594 killed in Syria’s provinces as clashes escalate

Clashes in Syria’s Sweida province have left at least 594 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The violence erupted over several days and escalated with the arrival of government forces, as reported by France 24 on July 17th.

Among the dead are 300 Druze fighters and civilians from Sweida, including 154 civilians. Of these, 83 were “summarily executed by members of the defence and interior ministries”, the Observatory reported.

Fighting also claimed the lives of 257 government personnel and 18 Bedouin fighters. Druze fighters executed three captured Bedouin tribesmen during the clashes. Additionally, Israeli air strikes killed 15 more government personnel, and a journalist lost his life while covering the violence.

Despite reports of a ceasefire announced the previous evening, Bedouin fighters launched a renewed offensive against Druze groups in Sweida. A Bedouin commander said the ceasefire applied only to Syrian government forces, not to Bedouin fighters. He stated their objective was to free Bedouin prisoners recently detained by Druze armed groups.

Syrian state media reported fresh Israeli air strikes targeting areas near the Druze-majority city of Sweida. These strikes marked the first attack on the area following the withdrawal of Syrian government troops after recent clashes with local fighters. Syria’s SANA news agency stated: “Israeli occupation aircraft carried out a raid on the outskirts of Sweida city.”

The latest violence has underscored Sweida’s role in broader tensions between Syria, Israel, and the country’s various sectarian and tribal factions.

France 24, Maghrebi.org