Israel bombs Syrian province amid sectarian clashes

Israel’s military said that it targeted multiple tanks in Syria’s southern Suweida province on July 14th, where ongoing sectarian clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes have left dozens dead, according to The New Arab plus agencies. 

The military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, wrote on X that the military struck “several tanks a short while ago in the area of Sami village (in the Suweida region) in southern Syria. To be continued”.

This statement followed reports that six Syrian security personnel- dispatched to pacify the deadly sectarian unrest- were killed in Suweida, a mainly Druze city, according to a security source who spoke to Reuters.

July 13th marked the first instance of sectarian violence erupting within Suweida city itself, after months of escalating tensions throughout the province, as Druze militia clashed with Bedouin tribal fighters.

A Syrian monitoring group reported that the death toll from the ongoing violence has reached 89, although The New Arab was unable to independently confirm the number.

The violence led Syria’s security forces to send units to the provincial capital in an effort to restore order and ensure safe passage for civilians trying to flee, according to a statement from the defence ministry.

However, heavy fighting resumed on July 14th, local news outlet Sweida24 reported. A defence ministry source told Reuters that at least six Syrian soldiers were killed during the renewed clashes.

This incident is the latest in a series of sectarian flare-ups in Syria, where concerns among minority communities have intensified in the months following the fall of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. 

Rebel factions that had opposed Assad during the conflict agreed in December to dissolve and join the defence ministry. However, efforts to incorporate armed groups from minority communities, such as the Druze and Kurds, have largely faltered.

Previously, residents and elders in Suweida, a predominantly Druze province, had reached an agreement with the Syrian government to fully integrate into the state, placing local security services under the control of the Ministry of Interior. The deal enables the government to appoint a governor and police chief from outside the region, while local police forces will be staffed by Suweida residents.

In southern Syria, the situation has been further complicated by Israel’s declared stance that Syria’s newly formed army should not be allowed to operate south of Damascus, and that Suweida and surrounding regions should serve as a demilitarised zone — a stance that challenges the sovereignty of the Syrian state.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab stated in a written message published by state media that the “absence of state institutions, especially military and security institutions, is a major cause of the ongoing tensions in Sweida and its countryside”.

Witnesses reported that the outbreak of violence on July 13th followed a series of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on July 11th along the highway connecting Damascus to Suweida.

The New Arab plus agencies, Reuters, Maghrebi.org, Sweida24