Fierce fighting continued Tuesday in Syria’s Druze-majority province of Sweida between Druze fighters and armed Bedouin militias, who are reportedly receiving backing from forces loyal to President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Despite claims by the Syrian regime that it entered the area to restore calm, eyewitnesses say regime forces are aiding the Bedouins and participating in atrocities—including the summary execution of Druze civilians.
The violence is concentrated in Sweida city, the provincial capital and heart of Syria’s Druze community, and in surrounding rural areas. Clashes were also reported in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, a suburb of Damascus that previously saw deadly skirmishes earlier this year.
The humiliations suffered by the Druze in Sweida - including cutting of their mustaches
At midday, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced a cease-fire, claiming a deal had been reached with local Druze leaders. However, fighting has continued, and negotiations—reportedly mediated by a Gulf state—are still underway. According to Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al Mayadeen, talks aim to return the province to the status quo before the latest unrest.
The clashes erupted over the weekend after Bedouin gunmen attacked a young Druze man traveling the highway between Sweida and Damascus, robbing and severely beating him. In retaliation, Druze residents detained several Bedouin tribesmen, escalating tensions. So far, at least 203 people—including Druze, Bedouins and regime fighters—have been killed.
Al-Sharaa regime forces enter Sweida
Tuesday morning, regime forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani) entered Sweida city for the first time in a bid to reassert control. According to AFP, their entry triggered intense clashes, with explosions and gunfire reported.
Israel responds with airstrikes, warns Syria
In response to the violence and in support of the Druze community, the Israeli military launched strikes on Syrian regime military assets in Sweida. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement stating that they "directed the IDF to strike regime forces and weapons deployed in the Sweida region on Jabal al-Druze in Syria, in light of regime activity against the Druze—contrary to the demilitarization policy we have adopted, which forbids the introduction of forces or arms into southern Syria that may threaten Israel.”
The statement also said that “Israel is committed to preventing harm to Druze in Syria due to our deep bond with our Druze citizens and their historic and familial ties to the Druze community in Syria,"
Israeli sources said Syria was warned in advance of the attacks, and that Israel made it clear to the regime in Damascus that it opposed the entry of its forces into Sweida in southern Syria—meant to remain demilitarized—and that it would be met with swift action.
IDF attacks Syrian regime forces
(Video: IDF)
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'We see killings, bodies, houses and shops burned' in the Syrian province of Sweida
(Photo: Bakr Alkasem / AFP)
Meanwhile, Israel continues to engage in dialogue with Syria. “There was no need for a mediator,” the sources said. “When the scale of atrocities against Druze in Sweida became clear, Israel immediately communicated its opposition to the regime’s deployment in the region.”
"It is clear that the atrocities committed by the Syrians against the Druze raise questions about the future. This will require Israel to be very cautious," a source in Israel added.
At least 19 of the dead were reportedly executed by Syrian regime forces or affiliated militias, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Shocking videos earlier surfaced of gunmen forcibly shaving the beards and mustaches of Druze men—though it remains unclear whether the perpetrators were Bedouins or regime-aligned fighters.
Regime forces accused of atrocities
The Druze in Sweida had hoped that the arrival of al-Sharaa's forces in the area would put an end to the clashes with the Bedouins, but in the past 24 hours there have been reports of executions, arson and looting. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 21 Druze civilians were executed, most of them in a guesthouse in Sweida.
"Forces from the defense and interior ministries stormed a guesthouse in the city and executed 12 civilians without trial," the organization reported. An unverified video circulated online shows civilians being massacred
In a separate incident, three Druze brothers were executed near al-Basha Square, north of Sweida city—reportedly while their mother watched.
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“There are executions here, homes and stores being torched, and rampant looting,” a Sweida resident told AFP. “A friend in the city’s west told me regime forces stormed his home, forced his family out after seizing their phones, and then set their house on fire.”
Ryan Marouf, editor of the local news site Sweida 24, said that "government forces entered the city claiming to restore security, but have adopted brutal tactics instead.”
Contradiction between regime propaganda and reality on the street
Mohannad al-Din, a local resident, described the stark disconnect between the regime’s narrative that it declared a ceasefire and the reality on the ground: “The news says the state has won, law is being enforced, and life is back to normal. But in reality, I see bodies, fires, burned homes and shops—including mine. After the regime forces left, they handed the houses over to Bedouins, who began looting, burning and humiliating. I saw people being killed in the street in the name of ‘law enforcement.’”
Clashes between Druze and Bedouin in Sweida
He said regime forces raided homes and then handed them over to Bedouins who looted and set them on fire. “I saw people killed in the street in the name of ‘law enforcement,’” he said, accusing al-Sharaa of deploying “thugs, not leaders.”
International concern grows
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack expressed concern about the unfolding events and said Washington is working to de-escalate tensions. “We are engaged in active, direct and productive discussions with all parties to chart a course toward calm and integration,” Barrack said. He emphasized efforts to reach a comprehensive solution for the Druze, Bedouin tribes, the Syrian government, and the IDF.
Sweida is home to the largest Druze population in Syria—around 700,000 people—many of whom fear persecution under al-Sharaa’s regime, which has been accused of aiming to force Druze assimilation into “pure Islam” and dismantle their way of life. Violent clashes had already erupted in April, leaving over 100 dead. A truce was reached in May, allowing Druze fighters to retain security control in the province—until now. Control over Sweida remains a flashpoint in the broader Syrian conflict and a critical concern for regional stability.