Syrian regime troops have taken control of most of Sweida, the capital of the Druze Mountain region, in a brutal assault marked by mass executions, humiliations, and house-to-house killings targeting the Druze minority.
According to reports emerging Tuesday, at least nine members of the Radwan family, known for its affiliation with one of the Druze militias, were slaughtered in their home by regime forces. Shocking images showing their bodies strewn across the family's living room have spread on social media, sparking outrage across Syria.
Video: Regime soldiers in Syria shave the mustache of a Druze community elder /// Arab networks
Footage also showed mass arrests of Druze militia members, with detainees beaten, threatened and humiliated. Although Syrian air force strikes destroyed several regime tanks and vehicles, they failed to halt the offensive, and Syrian government forces continued to deepen their grip on the city, home to roughly 50,000 residents. Nevertheless, Druze militias were still reported to be fighting in parts of Sweida, and casualties were reported among regime troops.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that regime soldiers and police summarily executed 12 civilians after storming the Radwan home. Four others, including one woman, were executed inside the home of the Mathluma family in the village of al-Thaala. Additional reports suggested more people had been abducted, their fate unknown.
The organization also claimed that armed regime loyalists shot and killed three brothers in front of their mother at Al-Basha Square in northern Sweida, forcing her and other family members to watch.
In the past 48 hours, 64 residents of the Sweida Governorate - including two children and two women - have been killed, the observatory said. Nineteen people, including one woman, were executed, while 51 regime troops and loyalist militia members also died in the fighting.
As reports of the atrocities mounted, local media in Syria said Druze residents were fleeing the city en masse, fearing reprisals similar to those inflicted on the Alawite minority in western coastal regions. Despite calls from Druze leadership to lay down arms, Syrian state TV reported continued fierce street battles in Sweida.
