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At least 248 people have been killed in southern Syria’s Sweida province after several days of intense clashes, prompting the deployment of government forces.
Sporadic fighting continues despite the Syrian defence ministry announcing a ceasefire on Tuesday, following the government’s entry into the Druze-majority city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the casualties include 92 members of the Druze minority, with 28 civilians among them, and 21 allegedly killed in “summary executions by government forces.”
Additionally, at least 138 Syrian security personnel and 18 allied Bedouin fighters were killed.
The violence began on Sunday in Sweida province between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes. It escalated after the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant led to retaliatory abductions.
Syrian government forces announced their intervention on Monday to break up the clashes, deploying to Sweida city on Tuesday.
However, the Observatory, witnesses, and Druze factions claim these forces sided with the Bedouin tribes.
Reports from residents, a local news network, and the Observatory describe summary executions of civilians, along with the burning and looting of homes and shops.
An AFP correspondent in Sweida city witnessed around 30 bodies, including security personnel and armed civilians, amidst columns of smoke and intermittent shelling.
The local Suwayda 24 network reported “heavy shelling with heavy artillery and mortar shells” in the city since Wednesday morning.
The Syrian defence ministry accused “outlaw groups” of attacking its forces in the city, stating they are “continuing to respond to the sources of fire.”
This is the largest outbreak of violence since April and May, when deadly clashes between government forces and Druze fighters near Damascus and in Sweida killed over 100 people.
Broader Implications and External Involvement
Following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in December, who had long presented himself as a protector of minorities, discussions between the new Islamist authorities and Druze factions about integration into government ranks have not reached a full agreement.
Meanwhile, Israel, which had previously vowed to protect the Druze in Syria, reiterated its warning to Damascus on Wednesday.
Israel threatened to “raise the level of responses against the (Syrian) regime if the message is not understood,” emphasising it would not allow Syrian forces to be present in southern Syria.
