Dozens have been killed in the escalating conflict across Sweida province, where fighting broke out between local militias and tribal groups, reported AP. Government security forces dispatched to the area on Monday to restore order were themselves engaged in clashes with local armed factions
Syrian army and security forces deploy in Sweida, southern Syria, on Monday, following clashes between Bedouin tribes and local fighters in the predominantly Druze city that left 37 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. PIC/AFP
Israel’s military on Monday said that it had targeted tanks in southern Syria, amid violent clashes between Syrian government forces, Bedouin tribes, and Druze militias in the region.
Dozens have been killed in the escalating conflict across Sweida province, where fighting broke out between local militias and tribal groups, reported AP. Government security forces dispatched to the area on Monday to restore order were themselves engaged in clashes with local armed factions.
Syria’s Interior Ministry stated that more than 30 people had been killed and nearly 100 wounded. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a higher toll, citing at least 64 dead — including two children, a woman, and six government security personnel.
According to the observatory, the violence began with confrontations between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin clans, with some government forces “actively participating” on the side of the Bedouins.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba told state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV: “Some clashes occurred with outlawed armed groups, but our forces are doing their best to prevent any civilian casualties.”
The Observatory said the violence was sparked by a string of kidnappings between the two groups. The first incident reportedly occurred when members of a Bedouin tribe erected a checkpoint and robbed a young Druze man, reported AP. The group’s director, Rami Abdurrahman, said the conflict escalated after the robbery and abduction of a Druze vegetable seller, triggering retaliatory attacks and further abductions.
In response, Syria’s defence and interior ministries began deploying additional forces in an attempt to contain the crisis.
The Interior Ministry labelled the situation a “dangerous escalation” that “comes in the absence of the relevant official institutions, which has led to an exacerbation of the state of chaos, the deterioration of the security situation, and the inability of the local community to contain the situation despite repeated calls for calm.”
Druze seen as a loyal minority
Israel has previously intervened in Syria in defence of the Druze religious minority. In May, Israeli forces carried out an airstrike near the presidential palace in Damascus, widely interpreted as a warning to interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
That strike followed deadly clashes earlier this year between pro-government fighters and Druze militias in the town of Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana.
At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement declaring that Israel “will not allow the deployment of (Syrian government) forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community.”
Roughly half of the world’s 1 million Druze live in Syria, with most of the remainder in Lebanon and Israel — including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and later annexed in 1981.
In Israel, the Druze community is often regarded as a loyal minority, and many Druze serve in the military.
Since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad in December during a Sunni Islamist-led rebel offensive, segments of the Druze population have grown wary of the new authorities in Damascus. On multiple occasions, Druze militias have clashed with government or affiliated forces.
'Like unwrapping an onion'
The Druze are a small religious sect that emerged in the 10th century as an offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shia Islam. In Syria, they are concentrated largely in the southern Sweida province, as well as in Damascus suburbs such as Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.
During Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war, the Druze formed their own militias to defend their communities, often coming under attack from Islamic State fighters and other Islamist groups.
Israel has maintained a hardline stance towards Syria’s new leadership, citing concerns about Islamist militias operating near its borders. Israeli forces have previously seized parts of the UN-patrolled buffer zone on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights and have launched hundreds of airstrikes against military targets inside Syria.
The Trump administration had encouraged the new Syrian government to begin normalising relations with Israel. Syrian officials have confirmed indirect talks with Israel aimed at easing tensions, though they have not responded to claims that direct talks have also taken place.
US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, told The Associated Press last week he believes normalisation will occur “like unwrapping an onion, slowly.”
(With AP inputs)
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