Extremist Attacks on Rural Suweida Leave Homes Looted and Burnt

Earlier in May, fighters affiliated with the transitional government’s Ministries of Interior and Defence – led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) –  and allied militias from Bedouin tribes and rural Daraa, attacked rural areas of Suweida from multiple fronts. The attacks followed the circulation of an alleged audio recording attributed to a Druze cleric in which he insults the Prophet of Islam. Although the recording was later debunked, and despite efforts by most Druze local dignitaries and religious leaders to condemn any insult to others’ beliefs and to emphasise national unity with other Syrians, a wave of incitement and accusations of treachery against the Druze community escalated. Some voices even issued statements calling them infidels. 

The most prominent of these attacks targeted the large town of Al-Surah in northern Suweida. On April 30, the town came under heavy fire from mortars and machine guns, followed by a siege from the east, north, and west. Armed militants entered the town in the evening after intense shelling, forcing the residents to flee en masse toward the city of Suweida. After several days, Druze authorities and local faction leaders reached an agreement with representatives of the transitional government, resulting in the withdrawal of the attacking forces from the town. They left behind widespread devastation: homes were looted and stripped, and many were set ablaze. Fighters also allegedly killed five civilians who were unable to flee, and injured others.

Upon returning, residents discovered the extent of the destruction to their homes, which were blackened from fire, with furniture reduced entirely to ash. Photos revealed scenes of chaos inside the homes, including vandalised and looted children’s rooms.

Nimer Al-Shahin, a resident of the town, told The Syria Report that militants stormed his house, stole his car and furniture, and even seized his livestock – including his sheep and cow – before setting his tractor on fire. Mr Al-Shahin described how he tried to protect his home and belongings but was shot at close range and wounded in the hand. However, the intensity of the bombardment and the speed of the assault left him no chance to resist.

In the farmlands surrounding Al-Surah, fields and farms faced systematic looting. The assaults included destruction of agricultural machinery such as tractors and vehicles used for transporting produce. One returning farmer recounted how the attackers entered his farm, seized his agricultural equipment, and set fire to the grain store – his sole source of livelihood.

In addition to livestock and furniture, small shops were widely looted. Some shops were reduced to nothing but charred walls, with all their contents – foodstuffs and the few remaining goods left after months of economic hardship – stolen.

Among the more alarming violations, returnees reported that their personal ID cards had been stolen from their homes. They said the militants had ransacked houses and gathered personal and civil documents, raising serious concerns about potential identity theft and the fraudulent use of these documents in property transactions.

Hassan Alawi, one of the affected residents, stressed that losing IDs poses a real threat to the town’s people. The use of these documents in forgery could lead to serious legal issues in the future, particularly if used in illicit property sales or asset registrations.

Beyond material losses, residents suffered severe psychological trauma. Mr Al-Shahin described how he no longer felt safe, even after returning to his home. Some residents noted that the loss of their IDs deepened their sense of helplessness. The possession of stolen IDs can enable the fraudulent sale of property through a notary public, as long as the transaction is witnessed by two individuals.

The attackers also desecrated Druze religious sites, including deliberately setting fire to the shrine of Al-Khidr, destroying religious manuscripts, and writing sectarian slogans against the Druze community on the walls. This act provoked widespread outrage among the town’s residents and across Suweida, as targeting a religious site in such a manner was seen as an assault on the spiritual and social symbols of the Druze.

The attacks were not limited to Al-Surah. Mortar shelling hit multiple villages in western rural Suweida, causing significant damage to homes and property. Damage to 18 homes was documented in the villages of Ara, Rassas, and Kanaker, with varying degrees of destruction. 

Some homes, due to their old stone structures, were rendered uninhabitable, making restoration difficult and complex. Photos showed cracked roofs, doors, and windows in many other houses. Additionally, transport and farming machinery suffered extensive damage. Simple rural homes on the outskirts of western Suweida villages were looted and vandalised. Incidents included theft of livestock and vehicles, and the burning of tractors. Small shops were looted, set ablaze, and left as blackened shells.

This systematic targeting of housing, farmland, and essential resources will exacerbate the hardship faced by the local community, making their return to normalcy increasingly difficult. The systematic targeting of housing, farmland, and essential resources will exacerbate the hardship faced by the local community, making their return to normalcy increasingly difficult. In rural communities like Suweida, where women play a substantial role in agricultural cultivation, losing access to land and resources can disproportionately impact their livelihoods.

These assaults coincided with attempts to provoke sectarian tension in Syrian universities, especially at the University of Homs, where students from Suweida were directly threatened with death by extremist students, some known to be affiliated with HTS. The abuse went beyond verbal threats to include physical assaults on Druze students in the university housing in Aleppo, prompting General Security to isolate Druze students in designated dormitories and provide them with protection from extremists. Meanwhile, protests in Hama featured sectarian slogans against Suweida, increasing tensions further. Calls also emerged in rural Daraa to join the attack on Suweida, but local dignitaries intervened to curb the spread of such incitement, stressing the need to preserve civil peace.