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Sectarian clashes have persisted in southern Syria, despite an “immediate ceasefire” announced by the country’s interim president.
Over the past week, armed factions from the minority Druze community have been engaged in conflict with Bedouin fighters in Suweida Province, with allegations of atrocities leveled against both sides.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa deployed troops, but government forces have faced accusations of participating in attacks against the Druze. Reports indicate that over 900 individuals have been killed in the escalating violence.
Israel declared its support for the Druze community earlier this week and intervened, targeting government forces and the defence ministry in the capital Damascus.
President Sharaa announced the ceasefire on Saturday as Syrian security forces were deployed to Suweida in an effort to quell the clashes. The agreement reportedly includes a cessation of Israeli military strikes and received approval from Israel as part of a US-brokered pact, contingent upon the protection of Druze citizens.
Government troops have established checkpoints in an attempt to prevent further escalation of the conflict. However, reports of gunfire have emerged from within the city of Suweida later on Saturday.
An AFP news agency correspondent reported witnessing armed individuals looting shops and setting them ablaze.
On Saturday, Israel’s foreign minister expressed skepticism regarding the president’s renewed pledge to protect minorities and all Syrians.
The Druze community in Suweida adheres to a unique and secretive faith derived from Shia Islam and harbors distrust towards the current government in Damascus. They constitute a minority population in Syria, as well as in neighboring Israel and Lebanon.
In a social media post, Gideon Saar stated that being part of a minority in Syria is “very dangerous” and that “this has been proven time and again over the past six months”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to prevent harm to the Druze in Syria, citing their ties to Druze communities within Israel.
Watch: How a day of bombing unfolded in Damascus
Long-standing tensions between Druze and Bedouin tribes in Suweida escalated into deadly sectarian clashes last Sunday, triggered by the abduction of a Druze merchant on the highway to Damascus.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR), 940 people have been killed since the outbreak of violence.
The ceasefire between Israel and Syria was announced on Friday by US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours,” he stated.
The BBC’s Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab, reporting from Syria, indicated that violence directed towards the Druze has been spreading across the country.
Earlier this week, UN human rights chief Volker Türk stated that his office had received credible reports indicating widespread violations and abuses during the clashes, including summary executions and arbitrary killings in Suweida.
Türk said in a statement that the alleged perpetrators included members of the security forces and individuals affiliated with the interim government, as well as local Druze and Bedouin armed elements.
“This bloodshed and the violence must stop,” he warned, adding that “those responsible must be held to account”.
In his comments on Saturday morning, the Syrian leader stated that his government “is committed to protecting all minorities and sects in the country and is proceeding to hold all violators accountable from any party. No-one will escape accountability.”
Additional reporting by Jack Burgess
More than 100 others were also injured near two sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to the Hamas-run health ministry and civil defence agency.
The UN human rights chief says those responsible for violations and abuses “must be held to account.
One woman tells the BBC she cowered in her home waiting for gunmen to enter and “decide whether we should live or die”.
The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) documented a significant outbreak of brutality in the killings that gripped Suweida province.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Thursday’s strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City was a “mistake”.
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