UN probe says multiple parties in Sweida violence in July may have committed war crimes

GENEVA, Switzerland — More than 1,700 people were killed, nearly 200,000 displaced, and multiple actors, including Syrian government forces, tribal fighters, and Druze armed groups, committed acts that may amount to war crimes during a week of violence in southern Syria in July 2025, a UN investigation says.

The 85-page report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic finds that at least 1,707 people were killed in Suweida Governorate, the majority civilians of the Druze minority sect, alongside members of the Bedouin community, and at least 225 government personnel.

Up to 155,000 people remain displaced, the report said, describing a humanitarian situation still unresolved months after a fragile ceasefire.

Separately, a Syrian government-appointed inquiry committee into the same events said on March 17 it had documented 1,760 deaths and 2,188 injuries “from all sides.” It also concluded there were “many human rights violations” by multiple parties, including local armed groups and individuals linked to ISIS, in addition to members of government and security forces, many of whom had been arrested.

The government committee, formed shortly after the violence, said its work relied on evidence collection and witness accounts and that its findings were submitted to the Justice Ministry.