Peaceful protest against the Syrian regime in Sweida, on Sept. 29, 2023. (Credit: Sam Hariri/AFP)
Since July 13, the Sweida region has been suffering steadily. Never before has the division between Damascus and the Druze community, which has made this southern mountain its stronghold, been so severe.After a few days of fighting, initially between the Druze and local Bedouin tribes, the arrival of government forces in the province on July 14 turned the situation into a nightmare.The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimated on July 24 that at least 814 people had died in two weeks in Sweida, a province beyond the reach of the Syrian Army, which acting president Ahmad al-Sharaa has been trying to bring back into Damascus’s fold since Bashar Assad’s fall in December 2024. Current diplomatic situation Druze Sheikh Aql extends a hand to Hijri: Are Lebanese Druze working toward de-escalation in Sweida? Relatively concentrated...
Since July 13, the Sweida region has been suffering steadily. Never before has the division between Damascus and the Druze community, which has made this southern mountain its stronghold, been so severe.After a few days of fighting, initially between the Druze and local Bedouin tribes, the arrival of government forces in the province on July 14 turned the situation into a nightmare.The Syrian Network for Human Rights estimated on July 24 that at least 814 people had died in two weeks in Sweida, a province beyond the reach of the Syrian Army, which acting president Ahmad al-Sharaa has been trying to bring back into Damascus’s fold since Bashar Assad’s fall in December 2024. Current diplomatic situation Druze Sheikh Aql extends a hand to Hijri: Are Lebanese Druze working toward de-escalation in Sweida? Relatively concentrated...