Six Syrian government security personnel were killed by Druze gunmen in the south of the country, a monitor said on Saturday, after two car bomb blasts killed 26 people, including veteran anti-government cleric, overnight provoking angry protests.
The two blasts, which occurred late on Friday, and ensuing violence killed a total of at least 37 people in and around the town of Sweida, a stronghold of Syria's Druze minority, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters.
Meanwhile, the dominant rebel group in the next-door province of Daraa, the Southern Front, said in statement, "We are in the same trench with Sweida rebels," expressing full support for people of the city. "All our weapon and ammunition are at your disposal," the group added.
Killing of Sheikh Wahid al-Balous, a Druze spiritual leader and outspoken critic of the Syrian regime, has sparked outrage in the main Druze stronghold, people who flooded into streets of Sweida have burned the statue of Syria's former president Hafez al-Assad, a move recalled the beginnings of the Syrian revolution.
On Saturday, clashes renewed in the city amid reports that Balous supporters have seized all security branches and government facilities in Sweida.
The outrage has also sparked in the Druze predominantly town of Jaramana east of Damascus, but no casualties reported according to Zaman al-Wasl reporter.
Balous enjoyed a rising popularity in Sweida recently despite his outspoken criticism of the Syrian regime.
His group was said to have been coordinating indirectly with rebels from the Free Syrian Army, which enjoys some sway in the adjacent city of Daraa, according to Xinhua agency.
The Druze minority, along with other minority groups in Syria, has emerged as supporters of President Bashar al-Assad, fearing the expansion of radical jihadist groups that showed no tolerance of minority groups in Syria.
However, the Druze support of the Syrian regime didn't stop them from criticizing the government's conduct in that city near the Jordanian borders.
Last week, several dozens of people staged protests before government institutions in Sweida, urging for reforms.
Due to its proximity to the southern province of Daraa, which has largely fallen to jihadi groups, the Druze in Sweida formed their own militias to defend their city against the threats of the jihadists, which attacked some areas in the countryside of Sweida in recent months.
Zaman Al Wasl
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