Syria to deploy troops to south; Druze say Sweida hospital has become a mass grave
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
US announces Syria-Israel truce as new clashes rock Druze heartland
The United States says it negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Syria’s government. At least 638 people have died since Sunday in violence between the Druze and Bedouins, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel intervened Wednesday with major strikes in the heart of the capital Damascus, including hitting the army’s headquarters. UN calls for an independent, transparent and “independent, and transparent investigations into all violations” of the ceasefire by all parties in the conflict. The latest violence erupted after the kidnapping of a vegetable merchant by local Bedouin by local Druze merchants triggered a tit-for-tat violence. The UN’s International Organization for Migration on Friday said that 79,339 people have been displaced since Sunday, including 20,019 on Thursday alone. The United States announced an earlier deal in which Sharaa pulled government forces out of Sweida, the southern hub of Syria’s Druze minority, on Wednesday. The deal helped avert a “large-scale escalation” with Israel but his office accused Druze fighters of violating it.
At least 638 people have died since Sunday in violence between the Druze and Bedouins, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, drawing questions over the authority of Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Israel intervened Wednesday with major strikes in the heart of the capital Damascus, including hitting the army’s headquarters.
Tom Barrack, the US pointman on Syria, said in the early hours of Saturday in the Middle East that Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “have agreed to a ceasefire” negotiated by the United States.
Barrack, who is US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal was backed by Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours,” he wrote on X.
The United States on Wednesday announced an earlier deal in which Sharaa pulled government forces out of Sweida, the southern hub of the Druze minority.
Sharaa said the mediation helped avert a “large-scale escalation” with Israel but his office accused Druze fighters of violating it.
Sharaa’s office on Friday evening pledged to deploy fresh forces to the region to break up further clashes in the south, urging “all parties to exercise restraint and prioritise reason”.
Renewed fighting erupted Friday between Bedouin tribal factions and the Druze at the entrance to Sweida, an AFP correspondent said.
About 200 tribal fighters clashed with armed Druze men from the city using machine guns and shells, the AFP correspondent said, while the Syrian Observatory also reported fighting and shelling on neighbourhoods in Sweida.
In the corridors of the Sweida National Hospital, a foul odour emanated from the swollen and disfigured bodies piled up in refrigerated storage units, an AFP correspondent reported.
A small number of doctors and nurses at the hospital worked to treat the wounded arriving from the ongoing clashes, some in the hallways.
Omar Obeid, a doctor at the government hospital, told AFP that the facility has received “more than 400 bodies” since Monday morning.
“There is no more room in the morgue. The bodies are in the street” in front of the hospital, added Obeid, president of the Sweida branch of the Order of Physicians.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration on Friday said that 79,339 people have been displaced since Sunday, including 20,019 on Thursday alone.
– Tribal back-up –
Tribal reinforcements from across Syria gathered in villages around Sweida on Friday to reinforce local Bedouin, whose longstanding enmity towards the Druze erupted into violence last weekend.
Anas al-Enad, a tribal chief from the central city of Hama, said he and his men had made the journey to the village of Walgha, northwest of Sweida, because “the Bedouin called for our help and we came to support them”.
An AFP correspondent saw burning homes and shops in the village, now under the control of the Bedouin and their allies.
Israel, which has its own sizable Druze community, said Friday that it was sending support valued at nearly $600,000, including food and medical supplies, to Druze in Sweida.
Israel has vowed to defend the Druze community, although some diplomats and analysts say its goal is to weaken the military in Syria, its historic adversary, seeing it at a weak point since Sharaa’s Sunni Islamists toppled Bashar al-Assad, an Iranian ally, in December.
– UN demands independent probe –
Rayan Maarouf, editor-in-chief of local news outlet Suwayda 24, said the humanitarian situation was “catastrophic”.
“We cannot find milk for children,” he told AFP.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for an end to the bloodshed and “independent, prompt and transparent investigations into all violations”.
The International Committee for the Red Cross warned that health facilities were overwhelmed, with power cuts impeding the preservation of bodies in overflowing morgues.
“The humanitarian situation in Sweida is critical. People are running out of everything,” said Stephan Sakalian, the head of ICRC’s delegation in Syria.
“Hospitals are increasingly struggling to treat the wounded and the sick, and families are unable to bury their loved ones in dignity,” he said.
The latest violence erupted Sunday after the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant by local Bedouin triggered tit-for-tat abductions, the Britain-based Observatory said.
