• Local monitors have reported at least 426 deaths in the latest escalation between Druze and Bedouin groups in July

ISTANBUL

The relationship between Bedouin and Druze communities in Syria’s southern province of Suwayda has long been marked by complexity, alternating between periods of cooperation and violent confrontation.

Although these clashes rarely began as sectarian disputes, they frequently stemmed from tribal, social, and economic tensions – primarily conflicts over land and resources.

External actors, particularly the former Assad regime, repeatedly exploited these tensions for political gain, deepening communal divides.

Analysts attribute the recent escalation of violence earlier this month, which led to mass casualties and displacement, to structural factors, including economic hardship, widespread weapons proliferation, and the state’s capacity to mediate disputes.

This latest outbreak, they say, has significantly altered the province’s trajectory since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s rule in December 2024.

A fragile mosaic

Suwayda holds strategic importance, characterized by a unique demographic composition: predominantly Druze, with a significant Bedouin minority, particularly in the northern and eastern regions such as al-Maqous, Sahwat al-Balata, Ara, and al-Mazraa.

Local estimates place the Arab tribal population at approximately 250,000, or roughly one-third of the province’s inhabitants.

Bedouin tribes had settled the area before the Druze arrived from Lebanon and Palestine during the 17th and 18th centuries, driven by internal conflicts.

The coexistence between these communities – settled Druze farmers and nomadic Bedouin herders – historically alternated between collaboration and friction.

Early interactions: Cooperation and conflict

Before and during the early 20th century, Bedouin-Druze relations were largely economic and interdependent, involving practices such as salt trading and horse gifting.

Yet tensions frequently arose from differing lifestyles: agricultural Druze depended heavily on fixed land, while Bedouin pastoralists required mobility for herding, often causing disputes over grazing rights and water access.

Significantly, religious differences rarely influenced these early clashes, which were typically resolved through tribal customs and local mediation, according to multiple historical accounts.

The Assad era: Manipulation and militarization

Under Hafez al-Assad, and more intensively during his son Bashar’s rule, the Syrian regime exacerbated communal divisions.

In 2000, severe clashes erupted after Bedouin herders trespassed on Druze farmland, leading to 20 deaths and over 200 injuries. Subsequent regime interventions deepened mistrust, with arrests targeting primarily Bedouin suspects.

The Assad regime prioritized loyalty over social cohesion, often arming select tribal leaders to suppress dissent and maintain political leverage, especially following the 2011 uprising.

The spread of weapons, widespread kidnapping, and drug trafficking further militarized local disputes, turning tribal disagreements into violent confrontations.

Post-Assad power vacuum and July 2025 escalation

The December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government left a dangerous power vacuum in Suwayda, reigniting dormant tensions.

Analysts had warned that the abrupt removal of authoritarian rule could magnify unresolved societal divisions, leaving criminal networks and armed factions unchecked.

On July 13, fighting broke out after a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings and vehicle seizures between Druze militias and Bedouin groups. Tensions escalated rapidly, with Druze armed factions launching attacks on Syrian security forces, resulting in heavy casualties.

By July 14, the conflict spread, leaving 37 dead – 27 Druze and 10 Bedouin – and over 50 injured.

Despite the Syrian army’s initial intervention, the violence continued to spiral. By July 17, after the army withdrew, reports emerged of mass killings carried out by the Druze-led “Military Council,” linked to influential cleric Hikmat al-Hijri.

Armed groups reportedly targeted Bedouin civilians, including women and children, burned homes and mosques, and committed abuses against detainees.

By July 22, local monitors reported at least 426 deaths, although some estimates suggested casualties exceeded 1,000, with thousands displaced.

Ceasefires, displacement, and regional implications

Multiple ceasefires brokered by the Syrian government failed to halt violence. A fragile truce on July 21 facilitated the evacuation of hundreds of Bedouin families from Suwayda to neighboring Daraa and rural Damascus, in what some observers described as “systematic displacement.”

Rejecting any compromise with Damascus, al-Hijri directly appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump for intervention.

Israel, claiming to act in defense of the Druze, launched airstrikes on Damascus – including the Presidential Palace, Defense Ministry, and General Staff headquarters – as well as in Suwayda and neighboring Daraa, sparking global concern and calls for restraint.

The strikes drew international condemnation and intensified regional concerns about escalating violence.

In response, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa emphasized the importance of national unity and denounced Israel’s actions. “The Druze people are an integral part of the fabric of this homeland,” he said on state television on July 17.

Analysts stress that the July escalation signals a troubling shift, where longstanding societal divisions, combined with an influx of weapons and volatile geopolitics, threaten to destabilize the region indefinitely.