Druze-Sunni violence intensifies amid fragile post-Assad transition
At least 30 people died and more than 100 were injured in violent clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin Sunni tribes in the southern Syrian city of Sweida. The violence marked one of the deadliest outbreaks of sectarian conflict since the collapse of the Assad regime late last year.
Syria’s interior ministry confirmed the death toll early Monday, saying government forces had been deployed to contain the situation and prevent further bloodshed. A separate report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights placed the number of fatalities at 37.
The fighting broke out over the weekend in Sweida, a stronghold of Syria’s Druze minority. Video evidence and eyewitness reports confirmed exchanges of heavy gunfire and armed confrontations in residential neighborhoods. Armed security personnel have since been stationed in nearby villages, including Al-Soura al-Kubra, to prevent more violence.
The Syrian government, now led by an Islamic coalition that assumed power after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s administration in December 2024, is struggling to stabilize the country amid rising sectarian unrest.
“Security forces will take direct action to end these confrontations,” the interior ministry said in an official statement. The government reported the clashes left “at least 100 civilians and fighters injured.”
Sweida Governor Mustapha al-Bakur appealed to residents to remain calm. “I urge everyone to exercise restraint and answer the national call for reconciliation,” he stated in a televised address.
Spiritual leaders from both sides echoed the plea, urging fighters to stand down and allow local mediation efforts to proceed.
Tensions have been growing since the Islamic-led coalition seized control of Damascus and removed Assad, whose family had ruled Syria for over five decades. In the power vacuum that followed, sectarian conflicts have intensified across various regions.
In recent months, Druze communities have grown increasingly concerned about their safety under the new regime. Many had quietly supported the Assad government during the 13-year civil war in hopes of receiving protection from extremist groups. That sense of security has since eroded.
“We don’t feel safe anymore,” one Druze resident in Sweida told BBC reporters earlier this month. “There’s no clear authority here. No one is protecting us.”
The clashes in Sweida follow a string of deadly incidents targeting religious minorities. Hundreds of Alawites followers of another Shia offshoot have been killed in the north. In Damascus, Christian worshippers were attacked during services in April. These attacks have further heightened fears among Syria’s non-Sunni populations.
The Druze, who also maintain significant communities in Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, adhere to a distinct sect rooted in Shia Islam. In Syria, they number around 700,000 and have long maintained a delicate relationship with ruling powers.
In April and May, fierce gunfights between new regime forces and local Druze militias left dozens dead. The current fighting is part of a pattern of targeted confrontations that threaten to plunge southern Syria into deeper instability.
International response to the crisis remains cautious. The United States removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) the Sunni Islamist group now leading Syria’s government from its list of foreign terrorist organizations earlier this month. The UK also reestablished diplomatic contact when Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Damascus the first British official to do so since the 2011 uprising.
Despite those gestures, many minority communities inside Syria say they feel more vulnerable now than at any point during the civil war. With the power structure still unstable and sectarian divisions widening, observers warn that more violence could follow unless the new government addresses rising fears and protects minority populations.
The situation in Sweida remains tense, with armored units stationed at checkpoints and roads into the city under tight watch. Authorities have yet to confirm whether further reinforcements will be deployed or if mediation efforts have made progress.
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