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US announces Syria-Israel truce as new clashes rock Druze heartland
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The United States said early Saturday that it had negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Syria’s government as new clashes erupted in Syria’s Druze heartland following violence that prompted massive Israeli strikes.
At least 638 people have died since Sunday in violence between the Druze and Bedouins, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, drawing questions over the authority of Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Israel intervened Wednesday with major strikes in the heart of the capital Damascus, including hitting the army’s headquarters.
Tom Barrack, the US pointman on Syria, said in the early hours of Saturday in the Middle East that Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘have agreed to a ceasefire’ negotiated by the United States.
Barrack, who is US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal was backed by Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan.
‘We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours,’ he wrote on X.
The United States on Wednesday announced an earlier deal in which Sharaa pulled government forces out of Sweida, the southern hub of the Druze minority.
Sharaa said the mediation helped avert a ‘large-scale escalation’ with Israel but his office accused Druze fighters of violating it.
Sharaa’s office on Friday evening pledged to deploy fresh forces to the region to break up further clashes in the south, urging ‘all parties to exercise restraint and prioritise reason’.
Renewed fighting erupted Friday between Bedouin tribal factions and the Druze at the entrance to Sweida, an AFP correspondent said.
About 200 tribal fighters clashed with armed Druze men from the city using machine guns and shells, the AFP correspondent said, while the Syrian Observatory also reported fighting and shelling on neighbourhoods in Sweida.
In the corridors of the Sweida National Hospital, a foul odour emanated from the swollen and disfigured bodies piled up in refrigerated storage units, an AFP correspondent reported.
A small number of doctors and nurses at the hospital worked to treat the wounded arriving from the ongoing clashes, some in the hallways.
Omar Obeid, a doctor at the government hospital, told AFP that the facility has received ‘more than 400 bodies’ since Monday morning.
‘There is no more room in the morgue. The bodies are in the street’ in front of the hospital, added Obeid, president of the Sweida branch of the Order of Physicians.
The UN’s International Organization for Migration on Friday said that 79,339 people have been displaced since Sunday, including 20,019 on Thursday alone.
– Tribal back-up –
Tribal reinforcements from across Syria gathered in villages around Sweida on Friday to reinforce local Bedouin, whose longstanding enmity towards the Druze erupted into violence last weekend.
Anas al-Enad, a tribal chief from the central city of Hama, said he and his men had made the journey to the village of Walgha, northwest of Sweida, because ‘the Bedouin called for our help and we came to support them’.
An AFP correspondent saw burning homes and shops in the village, now under the control of the Bedouin and their allies.
Israel, which has its own sizable Druze community, said Friday that it was sending support valued at nearly $600,000, including food and medical supplies, to Druze in Sweida.
Israel has vowed to defend the Druze community, although some diplomats and analysts say its goal is to weaken the military in Syria, its historic adversary, seeing it at a weak point since Sharaa’s Sunni Islamists toppled Bashar al-Assad, an Iranian ally, in December.
– UN demands independent probe –
Rayan Maarouf, editor-in-chief of local news outlet Suwayda 24, said the humanitarian situation was ‘catastrophic’.
‘We cannot find milk for children,’ he told AFP.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called for an end to the bloodshed and ‘independent, prompt and transparent investigations into all violations’.
The International Committee for the Red Cross warned that health facilities were overwhelmed, with power cuts impeding the preservation of bodies in overflowing morgues.
‘The humanitarian situation in Sweida is critical. People are running out of everything,’ said Stephan Sakalian, the head of ICRC’s delegation in Syria.
‘Hospitals are increasingly struggling to treat the wounded and the sick, and families are unable to bury their loved ones in dignity,’ he said.
The latest violence erupted Sunday after the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant by local Bedouin triggered tit-for-tat abductions, the Britain-based Observatory said.
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Middle East crisis live: 26 reported dead and more than 100 wounded after Israeli attacks on Gaza aid centres
Israeli military said it was “looking into” the claims when contacted by AFP. Israel dismissed a renewed pledge by Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa to protect minorities after deadly sectarian clashes. Israel has carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the defence ministry in Damascus, saying it is protecting the Druze minority. In other violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, health officials said. At least 15 reported dead after a bus overturned in the south of Iran, state media is reporting. The Iranian toll is attributed to the disregard of safety measures, the use of old vehicles and inadequate emergency services. The two governments are seeking to replace the traditional UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, saying that Hamas militants siphon off supplies. The UN denies the allegation and says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say that hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli army fire as they try to reach the distribution hubs. The Israeli army, which is not at the sites but secures them from a distance, says it only fires if crowds get too close to its forces.
