Clashes in Sweida: Salam and Joumblatt urge 'restraint' in Lebanon

BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged 'restraint' during a phone call with Druze leader Walid Joumblatt on Thursday, following recent clashes in Sweida, southern Syria, between Sunday and Wednesday.

According to the Grand Serail, Salam and Joumblatt insisted on the importance "of preserving Syria’s unity and promoting understanding among all its citizens under the authority of the Syrian state." They also underscored "the need, in Lebanon, to act with wisdom and restraint, and to avoid reactions likely to trigger internal tensions among citizens of the same country."

The head of government also praised the efforts undertaken by the Druze leader to "prevent any internal incident that threatens the country’s stability and the restoration of state authority, which remains the reference point for all Lebanese."

Read more about Sweida

Israel strikes Syria as Sweida clashes kill over 350: Everything you need to know this Thursday

The clashes in Sweida have left more than 350 dead since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The violence broke out between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, prompting government forces to intervene in support of the latter and to deploy in the city.

On Wednesday night, a new cease-fire was declared and government forces withdrew from the region, following in particular a series of heavy Israeli strikes on Damascus and southern Syria. Israel said it conducted the strike to support the Druze.

In the aftermath, in Lebanon, former Lebanese minister Wi'am Wahhab, head of the Druze Tawhid Party, announced Tuesday the creation of a new armed formation called the "Tawhid Army," calling for "armed resistance." On Wednesday, Salam had already called on the Lebanese to "steer clear of discord and prioritize the supreme national interest," after an altercation broke out between several youths and a man dressed in traditional Druze attire in the village of Marj, in the Bekaa.

Solidarity gatherings with the Druze of Sweida took place Wednesday in the Bekaa and other regions of the country, while in the afternoon dozens gathered for a sit-in in Tripoli’s al-Nour Square in support of the Damascus regime and to condemn the Israeli bombings.