Syrian Bedouin flee Druze-majority province of Suweida after truce, amid reports of reprisal killings

Hundreds of Syrian Bedouin families are fleeing the southern Druze-majority province of Suweida after a truce was agreed stipulating the withdrawal of government forces from the area and allowing local factions to take control, amid reports of reprisal killings.

The New Arab’s affiliate Syria TV reported that since the early hours of Thursday morning, Syrian Bedouins, who are mostly Sunni Muslim, had begun fleeing Suweida province towards neighbouring Daraa province.

They had found shelter in mosques and schools in the city of Bosra al-Harir in Daraa province, according to Syria TV.

Druze armed factions, who had been entrusted with security in Suweida, had launched combing operations in the province after the withdrawal of the government’s military and security province.

On Thursday afternoon, The New Arab’s affiliate Al-Araby TV reported that two Bedouins had been shot dead in the Maqous area of Suweida city, with unconfirmed reports of further killings.

Suweida province saw five days of deadly clashes which began on Sunday and left hundreds of people dead.

They started as clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes, who are mostly Sunni, erupted, with Syrian government forces, who previously had a limited presence in the area, later intervening but accused of field executions and other crimes against the Druze.

Israel launched airstrikes against Syrian government forces, under the pretext of “protecting” the Druze. This included a massive airstrike on the defence ministry’s headquarters in central Damascus.

The ceasefire agreement stipulates "the full integration of Suweida into the [Syrian] state, and [state] sovereignty over the entire province, and the activation and restoration of all its institutions".

However, the withdrawal of government forces appears to have left a security vacuum, with factions loyal to one of the Druze's spiritual leaders, Hikmat al-Hijri, emboldened.

The Druze community in Suweida has been divided, with some factions such as the Men of Dignity, reaffirming loyalty to the Syrian interim government headed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, while al-Hijri has refused all negotiation with the government and called for armed resistance to its forces.

On Thursday, Al-Araby TV reported that armed men had stormed the headquarters of the leader of the Men of Dignity, Laith al-Balous.

It also said that al-Hijri had called for measures that would further limit the Syrian government’s ability to control Suweida, such as the opening of roads from the southern province to Jordan and areas of Syria controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called again for the demilitarisation of the southern Daraa and Suweida provinces, a demand that goes against the sovereignty of the Syrian state.