The Syrian regime has detained members of its own security and military apparatus following a deadly outbreak of sectarian violence in the southern province of Sweida in July, which left hundreds of civilians - mostly Druze - dead, reports the Associated Press.
The announcement was made Sunday by Judge Hatem Naasan, head of the regime’s investigative committee, during a press conference in Damascus.
Naasan refrained from disclosing the official death toll, stating that final figures would be included in a report expected by year’s end. He confirmed that the committee had interviewed “witnesses and victims” and reviewed video evidence from social media.
“We have achieved positive results,” Naasan said, adding that security and military personnel “who were proven to have committed violations based on investigations of the committee and videos posted on social media platforms” have been detained.
He did not specify the number of detainees but noted that they were referred to judicial authorities after questioning.
According to Naasan, the Interior Ministry is holding the detained security officers, while the Defense Ministry is responsible for the military personnel. “Videos posted on social media clearly showed faces and they were detained by the authorities concerned,” he said.
The violence erupted in mid-July when armed groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans. Syrian armed forces were deployed to Sweida on July 15 to quell the violence, but eyewitnesses say the situation deteriorated further following their arrival.
Shocking footage later emerged showing armed men executing Druze civilians in public squares and humiliating elderly men by forcibly shaving their mustaches.
The Syrian army eventually withdrew from Sweida after Israeli airstrikes and intense diplomatic pressure.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa later delivered a televised speech in which he accused Israel of attempting to undermine Syria’s internal stability.
Naasan dismissed claims that foreign fighters were involved in the massacre, stating that while some were detained and questioned, they had entered Sweida “randomly and individually” and were not affiliated with Syrian security or military forces.