Syrian security forces have been deployed to the suburbs of Damascus after two days of intense sectarian violence left at least 73 people dead. The clashes, which involved Druze and Sunni gunmen, erupted in the towns of Jaramana and Ashrafiet Sahnaya following the circulation of a voice recording that allegedly insulted the Prophet Mohammed. Sunni militants blamed the recording on a member of the Druze community.
Religious leaders from the Druze population in Jaramana condemned the recording as a fake, claiming it was intended to create division. A truce between the warring factions was reached on Wednesday, according to local officials, although fatalities continued due to additional violence and an airstrike.
Authorities confirmed that one member of a security patrol and a civilian were killed in Ashrafiet Sahnaya. Several others, including civilians and security personnel, were wounded.
An airstrike reportedly targeting an “extremist group” in Sahnaya was carried out by a foreign military, which stated the attack was meant to protect Druze residents in the area. The Syrian government responded by rejecting any foreign interference in its internal affairs and reiterated its pledge to safeguard all religious and ethnic communities, including the Druze, a minority with deep roots in the country.
More than half of the global Druze population resides in Syria. Although traditionally based in the southwest, Druze militias have a complicated relationship with the current Sunni-dominated government. While the new leadership has called for all weapons to be surrendered to state forces, Druze fighters have refused, citing the government’s failure to protect them from threats.
Residents reported that calm had mostly returned to the affected areas. One local man emphasized the need for national unity and state control over all arms, saying, “Weapons from any side must be in the hands of the state. That’s the only way forward.”
The recent violence underscores the fragile state of Syria as the new government, in power since the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last December, attempts to solidify its authority across the nation.
