At least 37 people have been killed in fierce sectarian clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in southern Syria’s Suweida province, marking one of the deadliest flare-ups in the region in recent months.
The violence erupted Sunday in Suweida city, a stronghold of the Druze minority, following the reported abduction of a Druze merchant along the strategic highway linking the province to Damascus. What began as a local incident quickly spiraled into a full-scale confrontation between armed factions.
According to Syria’s Interior Ministry and the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the clashes have left 27 Druze — including two children — and 10 Bedouin fighters dead. Shelling was reported in the towns of Sumay and Mazraah, while residents of Tayrah village fled after armed assailants set homes ablaze.
The Syrian Interior Ministry labeled the situation “a dangerous escalation” and blamed a breakdown in institutional authority for the deteriorating security environment. Officials said the unrest began in the al-Maqwas neighborhood — home to a large Bedouin population — which was reportedly encircled and seized by Druze militias.
In response, Bedouin fighters launched counterattacks on Druze-populated areas to the city’s west and north. Amid mounting casualties, the government announced it would intervene in coordination with the Defense Ministry to restore stability.
Suweida Governor Mustapha al-Bakur called for calm, urging residents to “exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform.” Leading Druze spiritual figures also appealed to both sides to de-escalate.
