Members of Syria’s security forces and military detained over sectarian violence in Sweida

Syrian officials detained members of the country’s security and military services following a probe into deadly sectarian violence that erupted in the southern province of Sweida in July, investigators announced Sunday.

At a news conference in Damascus, Judge Hatem Naasan, who heads the Syrian committee investigating the bloodshed, reported “positive results” in the ongoing inquiry but stopped short of providing a final death toll. The complete report is expected by year’s end.

“Members of security services and the military who were proven to have committed violations based on investigations of the committee and videos posted on social media platforms have been detained,” Naasan told reporters. After questioning, these individuals were referred to judicial authorities, with security personnel being held by the Interior Ministry and military members detained by the Defense Ministry.

The violence began in mid-July when armed groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans. Government forces intervened, effectively siding with the Bedouins in the conflict. The resulting bloodshed left hundreds of civilians dead, the majority being members of the Druze minority community.

Graphic videos circulated on social media during the conflict showed armed men executing kneeling Druze civilians in public squares and humiliating elderly men by forcibly shaving their mustaches – acts that sparked outrage both domestically and internationally.

Naasan’s committee has been gathering testimony from witnesses and victims in the affected areas. He downplayed allegations of organized foreign fighter involvement in the violence, stating that while some foreign fighters had been detained and questioned, they had entered Sweida “randomly and individually” and were not members of Syrian armed or security forces.

The sectarian violence has deepened divisions in Syria’s already fractured society. Following the July bloodshed, many residents in Sweida – a predominantly Druze region – have called for some form of autonomy within a federal system, while a smaller contingent advocates for complete partition from the Syrian state.

The Druze, who follow a secretive offshoot of Islam that emerged in the 11th century, constitute a small but significant minority in Syria. Of the approximately one million Druze worldwide, most live in Syria, with smaller communities in Lebanon, Israel, and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.

The sectarian violence in Sweida represents one of the most serious internal challenges to President Bashar al-Assad’s government in areas under its control since the civil war began in 2011. While Assad has regained control over much of Syria with backing from Russia and Iran, his government continues to struggle with maintaining security and addressing deep-seated sectarian tensions.

Human rights organizations have previously criticized the Syrian government for failing to protect minority communities and have called for an independent international investigation into the Sweida violence. The formation of the government-led investigative committee was seen by some as an attempt to address international concerns while maintaining control over the narrative.

The detention of security and military personnel marks a rare instance of the Syrian government publicly acknowledging potential wrongdoing by its forces, though critics question whether the investigation will lead to meaningful accountability for those responsible for the civilian deaths.

As the committee continues its work, tensions remain high in Sweida, where local defense groups have strengthened their presence, reflecting a growing distrust of central government protection among the Druze community.