YONI BEN MENACHEM -- Despite the Syrian regime's announcement of a ceasefire in Sweida, fighting continues on the ground. Druze sources in the city accuse the Assad successor regime of aiding Sunni Bedouins in their clashes with the Druze.
They report a spike in attacks along the main road from Damascus to Sweida by regime-linked militias, including looting, kidnapping, and extortion—acts that sparked violent retaliation.
President Ahmad al-Sharaa (al-Julani) is accused of trying to reassert control over the relatively autonomous Druze region and to confiscate local weapons.
Eyewitness reports and videos circulating globally claim that regime forces have executed at least 20 Druze and humiliated others. So far, over 200 people have been killed in the fighting, including 18 Syrian soldiers.