Over 300 Killed in Southern Syria’s Sweida Amid Escalating Clashes

SWEIDA: More than 300 people have died in days of intense violence in Syria’s Sweida province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, raising the death toll from an earlier count of 248.

Since clashes began on Sunday, 69 Druze fighters and 40 civilians—including 27 reportedly executed by government forces—have been killed. Additionally, 165 government troops and 18 Bedouin fighters lost their lives. The Observatory also reported 10 government security personnel killed in Israeli airstrikes in the region.

The violence erupted after the kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, triggering retaliatory abductions between Druze and Bedouin groups, who have a long history of conflict.

Syrian government forces entered the Druze-majority city of Sweida to enforce a ceasefire, but witnesses claim they sided with Bedouin fighters in attacks against Druze civilians and fighters.

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Israel has vowed to protect the Druze community, with Defence Minister Israel Katz stating that Israeli forces will “operate forcefully” to eliminate hostile groups in the Sweida area until they fully withdraw.