Tribal Fighters Torch Homes, Vow to 'Slaughter' Druze as Deadly Clashes Rage in Southern Syria
Brutal videos circulating on social media — some appearing to show executions of civilians and abuse of Druze elders — have drawn widespread outrage and highlighted the escalating sectarian brutality of the conflict.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Smoke billowed over southern Syria’s Sweida province on Saturday as Arab tribal fighters continued a brutal assault on Druze-majority neighborhoods, despite a declared ceasefire by the country’s interim president, according to AFP.
Fighter Abu Jassem, one of the tribal combatants reportedly allied with the Syrian authorities, was filmed calling on fellow fighters to press forward and “slaughter them in their homes,” referring to the Druze population. The streets of Sweida city, home to around 150,000 people, were largely deserted amid the ongoing violence.
The tribal forces, which include Bedouins and other groups from across Syria, have been clashing with Druze fighters since July 13. The death toll has surged to at least 940, according to monitoring sources cited by AFP.
An AFP correspondent on the ground described scenes of devastation: dozens of homes and vehicles set ablaze, shops looted and torched, and armed men firing automatic weapons in the streets. Some fighters were seen wearing headbands inscribed with Islamic slogans, and others carried scissors — a chilling reference to videos showing the cutting of the moustaches of Druze elders and clergy, a profound insult in Druze culture.
The Druze, followers of a distinct monotheistic religion with roots in Shiite Islam, have often faced suspicion and hostility from hardline Sunni Islamist factions, some of whom now wield influence in Syria's fractured power structure.
Sweida Has Been Destroyed
Despite interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s announcement of an “immediate ceasefire” just hours earlier, tribal fighters continued their advance in the western parts of the city. Government security forces were deployed throughout the province on Saturday, with the stated goal of protecting civilians and curbing the chaos. But their efforts appeared limited, with AFP reporting that government troops were unable to stop tribal fighters from advancing at several checkpoints.
Interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba told AFP that the forces were deployed “to protect public and private property and guarantee the security of civilians” and were supervising the “withdrawal of the tribes that were in battle with outlaw groups,” referring to Druze fighters.
On Saturday afternoon, some tribal fighters reportedly began withdrawing, but violence persisted. AFP journalists witnessed bodies being dragged through the streets and burials taking place in open pits, as the city's morgue became overwhelmed. A local doctor told AFP that more than 400 bodies had been received at the hospital alone.
Conditions for civilians remain dire. With electricity and water supplies cut, food scarce, and communication largely severed, residents are trapped in worsening conditions. The United Nations estimates that at least 87,000 people have been displaced due to the fighting.
Brutal videos circulating on social media — some appearing to show executions of civilians and abuse of Druze elders — have drawn widespread outrage and highlighted the escalating sectarian brutality of the conflict.
“We have nothing left,” one displaced resident told AFP. “Most of the people we know — our relatives and friends — are dead. Sweida has been destroyed, and we are trying to keep our families away until this madness ends.”
