US EditionMore than 80 killed in violent clashes in predominantly Druze Syrian city
SUWAYDA GOVERNORATE, SYRIA, JUL 19 – Israeli airstrikes targeted tanks amid deadly sectarian clashes in Suwayda, where over 600 have died and nearly 80,000 displaced, as Syrian forces seek to restore order.
- On Saturday , the Israeli Defense Forces struck military tanks, targeting their advance toward Sweida in the Suwayda region.
- Sectarian tensions boiled over on Sunday after a Druze vegetable vendor was kidnapped, underscoring long-standing Bedouin-Druze conflicts in Sweida.
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 37 people were killed, including 27 Druze and 10 Bedouin, with 79,339 displaced since Sunday, including 20,019 on Thursday.
- Announcing new measures, the defence ministry, with Interior Minister Anas Khattab, announced deployments and safe corridors, pledging to end the clashes quickly and decisively.
- The United States said early Saturday that it negotiated a ceasefire, while the United Arab Emirates welcomed the deal and emphasized civilian protection.
185 Articles
185 Articles
Why deadly clashes in Druze province are so threatening to Syrian unity
The eruption of violence in the majority-Druze Syrian province of Suwayda, the second-worst outbreak of sectarian strife since the fall of the Assad regime, is challenging the delicate balance the young Damascus government is trying to maintain.
At least 718 people died due to inter-Community confrontations in the south of Syria since last Sunday, according to a new balance published by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa declared Saturday morning, following the announcement of a ceasefire in Sweida, that the recent events in Sweida province marked a dangerous turning point, and that the violent clashes between these groups could have spiraled out of control had the Syrian state not intervened to calm the situation.
Syrian forces to return to Druze area after more violence
Renewed clashes broke out overnight between Druze armed groups and members of Bedouin clans in southern Syria, and government forces deployed again to the area yesterday after pulling out under a ceasefire agreement that halted several days of violence earlier this week, officials said.
New clashes rock Syria
Armed tribes supported by Syria's government clashed with Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure. The United Nations called for an end to the "bloodshed" and demanded an "independent" investigation of the violence, which has claimed at least 638 lives since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The renewed fighting raise…
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