Recent sectarian violence in southern Syria has resulted in the deaths of 594 people, amid ongoing tensions between the Druze religious minority and government forces.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) reports a significant rise in violence in Suweida province, primarily affecting the Druze community since last Sunday. The monitoring group documented the deaths of 594 people over the course of this conflict.
Among the dead are 300 members of the Druze minority, which includes 146 fighters and 154 civilians. Out of the civilian death toll, 83 individuals were reported to have been summarily executed by government forces, the SOHR stated on Thursday evening.
The measure of violence extended to government personnel and Bedouin fighters as well. A reported 257 government forces and 18 Bedouin fighters lost their lives, while three Bedouin civilians were allegedly killed by Druze fighters, according to the same monitoring group.
This spike in conflict was triggered by a disagreement between the Bedouin and Druze communities. In a separate wave of violence, 15 government members were killed in Israeli airstrikes, which Israel justified as necessary to protect the Druze and push government forces out of Suweida.
Although the specifics of the SOHR’s figures couldn’t be independently verified, other security sources estimate the toll at around 300. Meanwhile, the Syrian Network for Human Rights accounts for at least 169 civilian deaths during this period.
By Thursday, most of Suweida had experienced a tense calm after the withdrawal of government forces from this Druze-majority area. Residents reported extensive damage and looting, with some uncovering bodies in local streets.
Islamist-led government forces in Syria entered Suweida on Monday, supposedly to restore order amidst ongoing Druze-Bedouin clashes. However, their presence escalated the fighting and deepened divisions within Syria’s Druze community—which stems from Shia Islam but maintains its own distinct beliefs and identity.
As the Syrian government declared a ceasefire on Wednesday and initiated its withdrawal, a prominent Druze figure, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, dismissed it, urging continued resistance until “our province is liberated from gangs,” referring to the government forces.
Sheikh Hajri, whose followers actively resist against the government, has fostered relations with Israel. In contrast, other parts of Suweida’s Druze community collaborate more closely with Syria’s new Islamist-led government. There is also a significant Druze population in Israel and the Golan Heights, adding a regional element to the conflict.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu articulated Israel’s intention to assert its interests in Syria using force. While defending their actions as protection for the Druze community, Netanyahu affirmed a broader strategy to prevent Syrian military movements in the country’s southern regions, particularly near Damascus.
Netanyahu emphasized this policy would persist, with efforts to ensure no Syrian army presence south of Damascus or harm to the Druze population. The recent Israeli airstrikes notably caused extensive damage to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus and targeted areas near the presidential palace, marking a substantial escalation in Israeli operations against Syria since the Syrian regime’s collapse under Bashar al-Assad last December.
In a televised address, Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa rebuked Israel’s strikes, calling them an effort to destabilize Syria. He asserted, “We find ourselves in the heart of a battle to protect the unity of our land, the dignity of our people and the resilience of our nation. The Israeli entity, which has consistently targeted our stability and sown discord since the fall of the former regime, now seeks once again to turn our sacred land into a theater of endless chaos.”
Addressing Syria’s Druze, al-Sharaa pledged a strong commitment to their rights and freedoms, opposing internal or external attempts at creating division.