International
Deaths from clashes between military groups and clans in southern Syria rise to 30
The death toll from the clashes between local military groups and clans in the southern Syrian city of Al Sueida, with a Druse majority, amounted to 30 and the number of injuries to about a hundred, the Syrian Ministry of the Interior reported on Monday.
The government department warned in a statement that it is still a “preliminary” recount and explained that the clashes “exploded between local military groups and clans in the Al Maquas neighborhood, in the city of Al Sueida, in a context of tensions accumulated in previous times.”
The incidents began on Sunday, after formations in the area were recently entangled in a series of mutual kidnappings following a robbery on the road that connects Damascus to Al Sueida, inhabited by the Druse religious minority, according to local media.
“This dangerous escalation comes in the midst of the absence of the relevant official institutions, which has aggravated the chaos, the deterioration of security and the inability of the local community to contain the crisis despite the repeated calls for calm,” the Ministry of the Interior warned in its statement.
The central authorities tried to negotiate the deployment of their security forces in the area after a wave of violent clashes between them and Druzian groups took place in areas populated by the community on the outskirts of Damascus and Al Sueida at the end of last April.
However, leaders of the Druze minority insisted that local security remain in the hands of local forces, despite the fact that the incidents two months ago left more than a hundred dead, according to estimates by the organization Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.
The Interior announced on Monday that its units, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, will initiate an intervention in the area to resolve the conflict and stop violence, as well as to guarantee security and bring those responsible for the incidents to justice.
In this line, the head of the department, Anas Khattab, also considered in his X account that “the absence of state institutions, in particular the military and security ones, is one of the main causes of the persistent tensions in Al Sueida and its surroundings.”
Therefore, he sees the presence of the central authorities in the administrative demarcation as the “only” way to achieve a peaceful environment and a return to “normality”.
After the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Asad, the country’s new government seeks to extend its control to the entire Syrian territory and integrate other armed actors into state forces, something to which both the Drusians and the Kurds have been reluctant.
Also at least six members of the Syrian government forces died on Monday while intervening to contain the clashes.
“Armed bandits attacked military personnel while carrying out their mission in the Al Thala area, in rural areas of Al Sueida,” a source from the Ministry of Defense told Syrian state television, Al Ijbariya, confirming the death of six of them during the incidents.
In addition, another 15 were injured and an undetermined number of them were taken hostage, according to the channel.
International
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
A U.S. strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean killed three people on Saturday, according to Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth, marking the latest in a series of attacks in international waters.
The United States has deployed ships to the Caribbean and sent fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of a large military force that Washington says is aimed at curbing drug trafficking.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known to our intelligence for being involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,” Hegseth stated on X. “Three narcoterrorists were aboard the vessel during the attack, which took place in international waters,” he added.
Experts argue that the attacks, which began in early September, amount to extrajudicial executions, even if the targets are known traffickers.
Washington has yet to publicly provide evidence that the targeted individuals were actively smuggling drugs or posed a threat to the United States.
Hegseth said the U.S. would continue “hunting… and killing” suspected traffickers. He also shared video footage of the strike, showing the vessel being hit and engulfed in flames. As in previous videos, sections of the ship were blurred, making it impossible to verify the number of people on board.
The United Nations called on Friday for Washington to halt its attacks.
International
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
At least 23 people were killed and 11 others injured in an explosion at a supermarket in Hermosillo, in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, local authorities reported on Saturday.
“So far, there are 23 confirmed deaths and 11 injured, including minors,” said Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo in a video message. He added that the injured are receiving treatment in various hospitals across the city.
“I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation to determine the causes of the incident and assign responsibility where appropriate,” Durazo said.
The explosion occurred at a Waldo’s store in downtown Hermosillo. Local authorities confirmed that the incident was not an attack nor related to any violent act against civilians.
Meanwhile, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences on X, offering sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.
International
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
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