Additional testimony and footage emerged from the Druze stronghold in southern Syria showing abuses committed by Bedouin gunmen against local Druze. Among the most disturbing reports: the shaving off the mustaches and beards of elderly Druze sheikhs—a deliberate act of humiliation targeting those whom the jihadists consider apostates in Islam.

A Bedouin militiaman shaves the facial hair of a Druze cleric in Sweida in a deliberate act of humiliation

Over the past week of fighting in Sweida province, at least 940 people have been reported killed. Saturday evening, Syrian state media reported that the Bedouin fighters had begun withdrawing from Sweida city, the provincial capital, under a government-brokered agreement that has so far not been honored in full. It remains unclear whether the fighting has truly subsided.

Sweida province, home to roughly 700,000 Druze, is concentrated around the Jabal al-Druze (Mountain of the Druze). Like other minority communities in Syria, the Druze feared the rise to power last December of jihadist leader Ahmad al‑Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al‑Golani. Al‑Sharaa, with a background in al‑Qaida, led a surprise offensive that toppled the Assad regime after 14 years of civil war.

Armed Bedouin tribesmen enter Sweida

Since taking power, al‑Sharaa has attempted to recast himself as a more moderate leader, promising minority protections. This strategy briefly succeeded internationally, even prompting the U.S. and other countries to lift sanctions on Syria. But in practice, pledges to protect minorities have not materialized. In March, regime forces massacred members of the Alawite minority—ousted president Bashar Assad’s own sect—and al‑Sharaa pledged to investigate and prosecute those responsible. The international community offered little tangible pressure, and such accountability has yet to materialize.
Both the Druze and northern Syria’s Kurdish population have expressed concern over al‑Sharaa’s ambition to impose a centralized rule, with his forces dominating every region. Under a May agreement following earlier clashes between Druze fighters and regime forces, it was stipulated that security in Sweida province would remain under Druze control. The most recent flare‑up began on July 13, sparked by the abduction and robbery of a Druze merchant—a flashpoint in rising sectarian tension.

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לוחמים בדואים ב א-סווידא סווידא מעוז הדרוזים דרוזים ב סוריהלוחמים בדואים ב א-סווידא סווידא מעוז הדרוזים דרוזים ב סוריה

Fierce street clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribesmen in Sweida

(Photo: Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

In response, al‑Sharaa dispatched his forces to the province, ostensibly to enforce order. A Reuters report suggests this deployment was prompted by a misinterpretation of U.S. signals, leading al‑Sharaa to believe Israel would not intervene, despite clear Israeli warnings to protect the Druze and to seek the demilitarization of southern Syria. Instead of acting as a buffer, al‑Sharaa’s troops joined Bedouin fighters in the violence. Videos show them executing unarmed Druze civilians, humiliating sheikhs by shaving their facial hair and looting and torching homes.

‘We will slaughter the Druze in their homes’

So far, no regime forces have been confirmed entering Sweida city itself, and al-Sharaa has struggled to fulfill his pledge to reestablish order. Fierce street battles broke out between Druze and Bedouin fighters, with AFP reporters on the ground confirming that Bedouin gunmen managed to breach Druze defenses and push into the city’s western neighborhoods. One armed tribesman, who identified himself only as Abu Jassem, told AFP that “we will slaughter them (the Druze) in their homes”.

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לוחם בדואי שורף דגל דרוזי של דרוזים ב א-סווידא סווידא סוריהלוחם בדואי שורף דגל דרוזי של דרוזים ב א-סווידא סווידא סוריה

A suspected jihadist fighter seen throwing a Druze flag into a street fire in Sweida

An AFP correspondent on Saturday saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and armed men setting fire to shops after looting them. Thick smoke blanketed the skyline. Some Bedouin fighters were seen brandishing rifles and swords; one man displayed a pair of scissors used, he said, to shave the mustaches of Druze sheikhs. In footage from the city, a suspected jihadist fighter was seen throwing a Druze flag into a street fire.

“We’ve lost everything. Most of the people we know are dead—family, neighbors, everyone,” one local resident said. At Sweida’s central hospital, where more than 400 bodies have been brought in—including women and children—chaos reigned. Medical staff struggled to treat the wounded amid severe shortages of personnel and fuel. According to AFP, the hospital has begun burying bodies in a temporary mass grave after its morgue reached full capacity.

Al-Sharaa blames the Druze, but promises to protect them

On Saturday, al‑Sharaa delivered his second televised address since fighting broke out in Sweida, blaming Druze militias for the collapse of the ceasefire declared Wednesday. He claimed Druze fighters “launching retaliatory attacks against the Bedouins and their families,” which he said provoked a tribal response to what he described as a Druze “siege.” At the same time, al‑Sharaa called on Bedouin gunmen to “fully commit” to the truce, insisting that tribal forces “cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country’s affairs and restoring security.”

Al‑Sharaa reiterated his pledge to protect the Druze minority and condemned the massacres committed against them. “Sweida province remains an integral part of the Syrian state, and the Druze constitute a fundamental pillar of the Syrian national fabric,” he said. “The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and will continue prosecuting all violators. We repudiate all crimes and breaches, whether inside Sweida or beyond, and stress the importance of justice and the rule of law. In these sensitive times, reason and wisdom must prevail. Syria is not a venue for partition projects or sectarian incitement.”

One Bedouin field commander posted a video from Sweida in the afternoon, rejecting al‑Sharaa’s call to honor the ceasefire. The commander, Sami al‑Hafal, vowed not to withdraw until the Syrian regime extended full control over the entire province.

“We have no problem with the people of Sweida or with unarmed Druze, elders or women,” he said. However, he accused Druze fighters of forcing Bedouin residents to flee their homes. “They violated our honor,” he said. “Even if Sweida becomes a graveyard for the tribes, we will not leave.” Despite this, reports emerged later in the day that Bedouin forces had begun pulling out of the city.

The ceasefire was initially announced on Wednesday after five days of intense fighting. But by the following day, clashes had already resumed between Druze and Bedouin fighters. Overnight Saturday, U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack—who also serves as ambassador to Turkey—announced a new truce, this time between Syria and Israel. Israel reportedly had agreed a day earlier to allow regime forces to reenter Sweida to restore order, despite their involvement in earlier atrocities against Druze civilians and ongoing distrust of al‑Sharaa.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Saturday afternoon criticized al‑Sharaa’s morning speech, particularly the accusation that Druze fighters were to blame for the renewed violence, in an English social media post, drawing widespread international media attention.

“In al-Shara’s Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority—Kurd, Druze, Alawite, or Christian,” Sa’ar wrote. “This has been proven time and again over the past six months.”

According to the latest figures from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 940 people have been killed in the fighting so far. The group’s breakdown shows 588 Druze killed—326 of them fighters and 262 civilians. Of these, 182 Druze were executed by regime forces. In addition, 312 regime fighters and 21 Bedouin combatants were killed, including three Bedouin civilians reportedly executed by Druze gunmen. Another 15 regime soldiers were killed in Israeli airstrikes. The United Nations estimates that 87,000 people have been displaced since the start of the violence.