Syrian forces withdraw from Sweida province after four days of clashes with Druze fighters

Syrian government forces withdrew from the Druze-majority province of Sweida yesterday, ending four days of clashes between the army and local Druze fighters.

- William Christou

The Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said in a speech that local Druze groups would be left to govern security affairs in the southern province in what he described as a choice to avoid war.

He said: "We sought to avoid dragging the country into a new, broader war that could derail it from its path to recovery from the devastating war. We chose the interests of Syrians over chaos and destruction."

Clashes resumed yesterday afternoon in Sweida as Syrian state media reported that Druze groups had launched revenge attacks on Bedouin villages, killing many civilians and prompting a wave of displacement, after Bedouin tribes had fought alongside government forces against Druze fighters earlier in the week.

The Syrian media outlet Enab Baladi quoted Bedouin residents as saying armed groups of Druze fighters had stormed their villages, burning houses. One of the three spiritual leaders of the Syrian Druze, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, put out a statement vowing to "respect the peaceful Bedouin clans".

Calls for revenge had begun to circle on social media yesterday, threatening to reignite the conflict.

Syrian forces initially intervened in Sweida on Monday after a local dispute between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters escalated into fighting.