Syria’s Sweida fighting leaves over 60 casualties
Shafaq News – Damascus
At least 60 people were killed or
wounded in armed clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribesmen in
Syria’s southern Sweida province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)
reported on Sunday.
The violence erupted in al-Muqawwas
neighborhood and spread to nearby areas as both sides exchanged gunfire and
shelling. The Observatory confirmed that 17 Druze and 4 Bedouins were dead, while 50 others—including children and several
in critical condition—were injured.
#المرصد_السورينزوح جماعي واشتباكات واسـ ـتـ ـهداف بلدات في تصعيد أمـ ـنـ ـي خطير في #السويداء.. وارتفاع عدد القـ ـتـ ـلى إلى 21 شخصاhttps://t.co/csP4Q8NAY8
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) July 13, 2025
Stemming from a spiral of
retaliation, the escalation began after armed tribesmen allegedly beat, robbed,
and abandoned a Druze youth near al-Masmiyya. In response, Druze fighters
abducted tribal members, prompting counter-seizures and a blockade of the
Damascus–Sweida highway.
Similar clashes in April and May
between Druze groups and security forces left dozens dead and led to
de-escalation agreements aimed at integrating local fighters into state
structures.
In a separate incident in Damascus,
unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle fatally shot a 60-year-old man from the
Alawite community—the sect to which ousted President Bashar al-Assad belongs.
#المرصد_السوريبرصاص مسلحين.. مقـ ـتل سائق سيارة في العاصمة #دمشقhttps://t.co/qi1FmI085G
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) July 13, 2025
According to SOHR, at least 857
people—813 men, 29 women, and 15 children—have been killed across Syria since
the start of 2025 in sectarian-driven assassinations.
