Druze-Bedouin Clashes Worsen Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Syria follows a deadly conflict in Syria’s Sweida province involving Druze and Bedouin groups. Israeli airstrikes supported the Druze after Syrian forces aligned with Bedouin factions. Despite a truce, renewed fighting has displaced tens of thousands and deepened Syria’s humanitarian emergency.
Quick Looks
- U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announces Syria-Israel ceasefire.
- Ceasefire follows Israeli strikes defending Syria’s Druze minority.
- Renewed Druze-Bedouin clashes displace over 80,000 people.
- Syrian government forces initially sided with Bedouins.
- Israel struck Syrian convoys and the Defense Ministry in Damascus.
- A short-lived truce saw government forces withdraw from Sweida.
- Syria is redeploying troops amid new outbreaks of violence.
- Bedouin militias and Druze factions continue revenge attacks.
- U.N. aid efforts blocked by fighting and road closures.
- Lebanese Druze leaders condemn Israeli involvement and urge peace.
Deep Look
A fragile ceasefire has been declared between Israel and Syria following a week of violent, sectarian conflict in Syria’s Sweida province. The truce, announced early Saturday by U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, came after a dramatic escalation in fighting between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes, in which Israel intervened with airstrikes targeting Syrian military forces.
Barrack confirmed the ceasefire in a statement on social media platform X, noting that the agreement was supported by Turkey, Jordan, and other neighboring countries. He appealed to the warring factions — including Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis — to lay down their arms and begin building a united Syrian identity. However, the statement lacked specifics about the scope or enforcement of the ceasefire.
The conflict erupted last Sunday when long-simmering tensions between Druze and Bedouin communities boiled over in southern Syria’s Sweida province. Initially, Syrian government forces claimed to intervene to restore peace, but soon sided with the Bedouin tribes against the Druze, sparking widespread anger and drawing Israel into the fray. Israel, which has a significant Druze minority that serves in its military, launched dozens of airstrikes to protect Druze communities in Syria. Targets included Syrian military convoys and even the Defense Ministry building in central Damascus.
Over the course of four days, hundreds of people were killed, and shocking reports emerged of government-aligned militias executing Druze civilians and looting their homes. The violence triggered a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands and overwhelmed local infrastructure.
By Wednesday, a temporary truce was mediated by the United States, Turkey, and several Arab states. Under this deal, Syrian government forces began withdrawing from Sweida, leaving Druze militias and religious leaders in charge of internal security. Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa confirmed the arrangement publicly on Thursday.
But the calm was short-lived. By Thursday night, fighting resumed between Druze and Bedouin factions. On Friday, al-Sharaa announced the redeployment of specialized government troops to the region, stating that they would “break up the clashes and resolve the conflict on the ground.” While local officials had claimed to reach an agreement for the return of Syrian forces, reports emerged later that the deployment was delayed, with no official explanation.
State-run Syrian media reported retaliatory attacks by Druze militias on Bedouin villages, adding to the displacement toll. The governor of Daraa province said more than 1,000 families had fled to his region due to the violence. Local media also highlighted the abduction of Hamza al-Amarin, the head of the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) in Sweida, who was kidnapped while transporting a U.N. team. His fate remains uncertain.
The United Nations’ migration agency estimates that nearly 80,000 people have been displaced since the conflict began, with essential services like water, electricity, and telecommunications largely collapsed. Hospitals and clinics in Sweida and Daraa are under severe pressure, and aid deliveries are being obstructed by insecurity and road closures.
U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator Adam Abdelmoula confirmed that trauma care supplies had reached Daraa but said Sweida remains inaccessible. “We are planning to send a mission to assess needs and provide critical aid once conditions allow,” he stated.
The renewed fighting has also drawn new combatants into the fray. Bedouin fighters from across Syria, including the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, have traveled to Sweida to support fellow tribesmen. One armed Bedouin, identifying himself only as Abu Mariam, declared, “We will not return home until we defeat Al-Hijri and his kind,” referring to prominent anti-government Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri. He insisted that civilians would be unharmed as long as they stayed in their homes.
Sweida has long been a focal point for sectarian tensions. While predominantly Druze, it is also home to Sunni Bedouin tribes. The Druze sect, an offshoot of Ismaili Shiism, has deep roots in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. Many Druze in Israel are integrated into the national fabric and even serve in the military, while the Druze in Syria have historically sought autonomy and neutrality in the country’s decade-long civil conflict.
The latest round of fighting reportedly began when Bedouin tribesmen set up an illegal checkpoint, assaulted a Druze man, and stole his belongings. This triggered a cycle of retaliatory kidnappings and revenge attacks.
Syrian researcher Ahmed Aba Zeid said the tension lacks a singular cause, noting that “all of Syria is full of unresolved social conflicts.” He argued that the government exploited the unrest to reassert its influence in Sweida, which backfired and expanded the violence.
The regional Druze community has been divided in its response. While Israeli Druze demanded military intervention to protect their kin in Syria, other Druze leaders across the Middle East rejected Israeli involvement. In Beirut, Lebanon’s Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna condemned the sectarian conflict and warned that Israeli intervention would only destabilize the region further. “We do not accept to request protection from Israel, which we believe is harmful to our history and identity,” he said.
At the same event, prominent Lebanese Druze politician Walid Joumblatt, who played a key role in mediating the original truce, called for the establishment of a joint investigative body to probe abuses committed by both sides in Syria’s southern provinces.
As the ceasefire teeters and the humanitarian crisis deepens, hopes for a durable peace remain tenuous. The international community faces mounting pressure to intervene diplomatically and address the underlying causes of the violence — before the conflict spirals into a wider regional war.
Druze-Bedouin Clashes Druze-Bedouin Clashes
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