Damascus strikes deal with Druze leaders after deadly sectarian clashes

DAMASCUS: Syria’s current government promised Druze leaders Tuesday that it would try those responsible after its security forces clashed with Druze fighters in a Damascus suburb, leaving 14 combatants dead.

In a deal reached with representatives from the mainly Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana, authorities also promised measures to “put an end to incitement to sectarian and regional division”, according to a text seen by AFP.

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“An agreement has been reached,” said Rabih Mounzer, a member of a civilian coordination group in Jaramana who was among the delegates.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said seven security personnel and seven Druze fighters were killed in the clashes which erupted on Monday night and continued into Tuesday.

They were sparked by the circulation on social media of an audio recording deemed blasphemous and met with condemnation from leaders of the Druze religious minority.

The violence follows sectarian massacres last month in the Alawite coastal heartland — the worst bloodshed since militant forces overthrew long-time president Bashar al-Assad in December.

While seeking to present a more moderate image to the world, the new authorities must also contend with pressures from radical extremists within their ranks.

“Heavy clashes erupted in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed” parts of the suburb, the Britain-based Observatory said.

The violence was spurred by “the circulation of an audio recording, attributed to a Druze citizen, containing religious insults”, it added.

AFP was unable to confirm the recording’s authenticity.

The interior ministry reported “intermittent clashes between groups of gunmen”, saying security forces deployed “to break up the clashes and protect the residents”.

The justice ministry said it would “not tolerate any attack on the Prophet” Mohammed but stressed that the courts were the “sole legitimate recourse” and called on residents to “refrain from hate speech”.

‘Full responsibility’

An AFP correspondent saw gunmen shooting into the air during the funeral for two security force members killed in the clashes.

Jaramana’s Druze religious leadership condemned “the unjustified armed attack” that “targeted innocent civilians and terrorised” residents.

“We strongly condemn any insult against” the Prophet Mohammed, the statement said, calling the audio recording an attempt to “sow strife and division”.

It said the authorities bore “full responsibility for the incident”.

Local residents said the fighting had subsided by morning.

Riham Waqqaf, a 33-year-old humanitarian worker, said she was staying home with her husband and children.

She expressed worry that Jaramana “might turn into a battlefield… I am afraid of the situation escalating further”.

Alawite massacres

Security forces deployed in Jaramana last month following clashes between security forces and gunmen tasked with protecting the area.

At the time, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned the al-Shara led authorities not “to harm the Druze” minority, which is also spread across Lebanon and Israel.

Druze leaders rejected the Israeli warning and declared their loyalty to a united Syria.

The clashes in Jaramana mark the latest test for the new authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda network but have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.

The authorities have been seeking to persuade Western capitals that the militant origins of the forces who toppled Assad are confined to the past, and that crippling international sanctions should be lifted.

Druze representatives have been negotiating with authorities on an agreement to integrate their armed groups into the new national army.

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Last month’s violence on the Mediterranean coast saw security forces and allied groups kill more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, according to the Observatory’s figures.

The government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that toppled Assad, accused loyalists to the former leader of sparking the violence by attacking security forces, and has launched an inquiry.