Syrian forces who fought Druze militias leave Sweida province under a ceasefire

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian government forces had largely pulled out of the southern province of Sweida on Thursday after days of clashes with militias linked to the Druze minority that threatened to unravel the country’s post-war transition.

The conflict had drawn airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel in defense of the Druze before a truce — mediated by the U.S., Turkey and Arab countries and announced Wednesday — halted most of the fighting.

However, Syrian state media said Thursday that Druze militiamen had launched revenge attacks on Sunni Bedouin communities, leading to a wave of their displacement. There were some reports of renewed clashes.

Bedouin clans had fought on the government side, while the Israeli military came to the assistance of the Druze, who form a substantial community in Israel, where they are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the Israeli military.

Under the latest truce, reached Wednesday after a previous agreement unraveled, Druze factions and clerics have been appointed to maintain internal security in Sweida, Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in an address broadcast early Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday to keep southern Syria demilitarized and to protect the Druze community. “This will also be the continuation of our policy,” he said.

In a major escalation of its involvement in the conflict, Israel on Wednesday had struck the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus.

Convoys of government forces started withdrawing from Sweida overnight, Syrian state media reported, saying it was in line with the ceasefire deal and that the military operation against the Druze factions had ended.

The truce was announced by Syria's Interior Ministry and in a video message by a Druze religious leader. The previous agreement on Tuesday quickly broke down after being dismissed by prominent Druze cleric Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri.

The Syrian government has not released any casualty counts from the fighting.

The Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nearly 600 fighters and civilians were killed on both sides over four days of deadly clashes. The monitor also said at least 86 civilians killed in “field executions” — mostly Druze Syrians killed by government forces and their allies — and that at least three Bedouin civilians were killed in revenge attacks Thursday by Druze militiamen.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief İbrahim Kalin held a series of diplomatic and security contacts to deescalate the clashes, a Turkish official said Thursday. They worked with the U.S. mediators and regional officials and leaders, including Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, said the official who requested anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

The escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in Sweida. Government forces that intervened to restore order clashed with the Druze militias, but also in some cases attacked civilians.

Video circulated on social media showing government forces and allies humiliating Druze clerics and residents, looting homes and killing civilians hiding inside their houses. Syrian Druze from Sweida told The Associated Press that several family members who were unarmed had been attacked or killed.

Interim President al-Sharaa said the Druze were an ”integral part” of Syria, protected under the law.

“We are committed to holding accountable those who wronged our Druze brethren," al-Sharaa said.

The Druze community had been divided over how to approach al-Sharaa's de facto Islamist rule after largely celebrating when his forces ousted former President Bashar Assad and the Assad family's decades-long autocratic rule. They feared persecution after attacks from the militant Islamic State group and al-Qaida affiliates during Syria's 14-year civil war.

Issam al-Reis, a senior military adviser with Etana, a Syrian research group, said the lack of “effective state-led negotiations” could sow further divisions between the Druze community with the Sunni Bedouins, who had sometimes also clashed in the past.

“This is leading to militant sectarianism, which is dangerous," he said, adding it's a sign that the government needs to speed up its integration of other sects into the Syrian army to make it a more unifying force and help resolve sectarian tensions.

“There have been agreements and talks about this with different communities, but until now none of this has been implemented,” he said.

The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.

An Israeli security official said Israel is strengthening fences along the Golan border to prevent people from crossing into Syrian territory.

Thousands of Druze residents in the Israeli-controlled Golan converged on the border on Wednesday after hearing of the sectarian clashes inside Syria.

Israeli media said that dozens of people forced their way into Syria – in hopes of helping fellow Druze and in some cases to visit relatives that they normally are unable to see.

The security official, speaking on condition of anonymity under military briefing rules, said that soldiers had returned dozens of people who crossed into Syria, while security forces were also returning an unknown number of Druze Syrians who crossed into the Israeli side. It was not known how many people remained on each side of the border.

Speaking about Syria, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said late Thursday that it was “absolutely essential to achieve” unity in Syria, with the respect of its sovereignty, territorial integrity and “the full integration of the different communities in the state.”

“It is for the Syrians to solve the Syrian problem,” he said.

