DAMASCUS, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the deadly violence in Syria's southern province of Sweida has reached 516, as sporadic clashes broke out on Thursday between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes after the complete pullout of Syrian interim government troops from the province at dawn.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that Druze factions warned Bedouin residents in the Maqous neighborhood to leave before evening, raising concerns over escalating displacement, especially among Bedouin families in Sweida's countryside.
"These developments risk triggering a broader sectarian conflict," the SOHR said.
"Any systematic targeting of a social group poses a dangerous threat to Syrian unity," it said. "Now more than ever, Syrians must uphold values of reconciliation and mutual respect, not vengeance and exclusion."
The updated death toll provided by the SOHR includes armed clashes, summary executions, and Israeli airstrikes.
The escalation in Sweida began Sunday after armed members of a Bedouin tribe in the countryside of Sweida, a predominantly Druze province, reportedly assaulted and robbed a young Druze man near the town of al-Masmiyah, along the Damascus-Sweida highway. The brutal attack sparked retaliatory kidnappings, spiraling into full-scale clashes between local Druze fighters, government troops, and Bedouin militias.
On Monday and Wednesday, Israel launched waves of strikes on Damascus and Sweida, claiming to prevent the Druze minority from being harmed. The attacks have met with strong condemnation from the international community.
Hours after the Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, a fragile ceasefire between Syria's interim government and Druze spiritual leaders entered into effect.
The United Nations refugee agency and the Norwegian Refugee Council have raised alarm over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sweida, warning that the fragile ceasefire may not be enough to stabilize the region. ■
