Damascus, 20 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The situation in the city of Sweida is reportedly under control after days of deadly violence between Druze factions and Sunni Muslim Bedouins, according to the state-run Syrian news agency SANA, citing the Interior Ministry.

The Druze-majority city had been cleared of all tribal fighters and clashes in the neighbourhoods had ended, it said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said there was a cautious calm.

The fighting in Sweida, which erupted a week ago, left hundreds dead, and resulted in a dire humanitarian situation and a mass exodus of civilians from the province, according to activists.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanded the fighting "stop immediately," in a post on X, and called for the rape and slaughter of innocent people to end.

Nearly 1,000 people have been killed since July 13 as a result of fighting in Sweida, summary executions and Israeli strikes, said the UK-based Observatory that relies on a network of reporters inside Syria.

The Druze are a religious minority that emerged from Shiite Islam and live mainly in Syria, but also in Israel, Lebanon, and Jordan.  Suweida is their stronghold.

After the violence broke out, Syrian government troops intervened.

Israel said it has a duty to protect the Druze. Many of them serve in the Israeli military. Earlier this week, Israel unleashed airstrikes in Sweida and against government institutions in Damascus.

The situation remains fragile in Syria under the new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who assumed power after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad six months ago.

While the new administration has promised to restore stability, ethnic clashes, militia violence, and terrorist attacks continue to plague the country.

Photo: EPA