Qarqout family assaults Syria Suweida governor, seeks prisoner release
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Armed individuals stormed the Suweida governorate building and confronted Governor Mustafa Baykor, prompting local mediation efforts, as broader sectarian tensions continue to simmer across Syria.
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A Druze gunmen stand guard near a checkpoint a day after clashes between members of the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters left at least four people dead in the southern suburb of Jaramana, Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP)
An outlaw group attacked Suweida Governor Mustafa Baykor inside the governorate building in Suweida, according to a report by Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a source from Suweida told Al Mayadeen that the armed individuals who stormed the governorate building were "members of the Qarqout family," who had entered to demand the release of their relatives.
The newspaper noted that the group contacted Damascus's public prosecutor, demanding the release of detainees, a request to which he agreed.
The source told Al Mayadeen that the conversation with the Suweida governor escalated into a heated exchange and shouting match, prompting residents to step in to defuse the situation. Moreover, the source denied any use of weapons and dismissed rumors that the governor had been detained, saying such claims were entirely unfounded.
Meanwhile, the Druze spiritual leadership in Suweida called on all local factions and community groups to cooperate with judicial authorities and police forces, additionally warning against any attacks targeting these institutions or their personnel carrying out official duties.
This comes amid renewed fears in Syria over sectarian tensions, following the recent clashes in Suweida, and the massacres perpetrated by Jihadist factions along the Syrian coast targeting the Alawite minority.
Fears grow in Syria over hardline factions
Syria has been facing escalating sectarian tensions as hardline factions target minority communities, despite the government's alleged efforts to restore stability, with recent attacks and harassment of Christians, Druze, and Alawites, sparking fear and protests in different areas of Syria.
The Murshidiyya sect has sounded the alarm that they might be "next after attacks on Druze and Alawites," calling on Syria's government to ensure equal treatment for all sects and crack down on unauthorized armed groups undermining stability.
Thousands of members of the Murshidiyya sect staged a silent sit-in protest in the towns of al-Ghassaniya and al-Aqrabiya in the countryside of al-Qusayr west of Homs, condemning the abuses committed by hardline faction members against residents, including physical assaults, death threats, and spreading hateful sectarian rhetoric.
Residents of the town of Shattha in northwestern Hama had earlier held protests condemning harassment committed by hardline factions, one of which maintains a headquarters near the surrounding areas of the town, while demanding that the state return all armed factions to military barracks.
