Alhurra Reports from Sweida: Corpses Exposed, Streets Abandoned
Smoke continues to rise from the doors and windows of homes in the village of As-Sawra al-Kabira, north of Sweida, four days after it was stormed and looted.
This was the second raid on the village in less than two and a half months, but it was far more brutal than the first in every way.
The bodies of those killed last Sunday night still lie exposed, while the fate of others remains unknown after being kidnapped.
Residents have fled to safer areas, to the extent that our colleague Hanna Khoshan, Alhurra’s correspondent, could not find a single person to speak to.
He was only able to reach the village from Damascus with the help of security personnel who refused to speak on camera.
Even the village church did not escape this time, after being spared during the first raid.
Infrastructure such as phone lines and electricity has been completely destroyed. There are no communications, and the village will not have electricity anytime soon.
Those Hanna managed to contact by phone, being from the village himself, see no light at the end of the spiral of violence that has plagued Syria for years.
The Government vs. Minorities Once Again
The ceasefire in Sweida, southern Syria, failed despite intense efforts to restore order after the situation spiraled into bloody sectarian conflict.
Clashes erupted between what is believed to be the Syrian army and militias affiliated with Arab tribes on one side, and Druze militias refusing to join the government of President Ahmad Al-Sharaa on the other.
Skirmishes between the Druze and Syria’s new authorities have broken out several times this year, particularly in Jaramana and Sweida. But in recent hours, the violence has become bloodier after the Syrian army, alongside armed militias, entered the Druze-majority province, further complicating matters.
The Israeli army also entered the fray after repeatedly pledging to protect Syria’s Druze. It launched airstrikes on Syrian army convoys and tanks in Sweida and targeted military and security sites in Daraa.
The capital, Damascus, also witnessed airstrikes on the Syrian General Staff headquarters—a significant and “worrying” development, as described by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He confirmed that Washington is working to defuse tensions between Syria and Israel.
Later, Rubio announced that he had contacted all parties involved in the clashes and agreed on specific steps to “end this alarming and horrific situation tonight.”
While one of the leading Druze religious figures, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Jarbou, announced the terms of an agreement with the Syrian government, fighting could still be heard in Sweida.
At the same time, another Druze cleric, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, declared, “There is no agreement, no negotiations, and no mandate with the Damascus government,” calling for continued “legitimate defense against the criminal armed terrorist gangs.”
Meanwhile, thousands gathered in Al-Assi Square in Damascus for a march in support of Al-Sharaa and his government, condemning “Israeli aggression.”
Fears for Minorities Under the New Order
What happened in Sweida brought back memories of massacres in Syria’s coastal region when armed groups, some affiliated with the Syrian government, targeted the Alawite minority. These events have fueled further fears about how the new regime will handle minorities and its ability to control militias that are not yet part of a formal military structure capable of defining roles and responsibilities.
Hundreds of armed men committed clear human rights violations in Sweida, including beating and humiliating residents and forcibly shaving the mustaches of Druze men.
Although the order to enter Sweida came from Al-Sharaa’s government, it condemned these “shameful events” in a statement, vowing to hold perpetrators accountable.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported around 200 deaths, including 21 executed in field-style killings. It warned that these acts “are not merely random violence, but a direct result of the rise in sectarian, inflammatory, and jihadist rhetoric as part of efforts to re-engineer Syrian society along exclusionary and vengeful lines.”
Who Are the Druze?
The Druze are an Arab minority whose religious practices originated within Islam. They live in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and the Golan Heights. In Syria, most reside in Sweida province near the Jordanian border, in areas adjacent to the Golan Heights, and in the Jaramana suburb of Damascus.
Like other minorities, particularly the Alawites, the Druze once had special arrangements under French colonial rule, which established a state called “Jabal Al-Druze” centered in Sweida until 1936.
The Druze have a cohesive identity and a distinctive faith that emerged in the 11th century, incorporating elements of Islam and other philosophies, emphasizing monotheism, reincarnation, and the pursuit of truth. They maintain a degree of secrecy around their religious practices.
After Syria’s civil war began in 2011, the Druze organized protests against Bashar al-Assad but largely avoided the mass violence seen elsewhere. They were occasionally attacked by other groups, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Sunni Islamist militants. However, what has occurred recently is unprecedented in the history of Syria’s Druze community.