Syrian forces enter Druze metropolis after lethal clashes

Syrian authorities forces entered the bulk Druze metropolis of Sweida on Tuesday (July 15, 2025), the Inside Ministry mentioned, aiming to finish clashes with Bedouin tribes which have killed almost 100 folks.

The southern metropolis had been underneath the management of armed factions from the Druze minority, whose spiritual leaders mentioned they’d accepted the deployment of Damascus’s troops and known as on fighters handy over their weapons.

A curfew was to be imposed on the southern metropolis in a bid to halt the violence, which erupted on the weekend and has since unfold throughout Sweida governorate.

Authorities forces mentioned they intervened to separate the 2 sides however ended up taking management of a number of Druze areas round Sweida, an AFP correspondent reported.

Navy columns have been seen advancing towards Sweida on Tuesday morning, with heavy artillery deployed close by.

The Defence Ministry mentioned later that they’d entered town, and urged folks to “keep dwelling and report any actions of outlaw teams”.

An AFP correspondent heard explosions and gunshots as troopers moved into Sweida.

Troops had begun heading in direction of town on Monday, taking management of not less than one Druze village, with one Druze faction saying talks have been underway with the Damascus authorities.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warfare monitor reported 99 folks killed for the reason that combating erupted on Sunday — 60 Druze, together with 4 civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 safety personnel and 7 unidentified folks in navy uniforms.

The Defence Ministry reported 18 deaths among the many ranks of the armed forces.

Whereas Druze spiritual authorities had known as on Monday night for a ceasefire and mentioned they did not oppose the central authorities, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, one of many three Druze religious leaders in Sweida, opposed the arrival of the safety forces and known as for “worldwide safety”.

Israel, which has tried to painting itself as a protector of the Druze in Syria and sees them as potential allies, bombed a number of Syrian tanks on Monday.

The strikes have been “a transparent warning to the Syrian regime — we is not going to enable hurt to be performed to the Druze in Syria”, mentioned Defence Minister Israel Katz, whose nation has its personal Druze inhabitants.

‘Excessive terror’

The combating underscores the challenges going through interim chief Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose Islamist forces ousted president Bashar al-Assad in December after almost 14 years of civil warfare.

Syria’s pre-war Druze inhabitants was estimated at round 700,000, a lot of them concentrated in Sweida province.

The Druze, followers of an esoteric faith that cut up from Shiite Islam, are primarily present in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

Following lethal clashes with authorities forces in April and Could, native and spiritual leaders reached an settlement with Damascus underneath which Druze fighters had been offering safety within the province.

“We lived in a state of maximum terror — the shells have been falling randomly,” mentioned Abu Taym, a 51-year-old father.

Amal, a 46-year-old girl, mentioned: “We worry a repeat of the coastal situation”, referring to massacres in March of greater than 1,700 principally Alawite civilians in northwest Syria, the place teams affiliated with the federal government have been blamed for a lot of the killings.

“We aren’t towards the state, however we’re towards surrendering our weapons and not using a state that treats everybody the identical,” she added.

In a publish on X, Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra urged his troops to “shield your fellow residents” from “outlaw gangs”, and to “restore stability to Sweida”.

The violence started on Sunday when Bedouin gunmen kidnapped a Druze vegetable vendor on the freeway to Damascus, prompting retaliatory kidnappings.

The Observatory mentioned members of Bedouin tribes, who’re Sunni Muslims, had sided with safety forces throughout earlier confrontations with the Druze.

Bedouin and Druze factions have a longstanding feud in Sweida, and violence sometimes erupts between the 2 sides.

Printed – July 15, 2025 01:10 pm IST