Daijiworld Media Network - Damascus
Damascus, Jul 20: In the strife-torn southern Syrian province of Al-Suwayda, members of the Druze community are sounding the alarm over what they describe as an “ethnic cleansing campaign,” following a week of deadly violence that has killed hundreds and forced tens of thousands to flee.
The fighting, sparked by the assault and robbery of a Druze vegetable vendor by Sunni men, quickly spiraled into tit-for-tat kidnappings and widespread sectarian clashes. Eyewitnesses and monitoring groups report deliberate attacks on Druze civilians, forced humiliations, and public executions.
“This is not a conflict anymore, this is extermination,” said 21-year-old Majd Al-Shaer, speaking to NDTV. “They are humiliating our elderly, killing our women and children. This is a campaign to wipe us out.”
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, over 940 people have been killed in Suwayda in the past week, including 326 Druze fighters, 262 Druze civilians—165 of them summarily executed—alongside 312 government troops and 21 Sunni Bedouins.
Videos circulating on social media show disturbing images of Druze men being publicly humiliated—some elderly forced to shave their moustaches before being executed. The attacks have shaken a community that largely stayed out of Syria’s civil war, but now finds itself at the center of a new crisis following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last December.
The rise of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa—better known by his former name Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of the Islamist group HTS—has deepened fears among minorities. Many Druze accuse his government of orchestrating attacks in alliance with Sunni Bedouin militias.
Armed Druze groups, operating under the newly formed Suwayda Military Council, have mobilized to defend civilians. Led by Tareq al-Shoufi, the council aims to restore order and push for a secular Syria. But it lacks full community support, with spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri rejecting the council’s legitimacy.
As atrocities mounted, Israel intervened with airstrikes targeting Syrian government positions near Suwayda and Damascus, citing protection of the Druze as its motive. “We demand the full demilitarisation of southern Syria,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In response, US envoy Tom Barrack announced a ceasefire on Friday, coordinated with Turkey, Jordan, and Israel. Interim president al-Sharaa confirmed the truce but blamed the unrest on “rogue Druze militias.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the violence as “rape and slaughter” and urged Damascus to rein in extremists and prosecute those responsible for atrocities.
Despite the ceasefire, reports of fresh mortar attacks and looting continued to emerge through Saturday. The Syrian interior ministry claimed it had cleared the region of Bedouin tribal fighters, but Druze communities remain unconvinced.
Over 87,000 people have been displaced from Suwayda in the past week. Many Druze fear this is only the beginning of a larger attempt to erase their community from Syria’s future.