This week’s surge in sectarian violence across Syria has resulted in over 100 fatalities, according to a conflict monitoring organization, as unrest expanded to new locations.
The violence began Tuesday in Jaramana following the circulation of an audio recording on social media allegedly featuring a Druse cleric insulting the Prophet Muhammad. The cleric denied the claim, and initial investigations by Syria’s Interior Ministry indicated he was not the individual in the recording.
Despite these findings, armed Sunni extremist groups launched attacks on neighborhoods with significant Druse populations around Damascus. In response, Druse militias mobilized to defend their communities, while government forces intervened to contain the conflict.
By Wednesday, the violence had spread to Ashrafieh Sahnaya, another town on Damascus’s southern outskirts. Early Thursday saw clashes extending further south into Sweida, a predominantly Druse-controlled area.
The intensifying bloodshed has heightened fears of deepening sectarian divisions within Syria, particularly affecting religious minorities who have long felt vulnerable since the fall of the Assad regime.
This marks the second significant wave of sectarian conflict since a rebel alliance ousted President Bashar al-Assad and assumed control.
