Dozens killed in sectarian clashes in Syria as concern over protection of minorities intensifies

Ya Libnan

2 days ago

Screen capture from video purporting to show clashes between Syrian Druze and Bedouin militias in the area of Sweida, southern Syria, July 13, 2025.
At least 37 people have been killed in clashes in southern Syria as authorities sent forces to de-escalate the situation.
Scores of people were also injured in the violence between Bedouin Sunni tribes and fighters from the Druze religious minority in the city of Sweida.
Syria's interior ministry said at least 30 people were killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, put the death toll at 37.
Fighting between different minority groups has escalated since the collapse of the Assad regime in December.
A new Islamic-led government is working to establish control within the country, which remains in a fragile situation.
At the end of last year, Sunni Islamist-rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed Damascus.
They toppled President Bashar al-Assad
, whose family had ruled the country for 54 years.
Syria's interior ministry said early on Monday its forces would directly intervene to resolve the conflict and halt the clashes, which it said had left 100 injured.
The governor of Sweida, Mustapha al-Bakur, called on his constituents to 'exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform'.
Spiritual leaders have also called for calm.
In April and May clashes between the new security forces and Druze fighters killed dozens of people.
The Druze faith is an off-shoot of Islam, with sizeable communities also in Lebanon, Jordan , Israel and the US. Under the Assad regime, many were quietly loyal to the state in the hope it would offer protection during the 13-year-long civil war.
Lack of protection of Minorities by the regime
Earlier this month, people from the Druze community told the BBC they were not only worried about physical attacks but also
not being protected by the new government
.
In recent months, hundreds of people have also been killed from the Alawite minority, a branch of Shia Islam, and worshippers inside a church in Damascus have also been attacked.
Western countries have sought to reset relations with Syria. The US took HTS off its list of foreign terrorist organisations this month, while Foreign Secretary David Lammy become the first UK minister to visit Syria since the uprising that led to the country's civil war began 14 years ago.
BBC