Daijiworld Media Network – Sweida

Sweida, Aug 18: Hundreds of Druze protesters took to the streets of Sweida in southern Syria on Saturday, demanding the right to self-determination following last month’s deadly sectarian clashes. Some demonstrators were seen waving Israeli flags, thanking Israel for its intervention in support of the Druze community.

The protests come after fierce fighting erupted on July 13 between Druze militias and Bedouin Sunni tribes, leaving around 1,600 people dead, many of them Druze civilians, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syrian government forces intervened, claiming to restore order, but Druze groups accused Damascus of siding with the Bedouin and committing atrocities.

The Syrian military later announced a ceasefire, while interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government set up a committee to investigate the violence, with findings expected in three months.

Israel had bombed Syrian government positions in July, saying it was acting to demilitarize southern Syria and protect the Druze minority.

“This is an unprecedented change for the Druze in Syria,” said Druze activist Rayyan Maarouf, noting that the latest protests were the first to openly use the slogan of self-determination.

The Druze, who branched off from the Ismaili sect of Shiite Islam in the 10th century, do not identify as Muslim. They form significant communities in Syria, Israel, and Lebanon, and constitute the majority of the Arab population in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.