7m ago 12.13 BST Israel on Saturday dismissed a renewed pledge by Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa to protect minorities after deadly sectarian clashes, saying it was “very dangerous” to be a minority in the country. Foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar posted on X: Bottom line: In al-Shara’s Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority – Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian,” This has been proven time and again over the past six months. He added the international community had “a duty to ensure the security and rights of the minorities in Syria and to condition Syria’s renewed acceptance into the family of nations on their protection”. Share
24m ago 11.56 BST Interim Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in a speech said that “Arab and American” mediation had helped bring calm, and criticised Israel for airstrikes against Syrian government forces in the south and Damascus during the week. Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence, which began with clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions, before Damascus sent in government security forces. Israel has carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the defence ministry in Damascus, saying it is protecting the Druze minority, of whom there are a significant number in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In a statement on Saturday, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to end hostilities immediately. Share
41m ago 11.39 BST At least 15 reported dead from Iran bus crash Iran’s state media is reporting that at least 15 people were killed after a bus overturned in the south of the country, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
State-run IRNA quoted Masoud Abed, the head of Fars province’s emergency organisation, as saying that so far 15 people were confirmed dead and 27 were injured after the accident in the south of Shiraz city, the capital of the province.
Abed also said 11 ambulances and two ambulance buses were dispatched to the scene.
With nearly 17,000 casualties annually, Iran is among the top countries for road and street accidents. The toll is attributed to the disregard of safety measures, the use of old vehicles and inadequate emergency services. Share
50m ago 11.29 BST Over 30 reported dead from Israeli fire at aid centre Israeli troops opened fire on Saturday toward crowds of Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs run by an Israeli-backed group in southern Gaza, killing at least 32 people, according to witnesses and hospital officials, the Associated Press (AP) reports. The two incidents occurred near hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. In other violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, health officials said. View image in fullscreen A Palestinian boy raises a pack of blood as a man who was injured at a food distribution point in Al-Tina area of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, receives medical treatment at the Nasser hospital on 19 July 2025. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The GHF launched operations in late May with backing from the US and Israel. The two governments are seeking to replace the traditional UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, saying that Hamas militants siphon off supplies. The UN denies the allegation. While the GHF says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say that hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli army fire as they try to reach the distribution hubs. The army, which is not at the sites but secures them from a distance, says it only fires warning shots if crowds get too close to its forces. Share Updated at 11.35 BST
1h ago 11.12 BST Here are some of the latest photos of the Middle East coming to us through the wires: View image in fullscreen A Palestinian man who was injured at an aid distribution centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organisation approved by Israel, receives treatment on the floor of Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, 19 July 2025. Photograph: Mariam Dagga/AP View image in fullscreen Bedouin fighters walk near a damaged car, following the Syrian presidency’s announcement of a ceasefire after days of violence in Sweida province triggered by clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions, in Sweida, Syria, on Saturday. Photograph: Karam Al-Masri/Reuters View image in fullscreen Relatives of Palestinians killed at an aid distribution centre mourn over their bodies during their funeral at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday. Photograph: Mariam Dagga/AP View image in fullscreen An aerial view of Sweida, as smoke rises as clashes between the alliance of Bedouin Arabs and tribal forces and some Druze groups continue on the western and northern lines of the city in Syria on Saturday. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Share
2h ago 10.49 BST An unidentified drone attack killed a member of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) and injured another near Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah on Saturday, security sources and local officials said, Reuters reports. The attack represents the first of its kind in months. Share
2h ago 10.33 BST William Christou My colleague William Christou has written the following article on the unrest in Syria: Seven months on from Bashar al-Assad’s fall, Syria is descending into yet another wave of bloody sectarian violence. A local dispute between a Bedouin tribesman and a member of the Druze minority sparked clashes that drew in Syrian government forces and triggered Israeli airstrikes – leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The scenes were reminiscent of the coastal massacres of March, when 1,500 mostly Alawite civilians were slaughtered in revenge for a failed assault by fighters loyal to Assad, who came from the sect. The killings have halted the enthusiasm that abounds over the new Syrian state and are a grim reminder of the momentous challenges it faces in unifying the country after nearly 14 years of brutal civil war. The Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa – whose Sunni Islamist group led the offensive that ousted Assad – has won the hearts of most of the western world, his success in international diplomacy rivalled only by his stunning battlefield victories. Donald Trump has called him an “attractive, tough guy”, while the EU was swift to bring Sharaa’s Syria out of international isolation. At home however, progress has been halting. Syria is still deeply divided, and negotiations to integrate the one-third of the country controlled by Kurdish forces has stalled. Talks to fully integrate the Druze-majority province of Sweida, where the current violence is unfolding, have been slow moving. You can read more of William Christou’s piece here: Escalating unrest in Syria lays bare new regime’s momentous challenges Escalating unrest in Syria lays bare new regime’s momentous challenges Read more Share
