AhlulBayt News Agency: Armed forces aligned with the ruling Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have launched violent assaults on the Druze minority in Syria’s southwestern provinces of Sweida and Dara’a.
A UK-based observer group reported that at least 37 people were killed in the clashes, including 27 Druze, two of whom were children.
Syrian media confirmed intense fighting in Suwayda and Dara’a, noting that armed conflict led to the shutdown of the Damascus–Suwayda highway.
A Syrian regime source told AFP anonymously that the government is deploying security units to contain the unrest.
Suwayda’s governor Mustapha al-Bakur appealed to residents to remain calm and support national reform.
Druze religious leaders also called for restraint and urged Damascus to intervene. State-run outlet SANA confirmed that security units were positioned along Suwayda and Dara’a’s administrative borders to stabilize the situation.
This marks the first significant wave of deadly violence in the region since April–May, when HTS-Druze clashes claimed dozens of lives.
Since the collapse of Syria’s former government, concerns have grown over the welfare of minorities under the HTS-led administration of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.
Past confrontations between HTS fighters and the Druze community have raised alarms about possible sectarian violence.
The Druze have historically backed the Assad government and opposed Israeli occupation and expansion in territories such as the Golan Heights.
Since early 2025, the UK and EU have gradually relaxed sanctions on Syria. Recently, US president Donald Trump announced the lifting of all sanctions on the Jolani-led regime in exchange for normalized ties with Israel.
Jolani assured the West that Syria would normalize relations, recognize the Israeli state, and exchange ambassadors by the end of 2026.
As part of this reported deal, the HTS regime plans to transfer control of the occupied Golan Heights to Israel.
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