The death toll in clashes in southern Syria involving representatives of the Druze and Bedouin communities, as well as government troops and the Israeli army, has exceeded a thousand. These are the figures from the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The level of violence in the region has decreased in recent days, following ceasefire agreements between Syria and Israel.
More than 600 friends have been killed in the past week, according to human rights activists, including some 300 civilians said to have been killed including by security forces. More than 300 military and police personnel and more than 20 Bedouin Arabs have also died. 15 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
On 20 July, Bedouin tribal representatives announced the withdrawal of armed units from the town of Al-Suwayda, which became the centre of clashes last week. The withdrawal from Al-Suwaida was announced earlier by the country’s authorities – after it was demanded by Israel, which accused Damascus of harassing the friends and of government troops de facto aiding their Bedouin opponents. A significant number of Druze live in Israel, and the authorities say they are prepared to protect members of the ethno-religious group outside Israel, on Syrian territory as well.
Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who makes no secret of his sympathy for the Sunni Bedouins, on 19 July called on them to stop clashes with the Druze and withdraw armed units from Al-Suwayda.
Earlier in the week, violent clashes erupted in Al-Suweida between the Druze community and Bedouin militias. Against this backdrop, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes against Syrian government forces positions in southern Syria and authorities in Damascus. Israel accused Syrian forces of engaging in extrajudicial killings and repression of the Druze population in Syria, stressing that the IDF’s actions were aimed at protecting this community.
Israel called on the world community to take action to ensure the security and rights of minorities in Syria and to link any form of international recognition of the current Syrian leadership to the fulfilment of these commitments. The US does not support the IDF strikes on Syria and has called for a ceasefire. US Syria Special Envoy Tom Barak called on all parties to “lay down their arms and join with other minorities to build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with their neighbours.”
The UN human rights office is demanding an investigation into reports of massacres, while the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is demanding humanitarian access to al-Suwaida province. According to the UN, more than 120,000 people in Syria have been forced to flee their homes during the latest escalation.
Since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the rise to power of the new al-Sharaa-led government, Syria has seen periodic outbreaks of inter-ethnic and sectarian violence. In addition to Sunni Arabs, the country is populated by Alawites, Druze, Kurds and Christian Arabs. Parts of Syria remain outside the control of the central authorities.