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Men Of Dignity
The Men of Dignity () is a Druze militia operating primarily in the al-Suwayda Governorate of southern Syria. History Wahid al-Balous, who was the founder of the organization, was assassinated by a car bomb in Suwayda in September 2015. One of his sons, Laith al-Balous, was expelled from the Men of Dignity in 2015 after his father's death. Laith's brother, Fahd al-Balous, and Laith are aligned with the Guest House of Dignity, with Laith serving as the leader. Leadership The group was originally led by Wahid. Two months after his assassination, his brother Ra'fat assumed leadership, though he would cede the position to Yahya al-Hajjar as a result of injuries which he sustained in the assassination. Activities The Men of Dignity allied with Al-Jabal Brigade and the armed wing of the Syrian Socialist National Party, Eagles of the Whirlwind, in July 2018 while fighting against the Islamic State. Following multiple kidnappings by the Military Intelligence Directorate-aff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syria Direct
Syria Direct or Syria:direct (), founded in 2013, is an independent news organization based in Berlin, Germany, that provides news coverage on Syria's war and politics, and trains journalists. It was originally funded in Amman, Jordan by an American organization, the Global Peace and Development (GPD) Charitable Trust, as well as by the US State Department and several embassies in Amman.‘I wanted to show the truth’: Syria Direct trainees reflect as 10th cohort of journalists graduates 2018-04-16. Online news ''Syria Direct'' is published in English and Arabic. The articles are for readers who are already knowledgeable abou ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quneitra Offensive (September 2016)
The Quneitra offensive (September 2016) was launched by Syrian rebel forces, during the Syrian Civil War, in order to capture the government-held town of Hader, Quneitra Governorate. The offensive On 10 September, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly the al-Nusra Front), along with Ansar Bait al-Maqdis and Ahrar al-Sham, launched an offensive at the town of Khan Arnabah on the border with the Golan Heights. Hours later, the rebels took one checkpoint and a hill, but according to pro-government sources, failed to capture another hill and were repelled by pro-government forces. Meanwhile, the fighting caused stray shells to land at the northern Golan Heights and in response, Israel bombed a Syrian Army artillery position in Quneitra. The next day, the rebels made advances at the village of Homirat, seizing a large part of its eastern flank, mainly Tal Al-Hamirat hill. At the same time, the main rebel attack towards Hader, at the Tal Taranjeh hilltop, was repelled after a three- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suwayda
Suwayda (), also spelled Sweida, is a mainly Druze city located in southern Syria, close to the border with Jordan. It is the capital of Suwayda Governorate, one of Syria's 14 governorates, bordering Jordan in the South, Daraa Governorate in the West and Rif Dimashq Governorate in the north and east. The city is referred to by some as "Little Venezuela" due to the city's influx of affluent Venezuelan Syrian immigrants. Many of them originally emigrated from Suweida in the nineteenth century, so when their descendants returned, they brought back the Spanish language and South American culture. History Ancient and Medieval eras The city was founded by the Nabataeans as Suada. It became known as Dionysias Soada () in the Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire, for the god Dionysus, patron of wine - the city is situated in a famous ancient wine-producing region. The name ''Dionysias'' replaced the former Nabataean name in 149 AD after Nabataean influence decreased and then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Syria
Southern Syria () is a geographical term referring to the southern portion of either the Ottoman-period Vilayet of Syria, or the modern-day Arab Republic of Syria. The term was used in the Arabic language primarily from 1919 until the end of the Franco-Syrian war in July 1920, during which the Arab Kingdom of Syria existed.Gerber, ''Remembering and Imagining Palestine: Identity and Nationalism from the Crusades to the Present'', MacMillan, 2008, pp.165–166: “It is interesting that even as late as 1918 Palestine was regarded as an independent entity. Syria was not seen as a mother-country. The idea of amalgamation was to emerge about a month later, following a strenuous campaign by its supporters. But the documents relating to the initiation of the proposed fusion show what was newly constructed and what was the original (and traditional) mode of self-perception. Thus, the document that speaks about the election of candidates to the first Palestinian congress starts by sayi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al-Suwayda Governorate
As-Suwayda or Al-Suwayda Governorate () is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is the southernmost governorate, covering an area of 5,550 km², and is part of the historic Hawran region. The capital and largest city of the governorate is al-Suwayda. Geographically the governorate comprises almost all of Jabal al-Druze, the eastern part of Argob, Lejah, and a part of the arid eastern steppe of Harrat al-Shamah. Most inhabitants of As-Suwayda are employed in agriculture, cultivating crops such as grapes, apples, olives, and wheat. Additionally, As-Suwayda is home to numerous archaeological sites. This governorate is unique in Syria as it has a Druze majority. Additionally, it has integrated Arab Christians, Christian communities that have long Christianity and Druze, coexisted harmoniously with the Druze in these mountains. Demographics and population The governorate has a population of about 375,000 inhabitants (est. 2011).Sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Militia
