Syria announces 'halt' to Sweida offensive after Israel bombs Damascus


Khaled Yacoub Oweis
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Syria has announced an ”immediate and complete halt” to its offensive against the Druze minority, after Israel attacked key symbols of power in Damascus.

The Syrian government said it had agreed to the ceasefire with some but not all representatives of the Druze community, after Israeli strikes were launched to protect the religious sect. A previous truce failed to hold during days of brutal urban warfare in the Druze heartland of Sweida.

There were reports of continued fighting late on Wednesday, according to residents and sources in Jordan. Suwayda24, a network of citizen journalists, reported that government forces and their militias have continued to storm buildings.

Israel widened its aerial campaign in Syria with a series of strikes on the main military compounds in Damascus on Wednesday. A Syrian military official told The National that the Army General Command and Defence Ministry, both adjacent to the city's Ummayad Square, "took several strikes and were badly damaged".

Israel, which says it is acting to defend Syria's Druze minority following clashes with Bedouin tribes that prompted Syrian government intervention, also said it attacked "a military target in the area of the Syrian regime’s presidential palace".

Three people were reported killed and 34 injured, as Israel said its army would be "reinforced with additional troops" near Syria's border.

Gulf countries called for calm after days of unrest, some of the worst since Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara came to power in a rebel offensive last year. The UAE condemned the "dangerous escalation" and Israeli attacks, rejecting any breach of Syria's sovereignty or threats to its security and stability.

An aide to Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, who has led the resistance to government forces in Sweida, said he was not part of the ceasefire deal but will speak after the city is “liberated”.

Israel strikes Damascus - in pictures

  • A picture shows a view of the damage following Israeli strikes on the Syrian army and defence ministry headquarters in Damascus on July 16, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
    A picture shows a view of the damage following Israeli strikes on the Syrian army and defence ministry headquarters in Damascus on July 16, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)
  • Syrian security troops stand guard in front of the heavily damaged Syrian army and Defence Ministry headquarters. AFP
    Syrian security troops stand guard in front of the heavily damaged Syrian army and Defence Ministry headquarters. AFP
  • Civil defence workers inspect the damage. AP
    Civil defence workers inspect the damage. AP
  • Men walk among the debris in Damascus. Reuters
    Men walk among the debris in Damascus. Reuters
  • More Israeli strikes in Damascus. AFP
    More Israeli strikes in Damascus. AFP
  • A member of the Syrian security forces near the army headquarters and Defence Ministry. AFP
    A member of the Syrian security forces near the army headquarters and Defence Ministry. AFP
  • Members of Syrian security forces in front of an ambulance in Damascus. AFP
    Members of Syrian security forces in front of an ambulance in Damascus. AFP
  • Smoke rises in Damascus. Reuters
    Smoke rises in Damascus. Reuters
  • Syrian security forces near the military headquarters in Umayyad Square, Damascus. AFP
    Syrian security forces near the military headquarters in Umayyad Square, Damascus. AFP

The ceasefire deal was reached with the House of the Druze Unifiers, not specifically with the Druze triumvirate headed by Sheikh Al Hijri. But it stipulates that “all parties will cease military escalation" and provides for an "immediate and complete halt" to government military operations.

The agreement also signalled that Syrian security forces deployed in Sweida province will from now be drawn only from its residents, a main Druze demand. At the White House, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hoped to see "real progress to end what you've been seeing", as President Donald Trump nodded.

Mr Rubio blamed "historic longtime rivalries" for the clashes. "It led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding, it looks like, between the Israeli side and the Syrian side," he said.

'Painful blows'

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said "painful blows have begun", as he posted footage of a Syrian TV anchor in panic at an explosion behind her while reading a report on air.

An Israeli statement said its army is monitoring the "regime’s actions against Druze civilians in southern Syria" and is striking in the area, and "remains prepared for various scenarios". Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said "murder and pogroms" were taking place against minorities in Syria.

Sources in Jordan said Israel struck the Syrian army in Keswa on the outskirts of Damascus and in the southern governorate of Deraa, killing three security commanders.