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Fernanda Pesce in Madjal Shams, Golan Heights, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

A Syrian Druze family cross back into Syria as they walk on the Israeli-Syrian border, at the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Israeli soldiers stand guard as Syrian Druze people cross back into Syria at the Israeli-Syrian border, in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Members of a Syrian Druze family wave goodbye as they cross back into Syria at the Israeli-Syrian border, in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Syrian Druze people cross back into Syria as they walk at the Israeli-Syrian border, in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Syrian Druze people cross back into Syria as they walk at the Israeli-Syrian border, in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A tank for the Syrian government forces carried on a truck, which withdraw from Sweida city, pass on Daraa highway, southern Syria, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Druze from Syria hug relatives from Israeli Druze community before crossing the Israeli-Syrian border, in the town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

People pass in front the Syrian Defense Ministry building which on Wednesday was heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A man rides his bicycle passes in front the Syrian Defense Ministry building which on Wednesday was heavily damagedby Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People sit in a bus passing in front the Syrian Defense Ministry building which on Wednesday was heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People pass in front the Syrian Defense Ministry building which on Wednesday was heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, Syria, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Auckland was the first major city to ring in 2026 with a fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, followed by a defiant celebration in Australia in the aftermath of its worst mass shooting.

South Pacific countries were the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks stuck midnight in Auckland 18 hours before the famous ball drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks.

Australia’s east coast welcomed 2026 two hours after New Zealand. In Sydney, the country's largest city, celebrations were held under the pall of Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and wounding 40.

A heavy police presence monitored the thousands who thronged to the waterfront to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the annual event.

An hour before midnight, the massacre victims were commemorated with a minute of silence while images of a menorah were projected on the bridge pylons. The crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged Sydney residents not to stay away through fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year’s Eve festivities as a victory.

“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism,” he said.

In Indonesia, one of Australia’s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.

The capital, Jakarta, was not ringing in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing subdued celebrations with a program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week.

Makassar Mayor Munafri Arifuddin urged residents of one of Indonesia’s largest cities to forgo parties, calling for prayer and reflection. "Empathy and restraint are more meaningful than fireworks and crowds,” he said.

Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali were canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring traditional dances.

Hong Kong, too, was ringing in 2026 without the usual spectacle in the sky over iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive fire in November killed at least 161 people.

The facades of eight landmarks were turning into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.

Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.

In Japan, crowds were gathering at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony were being held at the Bosingak Pavilion.

Tourists and Berliners alike marked the end of 2025 by enjoying snowfall, taking selfies and making snowmen in front of the German capital's cathedral and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. The Berlin TV Tower was nearly invisible thanks to the falling flakes and fog.

Greece and Cyprus were ringing in 2026 by turning down the volume, replacing traditional fireworks with low-noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays in capital cities. Low-noise fireworks avoid the explosive bursts that generate the loud cracks of traditional displays.

Officials in the countries said the change is intended to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets, particularly animals sensitive to loud noise.

Police in New York City will have additional anti-terrorism measures at the Times Square ball drop, with “mobile screening teams” in search of suspicious activity. It is not in response to a specific threat, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Zohran Mamdani will take office as mayor at the start of 2026. Two swearing-in ceremonies are planned, starting with a private ceremonial event around midnight in an old subway station.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

The police stand guard during the 2026 Taipei New Year's Party celebration in front of the Taipei City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

People gather to celebrate the New Year at the Zojoji Buddhist temple, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A Buddhist prays in front of lanterns on New Year's Eve at the Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the New Year celebrations in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Swimmers enter the water during the traditional Sylvester swim at lake Moossee in Moosseedorf, Switzerland, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)

A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A person walks by illuminated decorations on New Year's Eve in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge as New Year's celebrations begin in Sydney, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Ryan Seacrest and Rita Ora, hosts of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026," in New York at the New Year's Eve Times Square Ball on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

A vendor sells New Year's eve party goods at a market in downtown Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

A families pose for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac as people visit a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A child poses for a photo with a prosperity decoration to welcome 2026 Year of the Horse, following the Chinese zodiac at a shopping district on new year's eve, in Beijing, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)