Originally in southern Syria, intercommunity violence between local Druze and Bedouin communities, escalated to Israel bombs Syria’s Ministry of Defense and other goals Damascus, the capital.
The Syrian Ministry of Health said at least three people were killed in the Damascus attack. Other Israeli air strikes hit Suvada and Delaa’s southwestern provinces on Wednesday.
Suwayda (most of the population is a member of the Druze religious group) has been at the center of violence in recent days. Israel had already attacked Syrian government forces there earlier this week.
Israeli officials claim their attack on Syria is intended to protect the Druze community in Suvada, where dozens of people were killed in clashes involving local armed groups as well as government forces.
But local activists and analysts say Israel is continuing to bomb Syria to exacerbate internal conflicts in Suvada – which has been repeatedly sensation since former President Bashar al-Assad overthrew in December. Israel continues to attack Syrian government forces despite a ceasefire agreement between some Druze leaders and Syrian authorities.
“Israel is now not only drawing the whole [Druze] The community is pro-Israeli, but they portray it as supporting Israel’s bombing of Damascus. “Syrian expert and senior consultant at the International Crisis Group said Dareen Khalifa.
Take advantage of conflicts
According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, Suveda’s recent violence in Suwayda began when armed Bedouin groups kidnapped a Druze businessman on the road to Damascus.
Kidnapping quickly turned into a more common violence (long-standing competition) between the two communities, which ultimately dragged down Syrian government forces.
Syria’s new government has been trying to impose its power after the end of the civil war and half-century of Assad’s family rule. However, it is difficult to do so in Suwayda, mainly because of the repeated threats of Israel to any government forces in the province, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Suwayda’s Druze initially welcomed government deployments after the violence over the weekend, but clashes between some Druze fighters and these units soon began, according to reports of human rights violations, according to civilians, local surveillance cameras and analysts.
Experts say the actions taken by members of the security forces (which are considered “illegal criminal acts” by the Syrian president) are Israel’s excuses to Bangladesh Syria to try to make the country weak and divide and serve citizens of the Israeli army to make the country weak and divide.
“From an Israeli perspective, how they see Syria and how Syria should be – they prefer a weak central government and want the country to be managed and divided into sectarian autonomous enclaves,” said Syrian expert Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi, who has extensively studied local dynamics in Suwayda.
Al-Tamimi added that Suwayda’s reactions were mixed about Israel’s behavior, which showed the province’s lack of trust in the new government in Damascus, led by members of the Sunni majority in Syria, many of whom, including President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, including Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, a member of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, who was a former Al-eardialiation of Al-queda.
Suwayda civilians said the distrust was partly due to the government’s failure to hold combatants responsible for allowing or participating in the killing of hundreds of Alavis on the Syrian coast in March.
The Alavis belong to the branch of Shia Islam, a sect from which Al-Assad and his family are cheered. The government has investigated the battle, which More than 200 Syrian government security personnel He was also killed after being attacked by pro-Assad troops and is expected to be investigated in October.
Abuse and fear
Government forces are accused of human rights violations in Suwayda, including executions of captured soldiers.
“I personally want government forces to restore order, but that’s not the case,” said Fareed, a young man in the Druze community.
Local media Suwayda24 reported that after raiding a family compound on July 15, fighter jets were believed to have been linked to nine unarmed civilians in the government.
Al Jazeera’s verification unit Sanad confirmed the report.
Written questions have been sent to Syria’s Defense Ministry official Uday Al-Abdullah, asking him to respond to allegations of government forces’ execution of murders.
He did not respond before publication.
However, on Wednesday, the Syrian Ministry of Health said dozens of bodies were found in Suvada National Hospital, including security forces and civilians.
A ceasefire has been repeatedly reached between the Druze faction and the Syrian government. Druze leader Youssef Jarbou said a recent deal was that Suwayda was fully integrated into the Syrian country.
But, like agreeing to a ceasefire on Tuesday Israel continues to attack – The Druze faction, which previously supported the Al-Assad, rejected the ceasefire.
During the Civil War, clergy and armed Druze factions were able to negotiate de facto autonomy while driving out attacks from groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS).
After Al-Assad fell in December 2024, Al-Hijri asked the new authorities in Damascus to change the constitution to ensure greater regional autonomy for Suwayda and secularization.
Al-Tamimi told Al Jazeera: “His specific position – the government needs to rewrite the constitution is not Suvada’s majority position.
“[But after these government violations]Al-Hijir’s position may enjoy more sympathy and support,” Al-Tamimi warned.
Call for intervention
As the battle at al-Suwayda continued, Al-Hijri caused controversy, calling on the international community to protect Druze in Syria.
Critics feared his appeal was a cover-up request for Israeli intervention, and many in Suvada disagreed with that position.
Samya is a local activist who lives in a village several kilometers away from the conflict and the Israeli attack made her “discomfortable” and she did not support the intervention.
At the same time, she said she was increasingly worried that government forces would raid houses and endanger civilians.
“We don’t know what will happen,” she told Al Jazeera.
She added: “We don’t know who will come to our house, who that person will be, and what he might ask us once he enters. We don’t know how that person or soldier can treat us, you know?
Al-Tamimi warned that Israel’s discourse on “protecting” the Syrian Druz could exacerbate internal conflicts, leading to collective punishment.
“[What Israel is doing] He said Druze was working in secret with Israel to split the country’s proposal, which gave sectarian tension. ”