The Israeli attacks could undermine a US push to end hostilities between Syria and Israel, with the new authorities in Damascus having reportedly engaged in talks with Israel, although the contents of the talks have not been disclosed.

Residents of Sweida contacted by The National said they were afraid for their lives, not just from shelling but also from government snipers and the storming of houses by regular troops and militias allied with Damascus.

Israel struck the defence ministry headquarters in Damascus on a third day of strikes on Syria. Reuters
Israel struck the defence ministry headquarters in Damascus on a third day of strikes on Syria. Reuters

"My neighbour was shot dead by a sniper, right there in the street. He had just stepped outside," said one resident. The man had been trying to escape Sweida to a village on the outskirts before he was shot, they added.

Syria on Wednesday called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to "address the consequences of Israeli aggression on Syrian territory", according to a letter seen by The National.

Widening offensive

The Israeli attacks came as Syrian troops and their militia allies widened an offensive against the mostly Druze governorate of Sweida, deploying snipers and firing rockets on residential areas, witnesses said. However, they were facing resistance as Israel mounted its raids in support of the sect.

Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, said Washington "condemns violence against civilians in Sweida", without assigning blame. "All parties must step back and engage in meaningful dialogue," he said.

The Syrian government offensive, in its fourth day, aims to spread government control over the province, where many Druze have resisted the post-Bashar Al Assad order, which is led by former members of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, a splinter group from Al Qaeda.

Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, the Druze spiritual leader, has criticised the HTS government as extremist and anti-democratic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implored Druze in Israeli-controlled areas near south Syria not to cross into Syria to support their co-religionists. “You are risking your lives; you can be murdered, you can be kidnapped, and you are harming the efforts of the Israeli Defence Forces," Mr Netanyahu said.

Syrian militias forcibly shave men's moustaches in Druze heartland

A Druze politician close to Mr Al Hijri told The National that the 82nd Division of the Syrian army entered Sweida city overnight in an attempt to secure the area, the epicentre of the government attacks.

“About half of Sweida has fallen,” he said, adding that snipers from the 82nd Division had been deployed on Qanawat Road, a commercial thoroughfare. Pitched battles were continuing in many neighbourhoods, he said, including in the centre of city.

A witness in Sweida said government forces fired Grad rockets on the city on Wednesday, in addition to pounding it with artillery rounds since Sunday.

“We have not left our houses. We do not feel secure because the shelling is random,” said the witness, who is a member of Sweida's Christian clergy. The city of 140,000 is overwhelmingly Druze but has a minority of Christian and Sunni inhabitants.

Sources in Jordan say that government forces and allied militias have killed more than 150 Druze, including civilians, since Sunday. Among them are at least a dozen men who were executed after the loyalist forces stormed buildings in Sweida.

The Syrian authorities said 26 of its troops were killed. Sweida is home to most of Syria's registered 800,000 Druze. But many have emigrated, particularly during the country's 13-year civil war, with an estimated 270,000 Druze remaining in the province.

Rima Fleihan, a Druze civil figure who was a leading peaceful opponent of the Assad regime, said that the government's siege is endangering Sweida's hospitals, and that at least one doctor was killed by government snipers.

“The military forces are indiscriminately shelling civilian neighbourhoods,” Ms Fleihan said, adding that “numerous individuals” affiliated with the government have “carried out field executions of civilians, and have detained others in clear violation of international humanitarian law”.

The Druze follow an offshoot of Islam and are also present in Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. Israel intervened militarily in April to halt attacks by government militias on the sect in which dozens of Druze were killed in Damascus and Sweida.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

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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.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

On the menu

First course

▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water  

▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle

Second course

▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo

▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa

Third course

▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro

▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis

Dessert

▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate

▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
 

Day 1 results:

Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)

Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)

Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.

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SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net

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Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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Breast cancer in men: the facts

1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.

2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash. 

3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible. 

4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key. 

5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor

 

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UAE v Ireland

1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets

2nd ODI, January 12

3rd ODI, January 14

4th ODI, January 16

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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
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Stage: series D 
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:

Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')

Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

Company%C2%A0profile
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Updated: July 17, 2025, 9:59 AM