Syria Detains Security Officials Over Alleged Role in Deadly Sweida Crackdown

Syria has detained members of its defense and interior ministries over their suspected involvement in deadly abuses during a July crackdown in the southern province of Sweida, an official investigation committee said.

The province, home to Syria’s Druze minority, was rocked by intense violence in mid-July when clashes erupted between Druze factions and local tribes, escalating after government forces entered the area. The violence resulted in hundreds of deaths, according to investigators.

Families of victims accused Syrian troops of execution-style killings, some of which were allegedly filmed by the perpetrators themselves.

A government-appointed investigative committee, formed on July 31, said Tuesday night that suspects from both ministries were interrogated, detained, and referred to the judiciary. Committee spokesperson Ammar Izzedin confirmed the developments to local and regional media.

While the exact number of detainees has not been disclosed, Izzedin emphasized they were acting in an individual capacity and had confessed after being shown video evidence of their actions.

“They were confronted with footage in which they were seen committing the violations,” Izzedin told Al-Hadath TV. “Several admitted responsibility during questioning.”

He added that the suspects are currently in ministry custody and will be publicly tried once investigations are complete.

Izzedin also told Syria TV the committee was working to ensure swift arrests as investigations continue. He did not respond to additional requests for comment from Reuters.

The watchdog Amnesty International on Tuesday called on Syrian authorities to hold government forces accountable for the extrajudicial executions of Druze civilians on July 15 and 16.

This is the second major abuse case this year involving government forces. In March, Syrian troops were accused of mass killings of Alawites, the sect to which much of President Bashar al-Assad’s ruling elite belongs.

A separate committee reported that 1,426 people died in that wave of violence. While it claimed no orders were given for revenge killings, 298 suspects were identified and referred to the judiciary.