Clashes continue in Syria’s Sweida despite ceasefire; Fighter: ‘We’ll slaughter the Druze in their homes’

Smoke rises from burning houses in south Syria’s Sweida, and an Arab tribal fighter vows to “slaughter” residents as deadly clashes with Druze fighters and civilians persist.

Just hours earlier, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced an immediate ceasefire, but Bedouin and tribal fighters who are allied with the Syrian authorities push on in the west of the Druze-majority city.

“Go forward, tribes!” says fighter Abu Jassem, addressing fellow combatants in the area, where the streets are largely deserted.

“We will slaughter them in their homes,” he says, referring to the Druze.

The tribal fighters have converged on Sweida from other parts of Syria to support the Bedouins, who have been clashing with Druze fighters since July 13.

The violence has killed at least 940 people, according to a monitoring group.

In recent days, brutal videos have circulated on social media, some appearing to show the execution of people in civilian clothing and the abuse of elderly Druze clerics, as dozens of people have published shocking accounts of the deaths of loved ones.