Damascus: Hundreds of people demonstrated in the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Saturday, demanding the right for self-determination for the Druze minority. It comes after deadly clashes between Druze militias and armed Bedouin Sunni tribes that erupted on July 13.
According to Deutsche Welle, the Syrian military declared a ceasefire in Sweida days after the clashes erupted. Syria's new interim government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa has convened an investigative committee tasked with looking into the sectarian violence in the Sweida region and is to present a report in three months.
Some demonstrators waved the Israeli flag in the Saturday protest in order to thank Israel for its intervention in Syria. Israel bombed Syrian government forces in July, saying it was acting to demilitarize southern Syria and protect the Druze minority.
Druze activist Rayyan Maarouf told the Associated Press news agency that the protests were the first to use the slogan of self-determination. "This is an unprecedented change for the Druze in Syria," he said.
While the Druze branched off from the Ismaili sect of Shiite Islam in the 10th Century, members of the religious group do not identify as Muslim. The largest Druze population is found in Syria, with substantial communities also found in Israel and Lebanon. Druze also make up the majority of the Arab population of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.