Renewed Druze, Bedouin clashes jeopardize Sweida ceasefire: SOHR
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Sweida clashes erupt as mortar shells hit Ura town and Druze fighters battle Bedouin militias, sparking fear amid silence from Syrian authorities.
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Druze militiamen ride a motorcycle past the site of an alleged Israeli army strike last week on the main road outside the Druze-majority town of Sweida, Syria, Friday, July 25, 2025 (AP)
Mortar shells struck the town of Ura in Sweida's countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), sparking panic among residents as clashes flared intermittently between Druze fighters and armed Bedouin tribesmen, with no official response from authorities.
Syria’s Sweida province witnessed renewed tensions on Sunday morning, marked by sporadic exchanges of gunfire between armed Druze fighters and Bedouin tribal militias, sparking panic among civilians, especially after several mortar shells, reportedly fired from a Christian cemetery controlled by armed Bedouin groups, landed in the town of Ura in southern rural Sweida.
According to the observatory’s sources, armed Druze fighters returned fire, targeting the mortar launch positions in the cemetery, with clashes still ongoing intermittently at this time. No casualties have been reported, and residents remain on edge due to the repeated targeting of residential areas in recent days.
Tensions rise while official voices lower
Despite the escalating tensions, no official statements have been issued by security or administrative authorities in the city regarding the source of the fire or the parties responsible for the escalation, further increasing public uncertainty and tension in the area.
The SOHR warned of the dangers posed by continuing these attacks, which threaten civilians' lives and further erode social cohesion in the province, calling for immediate action by relevant authorities to stop the sources of fire, hold those responsible accountable, and put an end to the security breakdown
This escalation comes less than a week after the western neighborhoods of Sweida city were targeted on July 26, when Tal al-Hadeed and its surroundings came under sudden attack with surface-to-surface missiles and heavy artillery fired from the Knaaker axis in a clear violation of the ceasefire.
Violations of Sweida continue
The observatory reported this escalation is occurring alongside two days of unchecked looting and vandalism in Knaaker town, located in western Sweida's countryside, all taking place under the apparent tolerance of security forces who maintain control over the area.
In a related development, the observatory reported that security forces opened fire on a group of civilians attempting to reopen the Thala road, an effort to restore access to vital agricultural facilities that have been blockaded for weeks.
Residents, particularly farmers, have been calling to reopen the road to utilize these facilities, but security forces continue to prevent any attempts to reach the area.
Two days earlier, protests erupted in main squares across Sweida's cities, expressing outrage over what demonstrators called "unprecedented atrocities" committed by transitional authority forces during recent events in the province.
Meanwhile, the official SANA news agency reported that the investigative committee for the Sweida events held its first meeting on Saturday under the chairmanship of Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais during the transitional phase.
