Death toll in Sweida clashes rises to 516, warnings of sectarian strife

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has recorded a rise in the death toll in Sweida clashes to 516 since the outbreak of clashes on July 13, including 86 summary executions of civilians, amid warnings of an escalation of sectarian violations, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The death toll was distributed as follows: 150 people from Sweida were killed, including 71 civilians; 261 members of the Ministry of Defense and Public Security, affiliated with the Syrian transitional government, including 18 members of the Bedouin tribes; 15 members of the Ministries of Defense and Interior killed in Israeli airstrikes; and one journalist and three others killed in a bombing of the Ministry of Defense building. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also documented 83 field executions carried out by government forces, and three other cases committed by Druze militants against civilians from the Bedouin tribes, including a woman and a child.

In a dangerous development, the SOHR observed widespread displacement of Bedouin families from several neighborhoods, most notably the Maqous neighborhood, amid a climate of panic and fears of a wider civil conflict. Local sources confirmed that Bedouin neighborhoods were under siege by Druze militants, amid escalating calls for their protection from violations.

In this context, local media reported clashes in the villages of Taara and Dara in the western countryside of Sweida Governorate between Bedouin tribes and local factions in Sweida.

ANHA