Amman: Sectarian clashes have erupted in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria, leaving more than 30 people dead and over 100 injured, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry.
The violence broke out following a spate of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on the main highway connecting Damascus to Sweida. Local sources say the abduction triggered retaliation by armed Druze groups, who surrounded and seized the Maqwas neighborhood — an area largely inhabited by Bedouin tribes.
The clashes, which erupted in the city center for the first time, mark a dangerous escalation in sectarian tensions in the region. Rayan Marouf, a Druze researcher who runs the Suwayda24 website, warned that the situation could spiral into a wider crisis if not contained quickly.
Witnesses said Bedouin tribal fighters launched counterattacks on Druze villages on the western and northern outskirts of Sweida, leading to intense street fighting. The Interior Ministry confirmed that security forces would intervene directly in Sweida to restore order and urged local communities to cooperate to end the bloodshed.
A medical source reported that at least 15 bodies have been taken to the Sweida state hospital, with dozens of severely wounded transferred to nearby Deraa for treatment.
The latest bloodshed comes at a time of heightened tensions among Syria’s minority groups. Since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces last December, sporadic sectarian violence has continued to flare up, threatening the fragile stability in parts of the country.
Earlier this year, hundreds of Alawites were killed in attacks widely seen as revenge for loyalist crackdowns before Assad’s fall. The Sweida clashes now stand out as one of the deadliest sectarian flare-ups since the official end of the civil war last year, underscoring how deep divisions and local conflicts continue to haunt Syria’s transition period.
Security forces have vowed to restore calm and are calling for dialogue between the warring communities to prevent further violence and loss of life.
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