A ceasefire went into effect late Wednesday, easing days of brutal clashes in Sweida. Now, members of its Druze community who fled or went into hiding are returning to search for loved ones and count their losses. They are finding homes looted and bloodied bodies of civilians in the streets.

Claims circulated that he was dead after a video appeared online of men in military attire taunting the 80-year-old. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The conflict had drawn airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel in defense of the Druze before a truce halted most of the fighting.

Attacks against Druze civilians, allegedly carried out by members of government forces, have multiplied in recent days in the city of Sweida and its surrounding areas, which remain cut off from the outside world.

The Druze–Jewish covenant is a call for moral awakening for all who believe in partnership, in values, and in mutual responsibility. It is a reminder that the courage to stand with the other – while remaining loyal to who we are – is the most ethical act a community can choose.

The fighting had threatened to unravel Syria's post-war political transition and brought further military intervention by neighbouring Israel.View on euronews

Family reunions were recorded on the Israel-Syria border, as members of Druze families reunited for the first time in decades following the entry of thousands of Israeli Druze into Syria.

Syrian government officials and leaders in the Druze religious minority announced a renewed ceasefire Wednesday after days of clashes that have threatened to unravel the country's postwar political transition and drawn military intervention by powerful neighbor Israel.

Syrian Druze protest near the Israeli-Syrian border, as seen from the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Israel has hit military targets in the Syrian capital, with the avowed aim of shielding minority Druze communities.