Syrian Druze warn peace mission turned into bloodshed
Disorder erupts in the Druze-stronghold of Sweida
When government troops entered Sweida on Tuesday, the Druze community anticipated a conclusion to a week‑long sectarian standoff. Instead, reports of executions, looting and arson surfaced, forcing thousands of the minority to flee.
Local accounts of brutality
- Rayan Maarouf, editor in chief of Suwayda 24 blamed Government forces and their allies for “savage practices” and a lack of precise death figures.
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented 12 civilians executed in a guesthouse—a single incident among many.
- AFP correspondents reported stables of smoke rising from multiple districts covering an estimated 150,000 residents.
- A resident, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid retribution, described armed men in civilian clothes “looting shops and setting fire to them.”
Historical cycle of violence
The current outbreak mirrors past episodes since the demise of Bashar al‑Assad in December. Recruited insurgents joined the refreshed Syrian army, while ununiformed fighters perpetrated widespread civilian violence.
In March, more than 1,700 civilians—most of them Alawite supporters—fell to government forces and allies in coastal attacks.
Swide infiltration and the Bedouin alliance
Government troops, paired with Bedouin fighters, entered Sweida to quell violence that had claimed over 100 lives earlier in the week. Witnesses and Druze leaders opposed the assertion of a “complete ceasefire.”
One AFP video displayed Bedouin fighters riding a government tank, brandishing weapons in celebration.
Reckless iconoclasm and cultural desecration
Statues toppled in public squares followed by an unverified video of a militant forcibly shaving an elderly Druze’s moustache—a grave insult in the community.
Israel’s asserted protective intervention
Israel launched air strikes against forces in Sweida, claiming it protected Druze residents, though analysts contended it pursued strategic objectives.
AFPA correspondents spotted a Syrian army vehicle struck directly in the city centre, with bodies left dangling beside it.
Displacement and refuge
Thousands fled to the Jordanian border, as Maarouf said. In Walgha, a displaced group sheltered in a mosque.
