At least 30 individuals have reportedly lost their lives in the Syrian city of Sweida, emerging from conflicts between local military factions and tribes, as stated by Syria’s interior ministry.
Reports indicate that approximately 100 people may have been wounded in the city, which is predominantly home to the Druze faith, a significant religious community in the area.
The interior ministry has announced its intention to directly intervene in order to quell the unrest and bring an end to the confrontations.
These clashes are the most recent in a string of sectarian disputes between Druze gunmen and Bedouin Sunni tribes, according to Reuters.
Violence escalated following a series of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on a major highway connecting Damascus to Sweida.
Last April, similar skirmishes occurred when Sunni fighters engaged in combat with armed Druze residents of Jaramana, located southeast of Damascus, and later spread to another district near the capital.
However, this instance marks the first time the violence has been documented within the city of Sweida itself, which serves as the capital of predominantly Druze Sweida province.
The episode highlights the ongoing issues of sectarian violence in Syria, where minority groups have expressed increasing concern following the overthrow of President Bashar al Assad in December, which saw Islamist-led rebels establish their own government and security forces.
Concerns escalated after the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for a prior attack by Assad loyalists, marking the deadliest sectarian conflict in years in Syria, which had been ravaged by a Civil War concluding in Assad’s departure to Russia in December.
Sweida is situated in southern Syria, approximately 24 miles (38km) north of the border with Jordan.
This breaking new story will continue to be updated, with further details to be released shortly.
Please reload the page for the most recent version of the news.
Get breaking news alerts on your mobile device through the Sky News app, follow us on WhatsApp, or by subscribing to our YouTube channel to stay current with breaking developments.