2h ago 10.15 BST Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday renewed his pledge to protect minorities, after sectarian clashes left more than 700 people dead in the Druze-majority province of Sweida, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. Sharaa said in a televised speech: The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country… We condemn all crimes committed. The message came shortly after the president’s office announced an “immediate ceasefire” in the southern province. Share
2h ago 09.57 BST The Israeli military said on Saturday that dozens of Israeli citizens crossed the border with Syria into Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Reuters reports. It said the Israeli citizens used violence against Israeli forces trying to disperse a gathering in the area overnight. Share
3h ago 09.42 BST Syrian president announces ceasefire Syria’s Islamist-led government said its internal security forces began deploying in Sweida on Saturday as the presidency called on all parties to respect a ceasefire following bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area that has left hundreds dead, Reuters reports. In a statement, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and urged all parties to commit to it and end hostilities in all areas immediately. The country’s interior ministry spokesperson said earlier on Saturday that internal security forces had begun deploying in Sweida, in southern Syria. View image in fullscreen Syrian government security forces man a checkpoint, to prevent Beduin tribal fighters from reaching the city of Sweida, along a road in southern Syria’s Sweida province on 19 July 2025. Photograph: Sam Hariri/AFP/Getty Images US envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel intervened in the conflict earlier this week, hitting government forces and the defence ministry building in Damascus as it declared support for the Druze minority. Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Turkey and Washington’s Syria envoy, said that Israel and Syria agreed to the ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan and neighbours. Druze religious leader sheikh Yousef Jarbou said in a video broadcast by state media on Wednesday that Syria’s Druze had reached a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian government in Sweida that would take immediate effect, yet clashes continued to erupt in the ensuing days. An earlier ceasefire announced on Tuesday night collapsed after only a few hours. Share
3h ago 09.27 BST My colleagues Malak A Tantesh and Emma Graham-Harrison have written the following piece on Gaza: In Gaza, being a helpful, loving child can be a death sentence. Heba al-Ghussain’s nine-year-old son, Karam, was killed by an Israeli airstrike because he went to fetch water for the family, and her 10-year-old daughter, Lulu, was killed because she went to give Karam a hand. The siblings were waiting beside a water distribution station, holding jerry cans and buckets, when it was bombed last Sunday, killing six children and four adults and injuring 19 others, mostly children. Both Lulu and Karam died instantly, torn apart by the force of the blast and so disfigured that their father prevented Heba from seeing their bodies. “They didn’t allow me to say goodbye or even look at them one last time,” she said. “One of my brothers hugged me, trying to block the scene from me as he cried and tried to comfort me. After that, I don’t remember anything. I lost touch with reality.” You can read more of the report here: Killing of young siblings at Gaza water point shows seeking life’s essentials now a deadly peril Killing of young siblings at Gaza water point shows seeking life’s essentials now a deadly peril Read more Share
3h ago 09.14 BST 26 reported dead and over 100 wounded from Israeli strikes near Gaza aid centres Gaza’s civil defence agency on Saturday said Israeli attacks killed 26 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centres in the south of the Palestinian territory, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports. Agency spokesperson Mahmud Basal told AFP that 22 were killed near a site southwest of Khan Younis and four near another centre northwest of Rafah, blaming “Israeli gunfire” for both. One witness said he headed to the Al-Tina area of Khan Younis before dawn with five of his relatives to try to get food when “Israeli soldiers” started shooting. Abdul Aziz Abed, 37, told AFP: My relatives and I were unable to get anything. Every day I go there and all we get is bullets and exhaustion instead of food. The Israeli military said it was “looking into” the claims when contacted by AFP. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. Share Updated at 09.23 BST
‘Mass grave’: Medics appeal for aid at last working hospital in Syria’s Sweida
Bodies are overflowing from the morgue in Sweida, staff at the city’s sole government hospital say. “It’s not a hospital anymore, it’s a mass grave,” says Rouba, a member of the medical staff. Fighting erupted Sunday night between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes. Syrian government forces intervened on Tuesday with the stated intention of quelling the violence. But in the subsequent events, those government forces were accused of grave abuses against the minority, according to rights organisations, witnesses and Druze groups. The United Nations on Friday urged an end to the bloodshed, demanding “independent, prompt and transparent investigations into all violations”
“It’s not a hospital anymore, it’s a mass grave,” said Rouba, a member of the medical staff at the city’s sole government hospital, weeping as she appealed for aid.
