On Tuesday, July 15, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that it would deploy forces into the southern city of Suwayda, which is predominantly Druze, and declared a curfew in the city.
According to AFP, Druze spiritual leaders released a statement confirming their approval of the government forces’ entry and urged Druze groups to hand over their weapons.
The ministry announced that government forces have begun entering the city of Suwayda, located in southern Syria and under the control of Druze fighters.
A curfew has been declared in the city. The Ministry of Defense called on Suwayda residents to “stay in their homes and report all movements of illegal groups.”
The decision by the interim central government to enter Suwayda came after two days of intense clashes.
The fighting initially broke out between Druze fighters in the area and Bedouin tribes backed by Damascus.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 99 people were killed in the clashes. Among them were 60 Druze (including two women and two children), 18 Bedouins, 14 members of the Damascus interim government’s security forces, and 7 unidentified armed individuals.
The Suwayda province is home to the largest Druze community in Syria. The Druze are an esoteric ethnoreligious group derived from Islam, with approximately 700,000 members in Syria. They also have established communities in Lebanon and Israel.
Source: ANF News
