Overview

• A UK-based war monitor reported 37 fatalities and nearly 50 injuries in the recent clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes in Sweida.
• The violence was sparked by a wave of kidnappings on the Damascus-Sweida highway, including the abduction of a Druze merchant.
• Syria’s interior ministry ordered direct intervention by security forces and called on local factions to cooperate in restoring order.
• Governor Mustapha al-Bakour urged residents to exercise self-restraint and back national reform efforts to prevent further bloodshed.
• Authorities closed the Damascus-Sweida highway and postponed Sweida’s secondary school exams as part of measures to contain the unrest.