Druze militias enter Syria's Suwayda, forcing Bedouin tribes to flee PHOTO / VIDEO

Druze militias in Syria have entered Suwayda city following the withdrawal of the Internal Security Forces and the Syrian army from the province.

The militias began sweeping through the city’s neighbourhoods, as well as other villages and settlements in the rural areas, early in the morning, Caliber.Az reports, citing Syrian media.

The media report indicates the forced eviction of members of Arab tribes. Available information suggests that illegal armed groups are killing all tribe members they encounter and burning their homes.

A correspondent reported that since morning, there has been a sporadic exodus of Bedouin families along the road between the Deraa and As-Suwayda provinces, as they fear repression.

He noted that families from the tribes have taken refuge in mosques and schools in the town of Busra al-Harir in rural Deraa after being forced to leave As-Suwayda, where there are ongoing power outages and communication disruptions.

The violence began with the abduction of a Druze merchant on July 11, sparking clashes in As-Suwayda’s al-Maqwas neighbourhood. Druze militias attacked Bedouin areas, with fighting spreading to villages like Sumay and Mazraah. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 166–350 deaths by July 16. Syrian forces deployed to restore order clashed with Druze militias, led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who rejected a July 15 ceasefire. Israel conducted airstrikes, targeting Syrian military positions to “protect” the Druze, escalating tensions.

By Khagan Isayev