Syria’s Druze Fear for Future After Deadly Sectarian Clashes

In Sweida, a Druze-majority city in southern Syria, hope for a united post-war nation is fading as sectarian violence escalates. Sabre Abou Ras, a medical sciences professor, once envisioned a brighter future after Syria’s 14-year civil war. Now, he carries arms, refusing to disarm, stating, “We are for national unity, but not the unity of terrorist gangs,” in a phone call with The Associated Press.

The violence, sparked on July 13, 2025, by tit-for-tat kidnappings between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin clans, has killed over 1,000 people, including civilians, and displaced 128,000, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Syrian government forces intervened but were accused of siding with Bedouins, escalating tensions. Disturbing videos show Druze civilians humiliated and executed, some with sectarian slurs, including a Syrian-American Druze family gunned down after identifying as Druze.

The Druze, an offshoot of Ismaili Shiite Islam with about one million adherents worldwide, mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, make up 3% of Syria’s 20 million population. Sweida’s Druze, proud of their role in Syria’s independence, had secured semi-autonomy under Bashar Assad’s regime. While many celebrated Assad’s fall in December 2024, skepticism persists toward interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaida-linked militant.

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Clashes intensified after a Druze merchant’s abduction, leading to retaliatory kidnappings and widespread fighting. Syrian forces and Bedouin allies faced Druze militias, with reports of atrocities, including summary executions and looting. Israel intervened with airstrikes on Syrian military targets, claiming to protect the Druze, prompting accusations from al-Sharaa of inflaming divisions. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire on July 19, supported by Turkey and Jordan, briefly halted fighting, but violations persisted.

Al-Sharaa denies targeting Druze, blaming militias led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, who called for resistance. However, Druze distrust deepened after sectarian attacks, echoing earlier Alawite massacres. A Sweida resident, speaking anonymously to AP, lamented, “In every household, someone has died,” reflecting widespread despair. The violence has strained al-Sharaa’s pledges of inclusivity, with other minorities, like Kurds, rethinking disarmament.

Sweida faces a humanitarian crisis, with hospitals overwhelmed, bodies piling up, and shortages of food and medical supplies. The UN has called for an independent investigation into reported abuses. As Druze leader Laith al-Balous rejected foreign interference, insisting on Syrian unity, the community remains divided, with many, like Abou Ras, seeing little hope for reconciliation under the current regime.

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