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve as a pool of available manpower for regular forces to draw from. When acting independently, militias are generally unable to hold ground against regular forces. Militias commonly support regular troops by skirmishing, holding fortifications, or conducting irregular warfare, instead of undertaking offensive campaigns by themselves. However, militias may also engage in defense activities to protect a community, its territory, property, and laws. For example, naval militias may comprise fishermen and other civilians which are organized and sanctioned by a state to enforce its maritime boundaries. Beginning in the late 20th century, some militias (in particular officially recognized and sanctioned militias of a government) act as profe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Druze
The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, and Religious syncretism, syncretic religion whose main tenets assert the unity of God, reincarnation, and the eternity of the soul. Although the Druze faith developed from Isma'ilism, Druze do not identify as Muslims. They maintain Arabic language and Arabic culture, culture as integral parts of their identity, with Arabic being their primary language. Most Druze religious practices are kept secret, and conversion to their religion is not permitted for outsiders. Interfaith marriages are rare and strongly discouraged. They differentiate between spiritual individuals, known as "uqqāl", who hold the faith's secrets, and secular ones, known as "juhhāl", who focus on worldly matters. Druze be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Civil Flag Of Jabal Ad-Druze (1921-1936)
Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It launched on September 10, 2018, to provide long-form, in-depth coverage of news from all around Colorado. It was started with two years of funding from blockchain ventu ..., a platform for independent journalism * Civil (surname) See also * {{Disambiguation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Syria Clashes (April–May 2025)
The Southern Syria clashes began on 28 April 2025. The initial clashes erupted in the city of Jaramana following tensions related to the circulation of a controversial audio recording, and quickly escalated to nearby areas of Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, and on 30 April to multiple villages in Suwayda Governorate. Background 2025 Jaramana clashes, Clashes broke out in late February 2025 in Jaramana between Druze militias and the General Security Service (Syria), General Security Service. Tensions continued in late April 2025 after the spread of an offensive audio recording allegedly containing blasphemous content against the Prophet Muhammad, allegedly attributed to a Druze scholar named Marwan Kiwan, who disavowed it. The recording sparked public outrage across the region. The Religious Council of the Druze in Suwayda swiftly condemned the recording and disavowed the individual, while the Syrian Ministry of Interior launched an official investigation, later confirming that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosperity. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and is a member of the Atlantic Treaty Association. History The Atlantic Council was founded with the stated mission to encourage the continuation of cooperation between North America and Europe that began after World War II. In its early years, its work consisted largely of publishing policy papers and polling Europeans and Americans about their attitudes towards transatlantic and international cooperation. In these early years, its primary focus was on economic issues—mainly encouraging free trade between the two continents, and to a lesser extent to the rest of the world—but it also did some work on political and environmental issues. Although the Atlantic Council did publish polic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2025 Jaramana Clashes
On 28 February 2025, violent confrontations erupted between security forces affiliated with Syria's transitional government and local Druze gunmen in Jaramana, a Damascus suburb with significant Druze and Christian populations. These clashes resulted in one fatality among security forces and nine injuries among Jaramana residents. Afterwards, the government and local Druze leaders agreed to share security responsibilities in Suwayda. Background The clashes occurred approximately three months after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Following this change in leadership, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa worked to establish security and governmental authority throughout the country. The new administration, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group with historical ties to al-Qaeda but which had subsequently moderated its positions, had pledged to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. The Druze, who constitute approximately three percent of Syria's populati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Syria Offensive (2024)
Beginning on 29 November 2024, southern Syrian opposition groups began assaults on Daraa Governorate and As-Suwayda Governorate in Southern Syria, along the nation's border with Jordan. The offensive was publicly announced as an effort by the Southern Operations Room coordinated with the Northwestern Syria offensive to implement a multi-front advance toward Damascus. The Syrian Armed Forces withdrew from their positions around the city of Daraa to reinforce Damascus but offered no resistance there, and southern opposition groups took Damascus in the early hours of 8 December, shortly before the arrival of northern opposition groups later that day. Background Since July 2018, Daraa had officially been under government control following a Russian-mediated settlement agreement. However, complete government authority in the region remained contested, particularly in Daraa al-Balad and western rural areas, where the 2021 Daraa offensive had taken place. Preparations Follow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