Dr Omar Obeid, who heads the Sweida division at Syria’s Order of Physicians, said the facility has received “more than 400 bodies since Monday morning”, including women, children and the elderly.
“There’s no more space in the morgue, the bodies are out on the street” in front of the hospital, he continued.
Fighting erupted Sunday night between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes before Syrian government forces intervened on Tuesday with the stated intention of quelling the violence.
But in the subsequent events, those government forces were accused of grave abuses against the minority, according to rights organisations, witnesses and Druze groups.
The government forces withdrew from the city on Thursday following threats from Israel, which has vowed to protect the Druze.
In the hospital on Friday, corridors were engulfed by the stench of the dead bodies, which had bloated beyond recognition, an AFP correspondent said.
Visibly overwhelmed, the handful of medical personnel remaining at the facility nonetheless rushed to do their best to offer care to the seemingly endless stream of wounded, many of them waiting in the hallways.
“There are only nine doctors and medical staff left, and they are working nonstop,” said Rouba, who preferred not to give her full name.
– ‘No water, no electricity’ –
“The situation is very bad, we have no water and no electricity, medicines are starting to run out,” Rouba continued.
“There are people who have been at home for three days and we can’t manage to rescue them,” she said.
“The bodies are on the streets and no one can go out to get them. Yesterday, five big cars filled with bodies arrived at the hospital.
“There are women, children, people whose identities are unknown, cut-off arms or legs.”
The United Nations on Friday urged an end to the bloodshed, demanding “independent, prompt and transparent investigations into all violations”.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the violence has claimed the lives of nearly 600 people since Sunday.
Omar Obeid told AFP that three of his colleagues were killed, including one who was “shot dead in his house, in front of his family”.
Another was killed at point-blank range in her car as she drove through a security checkpoint, he said.
The third, “surgeon Talaat Amer was killed while he was at the hospital on Tuesday in a blue surgical gown to perform his duty”, Obeid said.
“They shot him in the head. Then they called his wife and told her: your husband was wearing a surgical cap — it’s red now.”
Syrian Bedouins launch new offensive against Druze in Sweida: ‘Truce does not apply to us’
Syrian Bedouin fighters launched a new offensive Thursday in the southern province of Sweida. More than 500 people were killed in the clashes, which included reports of massacres and acts of humiliation against Druze civilians by Sunni jihadist gunmen. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect late Wednesday, prompting the overnight withdrawal of most regime forces from the area. By Thursday afternoon, Druze residents emerged to find streets littered with bodies, burned vehicles, looted shops and homes reduced to rubble.“It’s as if the city went through a natural disaster or flood,” said Hendi Ubaid, a 39-year-old doctor, speaking to AFP. “I saw three bodies in the street, including an elderly woman. Burned and overturned cars were everywhere. Even a tank had caught fire,’ said another resident, who said her family returned to their home burned to the ground in fear of reprisals by Druze forces. The death toll includes 79 Druze fighters, 154 civilians—83 of whom were executed—and 243 regime troops.
The commander said the ceasefire applied only to government forces, not Bedouin fighters, who said they were trying to free detained Bedouins held by Druze armed groups in recent days.
8 View gallery Syrian government forces in Sweida ( Photo: Hisam Hac Omer/Anadolu/Reuters )
Residents in the southern Syrian city of Sweida , home to the country’s largest Druze community, began emerging Thursday to survey widespread destruction after five days of brutal fighting between Druze fighters, Bedouin militants and Syrian regime forces. More than 500 people were killed in the clashes, which included reports of massacres and acts of humiliation against Druze civilians by Sunni jihadist gunmen.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the death toll includes 79 Druze fighters, 154 civilians—83 of whom were executed—and 243 regime troops. Eighteen Bedouin fighters were also killed and the monitor reported that three others were executed by Druze gunmen. An additional 15 regime soldiers were killed in Israeli airstrikes Wednesday, the group said.
