The death toll from ongoing clashes in the southern Syrian province of Sweida between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes has risen to more than 100, according to what Rami Abdul Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told the BBC.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense said that 18 members of the security forces were killed in Sweida province after "they were subjected to treacherous attacks by an outlawed armed group, while army units were carrying out their national mission to resolve the conflict and establish stability."
According to what the Media and Communications Department of the Syrian Ministry of Defense told BBC Arabic, "army and internal security forces intervened in areas witnessing conflict between local tribes in the western countryside of Sweida province and groups from within the province" to stop the clashes.
According to the Ministry of Defense, "combing operations are currently underway to hold these groups accountable, restore security and stability to the province, and eliminate weapons randomly deployed in the province."
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning to Damascus via his Twitter account after the Israeli army struck several tanks in southern Syria to prevent them from reaching a Druze village near the site of the clashes.
Katz wrote that the Israeli strikes were "a clear message and warning to the Syrian regime. We will not allow harm to the Druze in Syria. Israel will not stand idly by."
IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee also said in a statement that the army had earlier attacked tanks (referring to Syrian tanks) "moving toward the Sweida area," considering that "the presence of these weapons in the southern Syrian region could pose a threat to the State of Israel."
Adraee stressed that the army "will not allow a military threat in the southern Syrian region and will act against it and continue to monitor developments in the area."
The Israeli army attacked Syrian tanks in the village of Sami' in the Sweida Governorate in southern Syria. Israel's Channel 14 reported that the attack followed "suspicious movements" by these tanks, amid suspicions that they were heading toward a Druze-populated area in Syria, according to the report.
These bloody clashes bring to the fore the security challenges that the transitional authority in Syria has continued to face since coming to power following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
In exclusive statements to BBC Arabic, Noureddine al-Baba, spokesman for the Syrian Interior Ministry, said that the clashes in Sweida reflect "a state of chaos and insecurity resulting from the insistence of some isolated groups to deviate from the national line and obstruct the entry and operation of state institutions," as he put it.
In response to a question about the security services' efforts to disarm the two largest Druze factions in Sweida, the Men of Dignity and the Mountain Brigade, the Pope said that the security services were capable from the beginning of "imposing the will of the leadership," but the government, he said, "overcame the voice of reason and wisdom to preserve the lives of civilians in the province."
The Pope also said that there are channels of communication between the Ministry of Interior, the armed factions, and notables in Sweida for dialogue and de-escalation.
BBC Arabic contacted the Mountain Brigade, but there has been no response from the brigade's spokesperson to date.
Following the clashes, the Ministry of Defense announced that it had begun, "in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, deploying our specialized military units to the affected areas, providing safe corridors for civilians, and quickly and decisively dispersing the clashes."
These clashes are the first since a truce agreement was signed between representatives of the Syrian government and Druze notables following violent clashes between the Druze and security forces in April and May, which left dozens dead.
So what happened in Sweida province to prompt renewed clashes?
Brigadier General Nizar Hariri, Deputy Commander of the Internal Security Forces for Police Affairs in Sweida, said that the resurgence of armed clashes in Sweida province stemmed from "a recent robbery on the Damascus-Sweida road involving a citizen working in the commercial sector, and the subsequent tense reactions that included mutual kidnappings."
For his part, Interior Minister Anas Khattab wrote on the X website that "the absence of state institutions, especially military and security institutions, is a primary cause of the ongoing tensions in Sweida and its countryside," considering that "there is no solution to this except by imposing security and activating the role of institutions to ensure civil peace and a return to normal life in all its aspects."
Violent clashes erupted in the al-Maqous neighborhood in eastern Sweida, inhabited by Bedouin families, following an attack by Druze gunmen to free approximately 10 people held captive by Bedouin elements on Sunday morning. The attack was in retaliation for the detention of Bedouin by Druze gunmen following an attack on a Druze truck driver in the Damascus countryside.
Sweida Governorate is home to the largest Druze community in Syria, estimated at around 700,000 people.
Despite the Syrian government and Sweida sheikhs reaching an agreement to activate police within Sweida Governorate and protect the Damascus-Sweida road, a lifeline for the governorate's residents,
However, according to the Sweida 24 platform, "attacks" on this road have continued, exacerbating societal tensions within Sweida Governorate.
On Sunday, the Suwayda 24 platform reported that a checkpoint belonging to the Suwayda Governorate Police, affiliated with the Internal Security Command, was targeted by an armed group from the direction of the Baraq area on the Damascus road. Clashes erupted between police officers and the gunmen.
The same gunmen also targeted the village of al-Suwayda al-Kabira in the northern Suwayda countryside with mortar shells, according to the platform.
Since Sunday morning, armed groups in various areas of the Damascus countryside, including the Baraq area, have blocked the Damascus-Suwayda road, prompting security checkpoints to halt traffic on the road.
Tensions in the al-Maqous neighborhood also spread to some areas in the western and northern Suwayda countryside.
The area surrounding the village of al-Tira in the western Suwayda countryside was attacked by armed groups from the west, and the village of Labin also witnessed clashes.
Clashes erupted after it was targeted from the western side.
In the north of the governorate, the village of Al-Soura witnessed an attack on a police checkpoint belonging to the Internal Security Forces. Mortar shells were fired at the village by armed groups gathered in the Baraq area, according to Suwayda 24.
Syrians from Suwayda and other governorates said on social media that the Suwayda incident and the subsequent clashes with some Bedouin tribes were not the real reason behind the escalation of violence in the governorate, but rather merely a "spark" that ignited a dormant fire amid a complex political reality.
They added that what happened resembles other events witnessed in the country, where individual incidents escalate into broader confrontations in a tense environment. Some emphasized that "political deadlock and the absence of national dialogue" are the root causes of what is happening in Suwayda and other areas, amid a growing feeling among a number of Syrian communities—including Druze, Kurds, Alawites, Christians, and a segment of Sunnis—that the current political path does not represent them.
They warn that relying on force to impose state control, without a comprehensive political solution, could lead to a superficial administration of the areas without establishing a new social contract. This would maintain tension and violence, awaiting a shift in the balance of power on the ground.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that units of its forces, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, would begin direct intervention in the area to resolve the conflict, stop clashes, impose security, and prosecute those responsible for the incidents and refer them to the competent judiciary.
For its part, the Ministry of Education announced the "postponement of the religious education exam for the general secondary school certificate exams in the science and literature branches, scheduled for Monday in Sweida Governorate only, to a date to be determined later."
Meanwhile, Sweida Governor Mustafa al-Bakour called for "the need for self-restraint and a response to reason and dialogue," noting the efforts of local and tribal authorities to contain the tension and stressing that "the state will not be lenient in protecting citizens."
A statement attributed to the residents of the al-Maqous neighborhood in Sweida city on social media also called for "calm and a halt to the bloodshed in Sweida Governorate." The statement called for "an immediate ceasefire, an end to the clashes in and around the al-Maqous neighborhood, the release of all abductees from both sides, the opening of dialogue and communication between all components under the auspices of the province's wise and prominent figures, and the prioritization of the public interest and the preservation of civil peace above all factional or personal considerations."
Meanwhile, Druze spiritual leaders called for "calm" and urged the government in Damascus to intervene.
BBC
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