Three days of clashes between Bedouin tribes and local fighters in the predominantly Druze city of Suwayda [9] in southern Syria left some 300 dead before a ceasefire was brokered by the government July 16. Amid the fighting, Israeli warplanes bombed Syrian government tanks as they advanced on Suwayda, and also struck military targets around Damascus—including the defense ministry building. Some 1,000 Israeli Druze also amassed on the Purple Line, separating Israeli-controlled and Syrian-controlled territory in the Golan Heights, saying they were prepared to cross over to protect their bretheren in Suwayda. IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal As'ad, a prominent member of Israel's Druze community, accused Syrian transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa of seeking to "eliminate the Druze," and criticized Israel for seeking peace with Damascus even amid the attacks. (ToI [11], ToI [12], Al Jazeera [13], DW [14], TNA [15])
The local Bedouin militias appear to be aligned with the Syrian transitional government, and government forces sent in to put down the fighting apparently clashed with local Druze militias. One prominent Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, has disavowed the truce agreement entered into by other Druze officials in Suwayda. (AP [16])
After the violence subsided, al-Sharaa pledged to protect Syria's Driuze, but added: "From the moment the Assad regime fell, the Israeli entity has repeatedly tried to undermine our stability and sow discord among us, and is working to turn our pure land into an arena of chaos." (Reuters [17])
