Israeli jets spotted over southern Syria after 30 killed & 100 wounded in clashes between Bedouin tribesmen and Druze

The Israeli Air Force reportedly flew over the majority Druze area of Suwayda in southern Syria on Monday, after dozens of Druze were killed there in recent days.

More than 30 people were killed and over 100 were wounded amid clashes between Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes and Druze militiamen, Reuters and local media reported.

Earlier on Monday, some Druze leaders called for international assistance, rejecting government assurances of troop reinforcements and intervention amid deep mistrust between the Druze community and the new administration.

Druze leaders accused the government of claiming to act to dissolve tensions, while "in reality, they bombed our people in the border villages and helped the gangs of the infidels with their heavy weapons and drones."

When the new Syrian government took over last December, Israel declared it would support and protect the Druze community and established close contacts with several Israeli-friendly leaders in southern Syria.

The weekend clashes took place in the city and province of Suwayda, an area also called the “Druze Mountain,” which is mostly populated by members of the ethno-religious Druze minority and located in southwestern Syria. Suwayda is located some 68 kilometers (42 miles) from the Israeli-controlled security zone along the Golan Heights border.

The clashes erupted after a spree of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant along the Damascus-Suwayda Highway on Friday. The majority of those killed since then have been Druze.

Druze villages on the western and northern outskirts of the city were attacked by Bedouin tribesmen. Videos on social media purportedly showed Bedouin fighters chanting Islamist slogans amid the fighting.

The main focus of the fighting was reportedly in Suwayda's al-Maqwas neighborhood, a Bedouin enclave in the majority-Druze town. The area was reportedly encircled and later seized by Druze militias.

On Sunday evening, negotiations between clan elders led to the exchange of all the captives. However, clashes continued on Monday, with the local As-Suwayda 24 website reporting a wave of attacks on Druze villages from the direction of Daraa, a large-majority-Sunni Muslim city to the west.

Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab stated, “The absence of state institutions, especially military and security institutions, is a major cause of ongoing tensions in Suwayda. The only solution is imposing security and activating the role of institutions to ensure civil peace and normalcy.”

Overnight, the Syrian Ministry of Defense sent reinforcements to calm the tensions. However, a convoy of the government’s forces reportedly came under attack by Druze forces, with reports saying that a dozen of their soldiers were killed in the assault.

Parts of southern Syria’s Druze community have refused to cooperate with the new government out of deep mistrust of its leadership. The government remains dominated by former members of the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is designated as a terrorist organization.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab, "The absence of state institutions, especially military and security institutions, is a major cause of ongoing tensions in Suwayda. The only solution is imposing security and activating the role of institutions to ensure civil peace and normalcy." pic.twitter.com/9lsq8CPzGh

— Levant24 (@Levant_24_) July 14, 2025

Underscoring these concerns, Khattab began his militant career with al-Qaeda in Iraq before becoming one of HTS’ leading ideologues. In the past, he authored jihadist tracts targeting non-believers.

When the new Assad regime took control last December, Israel declared it would support and protect the Druze community in Syria, in March, and sent humanitarian aid to the Suwayda region

In April, Sunni-Muslim fighters attacked Druze residents of Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, before clashes spread to other areas. Israel assisted the Druze militant groups by launching airstrikes in Syria.

“This cycle of violence has exploded in a terrifying way, and if it doesn't end, we are heading toward a bloodbath,” Rayan Marouf, a Druze who runs the Suwayda24 website, told Reuters.