The IDF Spokesperson announced Monday afternoon that it had "recently struck several tanks in the area between As-Sijn and Sama Al-Kharab in southern Syria," after those tanks advanced toward As-Suwayda, the provincial capital, in response to fierce clashes between Druze groups and armed Bedouins. This marks the first significant direct confrontation between Israel and forces loyal to Ahmed al-Sharaa since May, when a previous round of violence also erupted between the new regime and the Druze population in southern Syria.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the victims included 27 Druze, among them two children, and 10 Bedouins. Syria's Interior Ministry reported "more than 30 dead and nearly 100 wounded." The Damascus–As-Suwayda highway was closed in the wake of the fighting.
Video: Armed Druze fighters during the exchange of fire in As-Suwayda, Syria // Arab Networks
The Interior Ministry announced overnight that Syrian security forces would begin a "direct intervention in the area to resolve the conflict, stop the clashes, restore security, pursue those responsible, and bring them to justice." Syria's Defense Ministry, quoted by the official SANA news agency, said the delay in responding was due to an "institutional vacuum."
The Observatory said al-Sharaa's forces were fighting alongside Bedouin militias against the Druze. Footage purportedly from the area shows armed Druze men capturing and beating members of al-Sharaa's forces. Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a vocal opponent of the regime, issued a statement Monday morning calling for "urgent protection from the international community" and rejecting the entry of Syrian security forces into the region.
The current flare-up comes amid reports of warming ties between Israel and al-Sharaa's regime, which enjoys significant backing from the White House. Two days ago, reports from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, indicated that Israeli and Syrian officials had met to discuss a possible renewed implementation of the 1974 disengagement agreement.
According to Syrian reports, the current violence began when a Druze youth was stopped, robbed, and left wounded by armed men on the road from As-Suwayda to Damascus. In retaliation, Druze residents captured individuals from Bedouin tribes, leading to full-scale clashes.
Fighting between the sides was concentrated in the Makwas neighborhood east of As-Suwayda, a predominantly Bedouin area. Simultaneously, Bedouin gunmen launched attacks on Druze villages on the western and northern outskirts of the city.
Eyewitnesses reported explosions in several neighborhoods of As-Suwayda and at least one house on fire. Local leaders were reportedly mediating to calm tensions and negotiate the release of hostages held by both sides.
Mustafa al-Baqour, the governor of As-Suwayda—who remains in office despite reports of his resignation in May after an armed assault on his office—urged residents "to exercise restraint and respond to national calls for reform."
This is the most serious confrontation since April and May, when unrest was sparked by a fake audio recording attributed to a Druze sheikh, allegedly containing insults against the Prophet Muhammad. That incident left dozens dead in clashes between al-Sharaa's forces and Druze fighters. During that round of violence, Israel also intervened directly, pledging to ensure the safety of the Druze community and striking near the presidential palace in Damascus.
