Türkiye urges dialogue to halt deadly clashes in southern Syria

ANKARA

Smoke billows following Israeli strikes in the distance as members of Syria's security forces man rocket launchers in an area between Mazraa and Walga near the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on July 14, 2025, following clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters.

Türkiye's Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the Syrian government will swiftly resolve ongoing violence in the country's south through local dialogue, while prioritizing Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a statement on Monday, spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said Ankara will keep backing initiatives for stability and reconciliation in Syria, working alongside responsible international actors. 

The remarks come amid escalating clashes in Sweida province between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes, which erupted on Sunday and have claimed at least 99 lives, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The dead include 60 Druze—four of them civilians—18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified individuals in military attire.

Syrian government forces began entering the majority Druze city of Sweida on Tuesday, the defence ministry said, after two days of deadly intercommunal clashes in the southern region.

The ministry urged people to "stay home and report any movements of outlaw groups", following the violence between the Druze and Bedouin tribes.

Witnesses reported troops seizing the Druze village of Al-Mazraa, home to Bedouin fighters, as a commander noted movements toward the city.

Druze leaders from the Men of Dignity movement indicated negotiations with security and defense officials to broker a truce, while religious authorities urged a ceasefire but rejected central forces entering the province, calling for international protection.

Israel, citing threats to the Druze community, struck several Syrian tanks en route to Sweida as a "warning" to Damascus, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The unrest highlights challenges for Syria's interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose forces toppled Bashar al-Assad in December after over a decade of civil war.

Syria's Druze are largely concentrated in Sweida.

A prior agreement after spring clashes saw Druze fighters handling local security.

Sweida's streets fell silent Monday amid funerals and sporadic gunfire, with residents voicing fears of reprisals akin to March massacres in coastal areas that killed over 1,700, mostly Alawites.

Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra called on troops to safeguard civilians from "outlaw gangs" and stabilize the area.

The violence ignited Sunday over a Bedouin abduction of a Druze vendor on the Damascus highway, sparking retaliatory kidnappings and mortar exchanges despite hostage releases.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab blamed the absence of state institutions for fueling tensions.

Longstanding Bedouin-Druze rivalries have flared periodically, with Bedouins—Sunni Muslims—aligning with security forces in past disputes.