Lebanese man from Arab tribe in Wadi Khaled killed in Sweida

L'Orient-Le Jour

2 days ago

A Lebanese man from an Arab tribe in Wadi Khaled was killed in the Syrian city of Sweida, as fierce fighting between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes has raged since July 13.
The president of the municipal council of Rama, Khaled Ahmad al-Baddaoui, in the Wadi Khaled region, confirmed to our publication the death of M.S.K. in Sweida, Syria, but was unable to provide more information on the exact circumstances of his death.
He did say, however, that the man in his 30s had been working in Syria "for a long time, even before the fall of the Assad regime [last Dec. 8]," although he did not know the exact city. He also confirmed that he was a member of an Arab tribe, the Ghannam family.
Lebanon is home to numerous Arab tribes from different religious communities, notably in the Bekaa, Akkar and the Khaldeh region, near Beirut. The Wadi Khaled region in Akkar (located in the far north of the country) is one of the poorest areas in Lebanon. It is inhabited by two Arab tribes: the Attik, comprising 80 percent of the population, and the Ghannam, making up 20 percent of the population.
Local media reported that the man in his 30s died after taking part in the fighting. The Council of Arab tribes in Lebanon reacted to the young man's death in a statement published Saturday and relayed by our correspondent in the North. According to the statement, M.S.K. died "defending the dignity of the nation and the principles of the tribes." His body is expected to be repatriated the same day.
Since July 13, the violence has left 940 dead in Sweida province, including 588 Druze — 326 fighters and 262 civilians — and 312 government forces soldiers, as well as 21 Sunni Bedouins, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The violence erupted after Sunni Bedouin tribes kidnapped and tortured a Druze resident. The fighting initially pitted Druze militiamen against other Bedouins before government forces intervened to support the Bedouins.
The Syrian government announced earlier Saturday that it had begun the redeployment of its forces in the majority-Druze province and called on "all parties to respect" the cease-fire, but fighting continued.