“Fierce clashes with light and medium weapons erupted in Jaramana” between local Druze fighters and government-affiliated forces after “the circulation of a voice recording of a person from the Druze community stirring up sectarian strife,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.
Four Druze fighters were killed and six others were injured in the fighting, and a Syrian army soldier also sustained injuries, according to the monitor.
The voice recording prompted mass anger in Syria, leading to protests, clashes, and elements of society in regions such as Hama calling for the extermination of the Druze community.
Syria’s interior ministry said it is investigating the “audio recording circulating on social media containing grave insults to the Prophet Mohammed.”
In a statement, the ministry thanked citizens for “defending” Prophet Mohammed but also emphasized “the importance of adhering to public order and refraining from engaging in any individual or collective actions that could disturb public security or infringe upon lives and property.”
Located on the outskirts of Damascus, the majority Druze and Christian suburb of Jaramana was the site of deadly clashes in late February between local gunmen and security forces affiliated with the Syrian government following a fatal shooting at a checkpoint.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in early December. Its then leader and now Syria’s interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has repeatedly pledged to protect the rights of all Syrians. In December, the rebel coalition, including the HTS, agreed to merge into the Syrian defense ministry.
The international community has expressed concern that the new Islamist authorities in Damascus may impose strict Islamic rule in Syria, threatening the country’s minority groups, such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
Following the February clashes, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Damascus to “not harm the Druze,” and stressed that Syrian authorities would “suffer the consequences” if they harmed the community.
Syria’s Druze, Christian, and Kurdish communities have expressed deep mistrust toward Damascus and rejected the interim constitution.
