaramana “might turn into a battlefield… I am afraid of the situation escalating further”.Fighter Jamal, declining to provide his full name, said local armed groups had asked Jaramana residents to stay home “for their safety”.”Jaramana has not witnessed a day like this in many years,” he added.The area is also home to families displaced by Syria’s conflict which erupted in 2011.- Coastal violence -Security forces deployed in Jaramana last month following clashes between security forces and local gunmen tasked with protecting the area, the Observatory had said.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz at that time warned the new Islamist-led authorities not “to harm the Druze” minority, which is also spread across Lebanon and Israel.Druze leaders rejected the Israeli warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.The clashes in Jaramana mark the latest test for the Islamist authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist group but have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.The authorities have been seeking to persuade Western capitals that the jihadist origins of the forces who toppled Assad are confined to the past, and that crippling international sanctions should be lifted.Some countries including the United States have said they would wait to see how the new authorities exercise their power and ensure human rights.Druze representatives have been negotiating with authorities on an agreement to integrate their armed groups into the new national army.Last month’s coastal violence saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, the Observatory had said. The government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that toppled Assad, accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.burs-lar/lg/jsa