The sequence of events so far in the fighting in the Suwayda area between the Druze and the Bedouin:
The events began a day and a half ago. The trigger was an incident at an improvised checkpoint on the Suwayda-Damascus road that involved the robbery of a merchant from Suwayda, followed by mutual kidnappings (it is reported that most of the abductees on both sides have since been released).
The parties:
On the Bedouin side – Bedouin tribal militias mainly from the desert area east and south of Suwayda, but also including Sunni Muslim residents from the cities and villages in the Suwayda district. On the Druze side – the Al-Hijri militia, known for its opposition to integration and cooperation with the new regime.
Both sides were seen armed with light weapons, pickup trucks with machine guns and RPGs.
The number of dead is at least 40 as of noon (July 14), but there are probably many more, since many bodies were seen, including those of security forces.
The main clashes are in the Al-Maqous suburb of the city of Suwayda, where mortar fire was also reported, as well as in villages in the west of the province, where Bedouin militias were reported to have succeeded in pushing the Druze out of the village of Et Tirah.
The regime has deployed many forces to the province, including tanks, which advanced from the west of Suwayda and were attacked by the IDF (July 14).
The commander of the forces in Daraa province announced that the security forces will block the roads between the provinces to prevent unauthorized reinforcements and the spillover of the violence. Prisoners were taken from both sides in Suwayda, Et Tirah and other places. Their fate is unknown.
The Druze militia Rajal al-Karama, which is pro-integration and collaboration with the regime, called on all security force reinforcements to withdraw or at least be coordinated with it.
