The Daily Populous Friday July 18th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by ynetnews.com and submitted by NotSoSaneExile

Syrian Bedouin fighters launched a new offensive Thursday in the southern province of Sweida against Druze fighters, defying a truce announced the previous evening aimed at ending days of deadly clashes, a Bedouin military commander said.

The commander said the ceasefire applied only to government forces, not Bedouin fighters, who said they were trying to free detained Bedouins held by Druze armed groups in recent days.

8 View gallery Syrian government forces in Sweida ( Photo: Hisam Hac Omer/Anadolu/Reuters )

Residents in the southern Syrian city of Sweida , home to the country’s largest Druze community, began emerging Thursday to survey widespread destruction after five days of brutal fighting between Druze fighters, Bedouin militants and Syrian regime forces. More than 500 people were killed in the clashes, which included reports of massacres and acts of humiliation against Druze civilians by Sunni jihadist gunmen.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the death toll includes 79 Druze fighters, 154 civilians—83 of whom were executed—and 243 regime troops. Eighteen Bedouin fighters were also killed and the monitor reported that three others were executed by Druze gunmen. An additional 15 regime soldiers were killed in Israeli airstrikes Wednesday, the group said.

The violence followed an assault by Bedouin militants and regime forces, both largely Sunni, on Sweida and nearby areas. The clashes prompted strong Israeli airstrikes on Damascus , including the Syrian Defense Ministry and the presidential palace, as a warning to President Ahmad al-Sharaa and a demand that he withdraw troops from the region.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect late Wednesday, prompting the overnight withdrawal of most regime forces from the area. By Thursday afternoon, Druze residents emerged to find streets littered with bodies, burned vehicles, looted shops and homes reduced to rubble.

8 View gallery Destruction in Sweida ( Photo: Shadi AL-DUBAISI / AFP )

8 View gallery More destruciton in Sweida

“It’s as if the city went through a natural disaster or flood,” said Hendi Ubaid, a 39-year-old doctor, speaking to AFP. “I saw three bodies in the street, including an elderly woman. Burned and overturned cars were everywhere. Even a tank had caught fire.”

The smell of decay was pervasive and many areas remained deserted except for stray dogs. Local armed men patrolled streets still closed to traffic. An AFP reporter counted at least 15 corpses in the city center, where street battles had raged, though it was unclear whether the dead were civilians or combatants. Several of the bodies appeared decomposed, indicating they had been there for days.

Hospitals were overwhelmed with dozens of corpses brought in from homes and streets. According to Marwin Mer’ouf, editor of the local news outlet Suwayda 24, one hospital reported at least 150 bodies. He said the facility could no longer receive additional corpses and that essential treatments such as dialysis had been disrupted. “This is a humanitarian catastrophe,” he said.

Syrian regime forces leaving Swedia ( Video: X )

Following the regime's retreat, many Bedouin families fled south toward Daraa, fearing reprisals by Druze forces. “We want to save our children’s lives,” said Wadaa al-Awad, 58, from Sweida. “This is our fate. We are afraid and just want to be left alone.”

Hussam al-Khaled, from the village of al-Dur, told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that many Bedouin residents were traumatized. “We lived through days without basic necessities. Our children are scared. Now that the troops have withdrawn, we don’t know what comes next.”

Aisha al-Ahmed, another resident, said her family returned to find their home burned and the neighborhood in fear. “We decided to leave to protect our children and families,” she said.

8 View gallery Syrian Sharia regime forces in battles against Druze in Sweida ( Photo: Bakr ALkasem / AFP )

8 View gallery Regime forces fighting in Sweida ( Photo: Omar Haj Kadour/ AFP )

8 View gallery The clashes in the Sweida province of Syria ( Photo: Hisam Hac Omer/Anadolu/Reuters )

Under the ceasefire agreement, al-Sharaa withdrew regime forces and transferred security responsibility to local Druze leadership. Senior Druze figures agreed to reintegrate Sweida Governorate into the Syrian state, with regime officials participating in policing. However, implementation remains unclear and some Druze leaders have rejected any continued regime presence, demanding full withdrawal.

Sweida is home to roughly 700,000 Druze, a religious minority with distinct beliefs and practices. The community has long feared regime efforts to undermine their autonomy and forcibly integrate them into Sunni Islam. In April, over 100 people were killed in similar clashes. A temporary agreement in May had allowed Druze fighters to maintain local control.

IDF strikes in Damascus ( Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit )

Israel’s role in supporting the Druze has become increasingly overt. The Israeli airstrikes that preceded the ceasefire targeted key government sites in Damascus. In a televised speech Wednesday night, al-Sharaa condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of sowing chaos but acknowledged that the truce aimed to prevent a broader war.

He also condemned atrocities committed by regime forces against Druze civilians, calling them “criminal acts” that contradict Syrian state principles. Al-Sharaa pledged investigations and said those responsible would face legal consequences, whether individuals or armed groups operating outside the law.

8 View gallery Bedouins flee Sweida, Syria, fearing reprisals after end of fighting against Druze

Similar promises followed earlier atrocities, including a March massacre of Alawites—another religious minority—by forces aligned with the new regime. Al-Sharaa, who came to power in December after a coup that ousted Bashar Assad, has struggled to unify the country under a single government.

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Though a former al-Qaida affiliate and rebel commander, al-Sharaa claims to have moderated. Despite skepticism from Israel and others, he has made diplomatic gains, including a meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump and the lifting of some sanctions. Diplomatic ties with Damascus have resumed in several capitals.

8 View gallery Defense Ministry building attacked in Damascus, Syria

Meanwhile, Syrian government adviser Ibrahim al-Alabi said Thursday that Israeli strikes on Damascus have delayed efforts to inspect and destroy leftover chemical weapons stockpiles from the Assad era. A planned visit by international inspectors has been postponed due to the recent attacks, he said.

PhillipLlerenas on July 18th, 2025 at 01:01 UTC »

At this point, what exactly is the argument for keeping Syria intact? None of these religious and ethnic groups get along or want to live with one another in one state.

The only way for Syria to survive with any kind of instability will have to be for another strongman like Assad to gain power and brutally suppress all nationalist feeling.

Otherwise it’s just gonna be this endless cycle of massacres and retribution for the massacres.

It’s time to let these old imperialist constructs die and create new realities on the ground.

Sinosca on July 17th, 2025 at 16:36 UTC »

I'm sure this will all just blow over nicely.

NotSoSaneExile on July 17th, 2025 at 16:20 UTC »

In Sweida, Syria, brutal fighting between Druze fighters, Bedouin militants, and regime forces left over 500 people dead in five days, with reports of massacres and mass graves.

A US brokered ceasefire halted the regime's assault, but Bedouin fighters rejected it, claiming they were trying to free detained relatives.

Israeli airstrikes on Damascus pressured Syria's new ruler, al-Sharaa, to withdraw forces, but the city was left devastated with looted homes and overwhelmed hospitals.

Many Druze reject any return of regime forces, while Bedouins fear revenge attacks and are fleeing the area.