Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday accused Israel of attempting to destabilise the country and vowed to protect the Druze minority, following a US-brokered ceasefire that ended days of deadly fighting between government forces and Druze fighters in the south.
Overnight, Islamist-led government troops withdrew from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, where intense clashes had left dozens dead.
Ryan Marouf, a journalist with Suwayda24, told Reuters he saw more than 60 bodies in the streets of Sweida on Thursday morning. “People are looking for bodies,” he said in a voice recording, adding that he had discovered a family of 12 people, including women and an elderly man, all killed inside one home.
Violence escalated sharply on Wednesday when Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Damascus and targeted government troops in southern Syria. Israel demanded the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Druze areas, saying it was acting to defend the minority group, which also has communities in Israel and Lebanon.
Israel has carried out numerous airstrikes on Syrian territory since the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. The new leadership in Damascus has been described by Israel as thinly veiled jihadists, and Israeli officials have insisted they will not tolerate the deployment of such forces near the Israeli border.
In a national address, Sharaa accused Israel of trying to “dismantle the unity of our people,” claiming it had “consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime.”
Sharaa, who once led an al Qaeda faction before severing ties in 2016, declared that “protecting Druze citizens and their rights is our priority,” and rejected any effort to “drag them into the hands of an external party.”
He also pledged to hold accountable those responsible for attacks on Druze civilians.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, at least 193 people were killed during the four days of fighting, including women, children, and medical personnel.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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