Sweida violence reignites as Druze forces clash with HTS militants
Intense fighting has erupted in Syria’s southern province of Sweida between members of a Druze group and armed elements affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies, leaving several individuals wounded, report say.
The clashes broke out between so-called Druze National Guard forces led by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze religious leader, and HTS forces affiliated with former al-Qaeda commander and the Arab country’s de facto president Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, al-Marsad news website reported.
The report, citing local sources in Sweida, added that several people from both sides sustained injuries during the fighting.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed fierce confrontations between Druze and Jolani’s forces across Sweida province, with Syrian sources reporting that the clashes erupted in the early hours of Thursday, with both sides using heavy weapons and mortars.
The most intense fighting was reported in towns of al-Majdal and al-Mazra’a in the western parts of Sweida.
The clashes reportedly began after Jolani’s forces and their allies carried out drone attacks, triggering heavy fighting in the area.
Additional heavy fighting was reported in the town of Tal Hadid in the Sweida countryside and the village of al-Mansoura in the al-Naql area northwest of the city of Sweida.
Sources also reported extensive military movements by both sides and efforts to reinforce their positions.
Tensions in southern Syria have been escalating since July 13, when clashes broke out between Druze fighters and armed Bedouin tribes over land and resources in the province.
The violence worsened significantly after the HTS military was deployed to the province on July 14 and entered Sweida city itself on July 15, according to residents, two war monitors and reporters on the ground.
Claiming to support the Druze, the Israeli regime carried out airstrikes on July 16 targeting key strategic sites in Damascus, including the Syrian army headquarters, and hours later HTS announced the complete withdrawal of its forces from Sweida under a ceasefire agreement.
Sweida experienced some of the deadliest violence, with a week of bloody clashes starting on July 13 leaving an estimated 814 to 1,653 people dead, most of them Druze.
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