What began as deadly clashes between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribes in southern Syria has intensified into a violent urban assault, leaving scores dead and a historic city gripped by fear, violence and displacement.
At dawn on Tuesday, government-aligned forces launched a large-scale offensive into the Druze-majority city of Sweida. Backed by tribal militias and extremist factions, the assault quickly turned from a “security operation” into a street-by-street battle that has left military and civilian victims.
Amid the chaos, witness accounts to The National reveal a disturbing pattern of ambushes, executions, looting and the symbolic humiliation of the Druze community.
A city breached
After days of increasing confrontations, government forces entered central Sweida under the pretext of restoring order. A military source told The National that the operation was co-ordinated in part with local Druze factions, including the city’s spiritual council.
But Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, the controversial Druze leader who has refused to make a deal with Damascus, remained defiant, refusing to surrender or negotiate. His fighters, dug into residential neighbourhoods, laid deadly ambushes.
“There were brutal confrontations,” said Abu Hamzeh, a Syrian security officer. “Hikmat Hijri’s gangs ambushed us repeatedly. We lost dozens of soldiers. They are trying to split the country.”
Druze fighters inflicted major losses on government forces in what residents called co-ordinated and lethal attacks. Government tanks and troop carriers were hit in narrow alleys, and drone footage released by the Israeli military showed strikes on Syrian army sites – underscoring the regional implications of the battle.
But the government’s response was ferocious.
Heavy shelling
Artillery, Grad rockets, Shaheen drones and mortars rained down on densely populated neighbourhoods. Thousands of residents fled westward as the shelling turned homes into rubble.
Sweida’s western countryside emptied overnight. One witness described entire families walking for hours on foot, clutching plastic bags filled with their last belongings, while others tentatively stayed at home.
Yara, a dental student, was among those who fled. “We are under intense shelling,” she said. “Some of my friends were killed. The army shelled our house with heavy weapons. We barely escaped. They looted everything, even furniture. This isn’t security, it’s a massacre.”
Footage posted online showed scenes of panic and destruction. One video showed corpses of men apparently executed at close range, lying in their civilian clothes with blood soaking the floor of a traditional Druze guesthouse.
Another clip showed a group of fighters forcibly shaving the moustache of an elderly Druze man, shaking and pinned down as a soldier ran a razor across his face. In Druze culture, the moustache is a sacred symbol of dignity and masculinity. In another video, a masked fighter was seen removing the moustache of a slain Druze man, holding it aloft: “I’m taking this to Idlib,” he said.
Such scenes led to outrage, especially as reports mounted of women being abducted, houses ransacked and civilians shot in their own homes. “They took everything from me,” said a man from Omran Square. “My car, my sound system, $5,000 in cash – gone. We’re living in a jungle.”
Disunited front
While the Druze spiritual council largely backed the army’s arrival, Mr Al Hijri's defiance fractured that unity. His fighters continued to resist, refusing any deal with Damascus, and reportedly had captured soldiers executed. The Syrian government has given his refusal to negotiate as a reason for the bloodshed, but residents say it is only part of the story.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 116 people were killed in the initial fighting – a number expected to rise significantly as bodies continue to be recovered. Local hospitals are overwhelmed, and power and water cuts have deepened the suffering.
In a televised address, Syria's Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qusra called on troops to “protect citizens” and “preserve public and private property". He warned that any soldier involved in violations would be held accountable.
But on the ground, accountability remains elusive. Residents speak of entire neighbourhoods stripped bare. “They stole phones, jewellery, electronics,” one witness said. “We even saw soldiers with razor blades in their pockets. They came prepared to humiliate.”
Syrian authorities have since sent military police to Sweida, saying they would control rogue elements. A curfew was imposed at 8am on Tuesday, with residents ordered to remain indoors, but sporadic gunfire could be heard well into the night.
The Interior Ministry insisted its forces were acting “exclusively to protect the population and re-establish order". Yet the facts in Sweida suggest something darker: a city caught in the crossfire of sectarian tension, state violence, and the deep scars of Syria’s fragmented postwar landscape.
“The people of Sweida are not rebels — they’re defending their homes from a co-ordinated assault by General Security and extremist militias," activist Jessica Ez-al-Deen told The National. "This isn’t a fight over politics. It’s a campaign to disarm and subjugate the Druze community by force.”
She said the attacks struck civilian homes. “Mortar shells rained down and entire families were wiped out. One mother watched all three of her sons executed in front of her."
One of the dead was a dermatologist on her way to help at a hospital, Ms Ez-al-Deen said. "No one was spared, not even the healers.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Dubai World Cup Carnival Thursday race card
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Handicap $135,000 (D) 1,400m
10pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Paris%20Agreement
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
Read more about the coronavirus
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
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Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
The years Ramadan fell in May
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
