Latest Syria conflicts: Druze vs pro-government militias explained
Fiery Clashes Pit Syria's Government Against the Druze, Leaving Over 100 Dead
Thick smoke billows from the battlefields of Syria as the fourth day of intense fighting between government loyalists and Druze insurgents rages on, leaving a grim death toll nearing a hundred souls.
Syria, a nation still struggling to shrug off the shackles of a decades-long dictatorship, finds itself locked in another violent chapter, threatening the fragile peace it has tenuously established.
The latest skirmishes mark the most significant confrontation between forces backing the government and Druze combatants since the fall of President Bashar Assad last December. His family had governed Syria with an iron fist for over five decades.
The tension between the two factions has simmered for weeks, and an isolated clash in March in a Damascus suburb reignited old wounds.
Here's what sparks the ongoing battleground and a glimpse into the druzes and their adversaries:
The Druze faith is a minority sect that evolved from the 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. The majority of the estimated one million Druze populate Syria, with the rest residing primarily in Lebanon and Israel, including the Golan Heights. The region was seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War and formally annexed in 1981. In Syria, the Druze population is primarily concentrated in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, primarily in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south.
The transitional government has promised inclusion for the Druze, but they have yet to relinquish power to the Islamist rebels who overthrew Assad in December - Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS.
In late March, a 23-member Syrian government was announced, counting only a single Druze member, Minister of Agriculture Amjad Badr.
Under the Assad family's tight grip, religious freedom was enshrined. The country's security system, though authoritarian, celebrated its secular and Arab nationalist foundation.
The Druze have been somewhat split over how to navigate their straits in the new political landscape. Most advocate dialogue with the government, while others prefer a more confrontational stance. Their sentiments vary, but there is a common concern for the safety of their kin.
Syria's religious and ethnic communities tremble at the prospect of their position in the new Islamic-dominated power structure. The country's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa once belonged to al-Qaida and was detained in neighboring Iraq for his role in the anti-American insurgency. Despite promises of religious tolerance, sectarian killings have persisted since Assad's departure.
The Assad regime, primarily composed of the Alawite sect, oppressed the majority Sunni population while granting power to minorities. Membership in the Muslim Brotherhood, the nation's largest Islamic organization, was punishable by death since the 1980s.
The Druze have significant concerns about Muslim groups given the attacks they suffered at the hands of the Islamic State group in the southern Sweida province in 2018. The assault left dozens dead or wounded, with numerous captives held hostage for nearly four months. Muslim extremists regard the Druze as heretics.
Syria witnessed its own Druze militias during the 14-year conflict.
The fighting commenced around midnight on the outskirts of the southern Damascus suburb of Jaramana following the circulation of an audio clip on social media, criticizing Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The clip was attributed to a Druze cleric, but Marwan Kiwan, another Druze leader, denied responsibility in a subsequent video. The fallout incited anger among Sunni Muslims, leading to the spread of the conflict to the town of Sakhnaya, resulting in Syria's first Israeli airstrike against pro-government forces. Israeli authorities pledged to protect the Druze in both Syria and their own community.
The clashes have brought Israel more deeply into the conflict, with airstrikes on pro-government forces earlier this week and increased tensions on Friday with an attack near the presidential palace in Damascus, as described by Syria's presidency as a significant escalation.Israel has no desire for Islamic extremists in its northern border region and has intentionally carved out a protective buffer zone in southern Syria. Following Assad's fall, Israel destroyed much of the Syrian army's equipment to prevent it from falling into the hands of rebel groups.
Other sporadic attacks in different areas, as well as an ambush on the Damascus-Sweida highway, have complicated the situation, leading to a truce agreement between interior ministry forces and local Druze gunmen on Friday morning.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the conflict has resulted in at least 99 fatalities over the past four days, including 51 in Sakhnaya and Jaramana. Among the dead are local militia members and security forces.
The current conflict follows on the heels of an ambush by Assad's forces in March, which sparked days of sectarian and reprisal attacks in the coastal region, resulting in over 1,000 casualties, with many civilian Alawites among the dead. Security forces have now deployed in the Latakia and Tartus provinces to quell the violence, yet activists report ongoing sectarian attacks against Alawites.
Members of religious minorities in Syria, including Alawites, Christians, and Druze, fear persecution from the majority Sunni Muslim population. Video clips circulating on social media depict Islamist fighters insulting and humiliating Druze detainees, such as shaving their mustaches.
Written by Ibrahim Hazboun (Contributor from Jerusalem)
Enrichment Data:
The current conflict between pro-government forces and Druze fighters in Syria dates back to late April 2023. The trigger for the violence was an inflammatory audio recording erroneously attributed to a Druze religious leader who allegedly denied the Prophet Muhammad's existence[1]. This sparked widespread protests and anti-Druze sentiments across the country.
Sources:1. Associated Press2. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights3. The National4. Al Arabiya English5. Reuters
The current conflict between pro-government forces and Druze fighters in Syria, ignited by an controversial audio recording attributed to a Druze cleric, dates back to late April 2023.
The transitional government's failure to address the concerns of religious minorities, such as the Druze, has led to increased tensions and violence across the nation.
As Syria navigates its new political landscape, questions about the role of AI in law enforcement and the protection of national culture arise, as religious fanatics use social media to incite violence.
The world watches as Syria's fragile peace continues to unravel, with the Druze once again finding themselves caught in the crossfire of badr politics and sectarian strife.
The global community calls for a swift resolution to the crisis, urging the transitional government to uphold the principles of secular governance and religious tolerance as outlined in Syria's national law.
General-news outlets report that Israel has become more deeply involved in the conflict, carrying out airstrikes on pro-government forces and pledging to protect the Druze in both Syria and their own community.
