The Syrian War The fighting in Sweida

Death toll rises in Syria – 940 dead in total

The death toll from fighting in Syria has risen to 940, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This is reported by AFP.

Among the dead are 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians. 182 of them were executed by personnel from the Ministry of Defense and the Interior, according to the London-based information center.

In addition to the dead Druze, 312 soldiers from the government forces and 12 Bedouins have been killed – three of them were also executed.

The fighting in the southern city of Sweida in Syria broke out last Sunday after clashes between the Bedouin minority groups and a Druze militia. Government forces were sent there to quell the violence but have since been accused of murdering and executing Druze civilians.

Analysis: The country's army seems to run amok every time

The killing and fighting in Sweida are similar to the violence that also hit Syria in March, when 1,500 people, mostly Alawites, were murdered by government forces. But it is also a reminder of the enormous challenges that the new government in Syria faces after a brutal 14-year civil war. William Christou writes in an analysis for The Guardian.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa was quickly accepted by the West, but at home the country is divided, he says.

"The ability of the new Syrian state to repair the country's social fabric is being questioned. The country's new army, a patchwork of militias, seems to run amok every time it is deployed," writes Christou.

At the same time, the conflict with neighboring Israel, which carried out airstrikes on Damascus, is escalating. Israel wants to deter Syria while navigating a new relationship with the interim government, writes Ron Ben-Yishai in an analysis for the Israeli newspaper Ynet.

He urges Israel to be clear to Ahmed al-Sharaa about the “red lines he cannot be allowed to cross,” he writes.

Syria believed that Israel and the US had given the green light – were attacked

Syrian government forces believed that they had the green light from the US and Israel to go in and quell the fighting in Sweida, several sources told Reuters. But days later Israel attacked Damascus.

Government forces have been accused of killing Druze civilians in the southern city, which prompted Israeli airstrikes. Although Israel had warned Syria for several months against sending troops to Sweida, other information had been interpreted to the contrary, including from US envoy Thomas Barrack. He had urged the regime in Damascus to centralize power and run Syria as “one country” without autonomous zones for minority populations – which was seen as approval for military intervention, sources said.

Last week, Syria and Israel held talks in Baku, after which Syria believed Israel had also given its approval for Sweida to come under government rule. After brokering peace between the parties, the US Secretary of State said the fighting was the result of a “misunderstanding” between Israel and Syria. 

The fighting in Sweida – this is what happened

Fighting between Druze and Bedouin broke out in Sweida in southern Syria in mid-July, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

Syrian government forces entered Sweida to quell the violence, but were accused of killing Druze civilians and later withdrew.

Israel carried out airstrikes on Syrian targets in Sweida and Damascus, citing protection of the Druze minority.

Ceasefires were agreed upon several times between the parties, but were quickly broken and new attacks were reported, especially against Bedouin communities.

The death toll has risen to over 600 according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and the interim government in Syria accuses the Druze of new acts of violence after the ceasefire.