Syria deployed security forces to the southern province of Suwayda on Monday after clashes between Bedouin and Druze armed groups left at least 50 people dead, a monitoring group said.
The outbreak of violence underscores the challenges facing the administration of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose anti-regime forces overthrew long-time dictator Bashar Assad in December, in a country reeling from 14 years of war.
The latest fighting, which began Sunday, continued sporadically into Monday in several villages, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor and the Suwayda 24 news outlet.
The clashes reportedly erupted when a Druze vegetable vendor was seized by armed Bedouins on the main highway linking Suwayda to Damascus.
The incident triggered a series of retaliatory abductions by both sides. Suwayda 24 said those abducted were released Sunday night.
The Observatory raised its death toll Monday to 50, including 34 Druze – among them two children – 10 Bedouins and six members of the security forces. State television confirmed six deaths among the security forces.
The highway between Damascus and Suwayda remained closed, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources on the ground.
The Interior Ministry had put the toll at 30 dead and around 100 wounded.
The ministry expressed deep concern and sorrow over the "bloody developments" that took place between "local armed groups and tribes" in Suwayda’s al-Maqous neighborhood on late Sunday.
"In this context, the Ministry of Interior confirms that units of its forces, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, will intervene directly in the region to resolve the conflict, stop clashes, impose security, prosecute those responsible for the events, and refer them to the competent judiciary," it added.
Dozens more have been wounded amid armed clashes and mortar fire in Suwayda city and nearby villages.
Syria's Defense and Interior ministries announced the deployment of military units to the affected areas, the establishment of safe corridors for civilians, and a commitment to "end the clashes quickly and decisively".
"The lack of state, military and security institutions is a major reason for the ongoing tensions in Suwayda," Interior Minister Anas Khattab said Sunday on X.
"The only solution is to reactivate these institutions to ensure civil peace," he added.
The latest unrest follows deadly violence in April and May, when clashes between Druze fighters and security forces in Druze-populated areas near Damascus and Suwayda killed more than 100 people.
The Observatory said members of Bedouin tribes had sided with security forces during earlier confrontations.
Local leaders and religious figures brokered agreements at the time to de-escalate the tensions, putting Druze fighters in charge of local security in Suwayda since May, though armed Bedouins remain present in several areas.
On Sunday, Suwayda Gov. Mustapha al-Bakur urged his constituents to "exercise self-restraint," while Druze community leaders urged authorities to step in.
In response to the violence, the Education Ministry announced the postponement of Monday's scheduled secondary school exams in the province.