Destruction in Sweida
The violence followed an assault by Bedouin militants and regime forces, both largely Sunni, on Sweida and nearby areas. The clashes prompted strong Israeli airstrikes on Damascus , including the Syrian Defense Ministry and the presidential palace, as a warning to President Ahmad al-Sharaa and a demand that he withdraw troops from the region.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect late Wednesday, prompting the overnight withdrawal of most regime forces from the area. By Thursday afternoon, Druze residents emerged to find streets littered with bodies, burned vehicles, looted shops and homes reduced to rubble.
8 View gallery Destruction in Sweida ( Photo: Shadi AL-DUBAISI / AFP )
8 View gallery More destruciton in Sweida
“It’s as if the city went through a natural disaster or flood,” said Hendi Ubaid, a 39-year-old doctor, speaking to AFP. “I saw three bodies in the street, including an elderly woman. Burned and overturned cars were everywhere. Even a tank had caught fire.”
The smell of decay was pervasive and many areas remained deserted except for stray dogs. Local armed men patrolled streets still closed to traffic. An AFP reporter counted at least 15 corpses in the city center, where street battles had raged, though it was unclear whether the dead were civilians or combatants. Several of the bodies appeared decomposed, indicating they had been there for days.
Hospitals were overwhelmed with dozens of corpses brought in from homes and streets. According to Marwin Mer’ouf, editor of the local news outlet Suwayda 24, one hospital reported at least 150 bodies. He said the facility could no longer receive additional corpses and that essential treatments such as dialysis had been disrupted. “This is a humanitarian catastrophe,” he said.
Syrian regime forces leaving Swedia ( Video: X )
Following the regime’s retreat, many Bedouin families fled south toward Daraa, fearing reprisals by Druze forces. “We want to save our children’s lives,” said Wadaa al-Awad, 58, from Sweida. “This is our fate. We are afraid and just want to be left alone.”
Hussam al-Khaled, from the village of al-Dur, told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that many Bedouin residents were traumatized. “We lived through days without basic necessities. Our children are scared. Now that the troops have withdrawn, we don’t know what comes next.”
Aisha al-Ahmed, another resident, said her family returned to find their home burned and the neighborhood in fear. “We decided to leave to protect our children and families,” she said.
8 View gallery Syrian Sharia regime forces in battles against Druze in Sweida ( Photo: Bakr ALkasem / AFP )
8 View gallery Regime forces fighting in Sweida ( Photo: Omar Haj Kadour/ AFP )
8 View gallery The clashes in the Sweida province of Syria ( Photo: Hisam Hac Omer/Anadolu/Reuters )
Under the ceasefire agreement, al-Sharaa withdrew regime forces and transferred security responsibility to local Druze leadership. Senior Druze figures agreed to reintegrate Sweida Governorate into the Syrian state, with regime officials participating in policing. However, implementation remains unclear and some Druze leaders have rejected any continued regime presence, demanding full withdrawal.
Sweida is home to roughly 700,000 Druze, a religious minority with distinct beliefs and practices. The community has long feared regime efforts to undermine their autonomy and forcibly integrate them into Sunni Islam. In April, over 100 people were killed in similar clashes. A temporary agreement in May had allowed Druze fighters to maintain local control.
IDF strikes in Damascus ( Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit )
Israel’s role in supporting the Druze has become increasingly overt. The Israeli airstrikes that preceded the ceasefire targeted key government sites in Damascus. In a televised speech Wednesday night, al-Sharaa condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of sowing chaos but acknowledged that the truce aimed to prevent a broader war.
He also condemned atrocities committed by regime forces against Druze civilians, calling them “criminal acts” that contradict Syrian state principles. Al-Sharaa pledged investigations and said those responsible would face legal consequences, whether individuals or armed groups operating outside the law.
8 View gallery Bedouins flee Sweida, Syria, fearing reprisals after end of fighting against Druze
Similar promises followed earlier atrocities, including a March massacre of Alawites—another religious minority—by forces aligned with the new regime. Al-Sharaa, who came to power in December after a coup that ousted Bashar Assad, has struggled to unify the country under a single government.
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Though a former al-Qaida affiliate and rebel commander, al-Sharaa claims to have moderated. Despite skepticism from Israel and others, he has made diplomatic gains, including a meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump and the lifting of some sanctions. Diplomatic ties with Damascus have resumed in several capitals.
8 View gallery Defense Ministry building attacked in Damascus, Syria
Meanwhile, Syrian government adviser Ibrahim al-Alabi said Thursday that Israeli strikes on Damascus have delayed efforts to inspect and destroy leftover chemical weapons stockpiles from the Assad era. A planned visit by international inspectors has been postponed due to the recent attacks, he said.