Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, stated today (19/7) that the Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities in the country, following the announcement of a ceasefire in Sweida, where intercommunal clashes have raged in recent weeks, killing more than 700 people.
Ahmad al-Sharaa: “Those responsible for atrocities will be held accountable before justice”
In his televised address, al-Sharaa emphasized: “The state condemns all crimes committed in Sweida. Those responsible for atrocities will be held accountable before justice.”
Earlier, the Syrian presidency announced an immediate ceasefire in the troubled province, aimed at ending the violence. At the same time, security forces began deploying to the area to restore order.
The deployment of security forces began after the US announced a ceasefire agreement between Syria and Israel, which claims it wants to protect the Druze and had opposed the deployment of Syrian government forces in the province until now.
“The US confirmed their support for Syria in these difficult circumstances”
Sharaa highlighted in his speech “the important role played by the US, which confirmed their support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and their interest in the country’s stability.” He also thanked Arab countries and Turkey for their assistance.
On Friday evening, US Ambassador to Turkey and US envoy for Syria, Tom Barak, announced that Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted a ceasefire, supported by Turkey and Jordan.
However, the Syrian president criticized Israel, which bombed Damascus and southern Syria on Wednesday to force Syrian authorities to withdraw their troops from Sweida, which they had entered the previous day. These strikes “pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatens its stability,” Sharaa noted.
These intercommunal clashes further weaken the power of Ahmad al-Sharaa, who, leading a coalition of Islamist rebel organizations and a former jihadist himself, overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December, in a country devastated after nearly 14 years of civil war.
Syria: Death toll from Sweida clashes rises to 940
The intercommunal violence in Sweida province, inhabited mainly by Druze in southern Syria, has cost the lives of 940 people within one week, according to a new toll released today by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
As the NGO clarified, 588 Druze were killed, 326 fighters and 262 civilians, of whom 182 were “executed through summary procedures by members of (forces) under the Defense and Interior ministries.”
Among the dead are also 312 members of Syria’s government forces and 21 Sunni Bedouin fighters, three of whom were civilians who were “executed through summary procedures by Druze fighters,” according to the Observatory.
Additionally, 15 members of government forces were killed in Israeli strikes.
