Authorities have detained members of Syria’s security services and military amid an investigation into sectarian violence in Sweida in mid‑July that investigators say left hundreds dead. The investigative committee, led by Judge Hatem Naasan, has questioned witnesses and victims and used social media videos to identify suspected perpetrators. Detainees from the security apparatus are held by the Interior Ministry and soldiers by the Defense Ministry; a final casualty count will be published in a report due by year’s end. Tensions in Sweida have spurred renewed calls for autonomy among many residents.
Syria Detains Security and Military Personnel as Probe Continues into Deadly July Sweida Clashes
Authorities have detained members of Syria’s security services and military amid an investigation into sectarian violence in Sweida in mid‑July that investigators say left hundreds dead. The investigative committee, led by Judge Hatem Naasan, has questioned witnesses and victims and used social media videos to identify suspected perpetrators. Detainees from the security apparatus are held by the Interior Ministry and soldiers by the Defense Ministry; a final casualty count will be published in a report due by year’s end. Tensions in Sweida have spurred renewed calls for autonomy among many residents.
10:41 AM, 11/17/2025Conflict
Syria Detains Security, Military Personnel in Sweida Violence Investigation
Syrian authorities say they have detained members of the country’s security services and military as part of an inquiry into sectarian violence that struck the southern province of Sweida in mid‑July and left hundreds dead.
The head of the investigative committee, Judge Hatem Naasan, held a news conference in Damascus to outline progress but did not provide a final casualty figure, saying the toll will be published in a report due by the end of the year.
What investigators say
According to the committee, clashes began in mid‑July when armed groups linked to Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al‑Hijri fought with local Bedouin clans. Government forces intervened and, investigators say, effectively sided with Bedouin fighters. Hundreds of civilians — mostly Druze — were killed, and many deaths have been attributed to government fighters.
"We have achieved positive results," Judge Naasan told reporters, adding that investigators have taken testimony from witnesses and victims across Sweida.
Naasan said individuals from security services and the military who were shown to have committed violations based on the committee’s inquiries and videos circulating on social media have been detained. He did not disclose the number of detainees, saying those questioned have been referred to judicial authorities.
"Videos posted on social media clearly showed faces and they were detained by the authorities concerned," Naasan said, adding that detainees from the security apparatus are being held by the Interior Ministry while military personnel are in the custody of the Defense Ministry.
Graphic footage circulated online reportedly showed armed men executing Druze civilians kneeling in public squares and humiliating elderly men by shaving off their mustaches. The committee said it has used such videos as part of its inquiries.
Foreign fighters and local response
Naasan sought to downplay suggestions that foreign fighters played a central, organized role. He said some foreign nationals were detained and interviewed, but that they appeared to have entered Sweida independently and were not members of Syrian security or armed forces.
In the aftermath of the violence, many residents of Sweida are reportedly calling for greater autonomy within a federal system; a smaller group seeks full partition.
Most of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria; others live in Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.