The Syrian presidency has announced the formation of a special task force to address the sectarian clashes that have been ongoing for nearly a week in the southern Druze city of Sweida. The presidency has urged all parties to exercise restraint and has been actively working to “halt the fighting and stem the violations that threaten citizens’ security and societal safety.” By early Saturday morning, a ceasefire had been confirmed by the US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, who stated that Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a ceasefire with the support of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The agreement received backing from Turkey, Jordan, and its neighbors, and called for the Druze, Bedouins, and Sunni factions to lay down their weapons.
Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford reported from near Sweida, the center of Syria’s sectarian violence. Over the past 24 hours, Syria’s Arab tribes began mobilizing in the Sweida province to defend the Bedouin population. Thousands arrived in Sweida by Friday night, traveling from various parts of Syria, after a day of violent clashes and killings. The tribesmen expressed their intention to protect the Bedouin women and children who were being terrorized by the Druze community.
The streets leading to Sweida experienced extensive destruction, with every shop and home either burned or ransacked. Tribal fighters were witnessed looting and transporting the stolen goods from Druze homes. Several videos online depicted violence against the Druze, including one where tribal fighters forced men off a high-rise balcony. Doctors at a nearby community hospital reported a continuous influx of casualties, estimating over 600 deaths in their area alone, with the youngest victim being a one-and-a-half-year-old baby.
The violence in Sweida represents the most severe outbreak of sectarian clashes since the fall of the Bashar al Assad regime in December and poses a significant challenge for the new leader. The recently brokered deal aims to end the sectarian killings and restore stability to a country emerging from over a decade of civil war.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/every-shop-and-home-burned-or-ransacked-the-syrian-city-engulfed-in-tribal-violence-13398653
