Syria: Dozens killed in clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin groups
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Monday that at least 37 people were killed, including 27 Druze and 10 Bedouins, after a Druze merchant was reportedly abducted on a highway to Damascus..
Local news outlets reported that the abduction sparked a cycle of retaliatory kidnappings, escalating into full-scale armed confrontations across Sweida city and nearby villages.
Videos shared on X by Syrian journalists purported to show Druze fighters chanting anti-Sunni slogans while standing over the bodies of killed Syrian soldiers.
Hours after the clashes erupted, a group led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze spiritual leader who has been opposed to the new Syrian government, called for "international protection" and accused government forces of "supporting takfiri gangs" - a term used to describe extremist Sunni groups.
Later, the Israeli military, which has repeatedly claimed it seeks to protect the Druze and other minority groups, said it had carried out strikes on military tanks in southern Syria.
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The fighting marks the deadliest unrest since early May when more than 130 people were killed in two suburbs of the capital Damascus and Sweida province.
Israel's aggression in Syria advances a century-long plan to co-opt the Druze Read More »
In the wake of that fighting, the government reached an agreement with Druze militias to hire local security forces in Sweida province from their ranks.
In a statement on Monday, Syria's Ministry of Interior expressed "deep concern" over the "bloody developments," attributing the escalation to the absence of strong state institutions.
"The Ministry of Interior confirms that units of its forces, in coordination with the Ministry of Defence, will intervene directly in the region to resolve the conflict, stop clashes, impose security, prosecute those responsible for the events, and refer them to the competent judiciary," the ministry said.
Meanwhile, Sweida's Governor Mustafa al-Bakour urged residents "to respond to national appeals for reform" and to avoid further violence.
The Druze, a religious and ethnic minority primarily residing in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel make up approximately three percent of Syria's population, with the majority concentrated in Sweida Governorate.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, the Druze have emerged as a vocal force against the transitional government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, fearing marginalisation under its policies.
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