A Druze man observes a young militiaman, also Druze, from the « Civil Defense Organization » in Jaramana, in this city in the suburbs of Damascus, on May 1, 2025. (Credit: Charles Cuau)
“I thought I was going to die,” confides Ann*. For two days, the young woman remained confined to her home in Jaramana, following developments through her neighborhood's WhatsApp group.On Monday evening, clashes erupted in this predominantly Druze and Christian city southeast of Damascus, before spreading to Sahnaya and then to the south of the country. More than 100 people were killed in a matter of days in clashes between Druze and Sunni militias, after a blasphemous audio message attributed to a Druze sheikh circulated, prompting government forces to intervene. The audio message was not confirmed to have been true.The violence revived deep anxieties following the massacres of Alawites on the Syrian coast last March. “We’re afraid of experiencing the same thing,” says Souleiman*, a Christian from Jaramana. After two days at home,...
“I thought I was going to die,” confides Ann*. For two days, the young woman remained confined to her home in Jaramana, following developments through her neighborhood's WhatsApp group.On Monday evening, clashes erupted in this predominantly Druze and Christian city southeast of Damascus, before spreading to Sahnaya and then to the south of the country. More than 100 people were killed in a matter of days in clashes between Druze and Sunni militias, after a blasphemous audio message attributed to a Druze sheikh circulated, prompting government forces to intervene. The audio message was not confirmed to have been true.The violence revived deep anxieties following the massacres of Alawites on the Syrian coast last March. “We’re afraid of experiencing the same thing,” says Souleiman*, a Christian from Jaramana. After two days...
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