The Syrian defence ministry said on Tuesday it was aware of reports of "shocking violations" by people wearing military fatigues in the country's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, and said it would launch an investigation.
Bags containing bodies lie on the ground at Sweida National Hospital in Sweida, Syria, July 22, 2025
The Syrian defence ministry said on Tuesday it was aware of reports of "shocking violations" by people wearing military fatigues in the country's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, and said it would launch an investigation.
Sectarian clashes have escalated in Sweida this month between the Druze - a religious minority native to the area - and Syrian Bedouin tribes. Ferocious fighting then broke out between Druze militia and government forces sent to the city to quell the unrest.
The fighting left over 300 people dead and drew in neighbouring Israel, which carried out airstrikes in southern Syria and on the defence ministry in Damascus last week. Israel said it was protecting the Druze, who form a significant minority in Israel.
On Friday, Israel and Syria agreed to a ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan and neighbours.
Syria's Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said in a statement there would be "no tolerance" for perpetrators of human rights violations in Sweida, even if they were committed by ministry forces.
A committee has been formed to investigate reports of killings by people wearing military fatigues and to try to identify them, he said.
Reporting by Maya Gebeily, Menna Alaa El-Din and Muhammad Al Gebaly
A Syrian government fact-finding committee said on Tuesday that 1,426 people had died in March in attacks on security forces and subsequent mass killings of Alawites, but concluded that commanders had not given orders for the revenge attacks.
A growing number of Druze residents in the Golan Heights are applying for Israeli citizenship in what appears to be a historic realignment of identity and loyalty within the community.
Hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday as part of a U.S.-backed truce meant to end fighting that has killed hundreds of people, state media and witnesses said.
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