The Syrian Interior and Defense Ministries said that serious sectarian clashes broke out in the Druze-dominated city of Sweida in southern Syria recently, killing at least 48 people and injuring more than 100 people.
According to Reuters, this is one of the most serious religious conflicts in Syria since the regime change last year.
The conflict began last Friday when a Druze businessman was kidnapped on the highway connecting Damascus and Sweida, triggering a confrontation between local armed forces. On Sunday, Druze militias and Bedouin tribal armed forces fought fiercely in the city of Sweida. This is the first time that sectarian violence has broken out in the city since the outbreak of the Syrian war.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense said that the conflict area includes the Maqwas neighborhood in the east of Sweida, which is inhabited by Bedouin tribes and was later surrounded and controlled by armed Druze militias. At the same time, Bedouin armed forces also attacked several Druze villages in the western and northern suburbs of Sweida.
According to local hospitals, at least 15 bodies have been sent to Suwayda Provincial Hospital, and a large number of injured have been transferred to Deraa for treatment. According to the latest statement from the Syrian Ministry of Defense, 18 security forces have been killed in the conflict and dozens of others have been injured.
This is one of the bloodiest religious conflicts since the Syrian civil war. In December 2024, the Islamist-dominated opposition overthrew President Bashar al-Assad, established a transitional government and took over the security system. But with the rise of Sunni forces in the new regime, minorities such as the Alawites and the Druze are increasingly worried about their own safety. In March this year, hundreds of Alawites were killed in an attack, further intensifying hatred among the factions.
The Druze issue has also attracted strong attention from Israel. On Monday (July 14), the Israel Defense Forces announced an airstrike on several tanks in a town in Suwayda Province to prevent the Syrian government forces from approaching the Druze settlement. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the move was a “clear warning” to the Syrian government and that “Israel will not allow any force to harm the Druze in Syria.”
Israel has close ties with its approximately 120,000 Druze citizens. A high proportion of Druze men serve in the Israeli army and are an important part of its military system. Analysts point out that this close relationship has prompted Israel to take a more active stance in the Syrian situation, especially when it comes to the safety of the Druze community.
Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said in an official statement that the absence of national security agencies is the main reason for the continued tension in and around Suwayda. He called on Druze local armed forces to cooperate with government forces to prevent the situation from getting further out of control.
Security sources said that the Syrian army is planning to regain control of the entire Suwayda province, but given the large number of local armed forces and sharp sectarian conflicts, it may take several days to fully restore order.
The Suwayda conflict once again highlights the security vacuum in Syria after the regime change, especially in ethnic minority areas where the central government’s control is weak and local armed forces are generally building their own “quasi-regimes”. Rayan Marouf, founder of the Syrian media Suwayda24 and a Druze researcher, said: “This round of violence is getting out of control in a terrifying way. If it is not stopped soon, we will face a bloodbath.”
