Days of violent fighting between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin fighters in southern Syria began on Sunday, July 13, when it was claimed that a merchant from the Druze community had been abducted.
Later on Tuesday, July 15, Israel launched a military intervention, claiming that its troops were attempting to defend the Druze and destroy pro-government groups that were allegedly targeting them in Suweida. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that since Sunday, at least 300 people have been killed in Suweida.
The violence is the first in Suweida, a region with a Druze majority, since scores of people were murdered in a battle between Druze militants and Syria’s new security forces in April and May. Before this, hundreds of members of the Alawite community, which includes former ruler Bashar al-Assad, were reportedly slain in skirmishes in Syria’s coastal districts in March.
As Syria struggles with the aftermath of more than ten years of civil war and the recent Islamist-led rebel capture of Damascus in December 2024, the deadly uprising and the brutal Israeli strikes have reignited worries of a security collapse in the nation. Ahmed al-Sharaa, the current leader of Syria and a former terrorist, has pledged to defend Syria’s minorities.
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