Fighting will continue until the entirety of Sweida is liberated, and whoever surrenders their weapons is in our care.
The spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, declared that “there is no agreement, negotiation, or authorization with the armed gangs that falsely call themselves the government.”
Al-Hajri called on “the remaining gang members to lay down their weapons and surrender themselves to our heroic youth. Whoever surrenders their weapons is in our care; they will not be humiliated or tortured.”
He stressed, “The fighting will continue until the entirety of Sweida is liberated.”
In a related development Syrian Observatory reported that “clashes are continuing in the city of Sweida, coinciding with the arrival of reinforcements from tribal fighters, the expansion of the clashes, and the opening of a new front by tribal forces from the direction of Talul al-Safa in southeastern Syria, in addition to their advance towards the al-Omran roundabout at the western entrance to Sweida city, resulting in the deaths of several on both sides.”
SOHR sources also reported “intermittent clashes erupted the Druze stronghold of Jaramana, in the Damascus countryside, accompanied by sounds of gunfire from the direction of Al-Maliha and Kashkul, which continued for more than an hour.” They revealed that “the humanitarian situation in the city is deteriorating, with communications and the internet completely cut off, and all hospitals out of service as a result of the heavy shelling and ongoing clashes. The city has witnessed looting and theft, exacerbating the suffering of the population, amid a complete lack of medical and food services.”