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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 21 people, including two children, have been killed and around 50 others injured in armed clashes between Bedouin tribes and members of the Druze community in Syria's southern Suwayda province, a war monitor reported on Sunday.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) relayed that 'the death toll from armed confrontations and mutual shelling in the al-Maqous neighborhood, east of Suwayda city, and other areas in the province has risen to 21, including two children'
Among the fatalities are 17 members of the Druze community and four Bedouin tribesmen, all from Suwayda province, SOHR added. The monitor also noted that 'approximately 50 people have been injured, some of them critically, including children.'
SOHR warned of the potential for further escalation, stating that 'dozens of [Druze] fighters from the Hauran region arrived in vehicles to back their kin.'
Meanwhile, Suwayda24, a local outlet focused on southern Syria's Druze-majority province, on Sunday cited local security officials as the violence to 'a recent robbery on the Damascus-Suwayda road, which targeted a businessman,' sparking a series of retaliatory kidnappings between the two communities.
Suwayda Governor Mustapha al-Bakkour has appealed for calm, urging all parties to "exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform." Several Druze spiritual leaders have echoed these calls, demanding de-escalation and intervention from Damascus to restore order.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on Sunday that internal security forces from neighboring Daraa province launched an "organized security deployment along the administrative borders' with Suwayda. The move aims to 'prevent the violence from spreading and to contain any fallout that could impact stability, especially in eastern rural Daraa.'
Amid the violence, Syria's education ministry announced the postponement of Monday's secondary certificate exams in Suwayda, citing 'concerns for the safety of students and staff.' A new date will be set later, the ministry added.
The current hostilities mark the most significant outbreak of deadly violence in Suwayda since earlier this year, when clashes between Druze groups and Damascus-affiliated security forces resulted in dozens of casualties. While local leaders are reportedly attempting to mediate the current situation, no official intervention has yet been announced.
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