Turkey joined the foreign ministers of 10 Arab nations in a statement supporting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, denouncing recent Israeli airstrikes on Damascus and endorsing a negotiated settlement to the crisis between the Druze and Bedouin tribes in Sweida province, the Bahrain News Agency reported.
The renewed fighting erupted Friday near the village of Walgha, west of Sweida, where tribal reinforcements — many from outside the province — mobilized to support local Bedouin groups. Both sides confirmed the clashes, and Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondents reported gunfire, explosions and rising smoke from nearby villages.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nearly 600 people have been killed in Sweida province since Sunday in fighting between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes, which escalated when Syrian army units entered the area to support the Bedouin side.
Israeli airstrikes on July 16 targeted government positions in Damascus and near Sweida, prompting a swift military withdrawal ordered by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. His office credited mediation by the United States, Turkey and Arab states with preventing what he called a “large-scale escalation” with Israel.
But a ceasefire announced Thursday quickly broke down. Al-Sharaa’s office accused Druze factions of violating the agreement, while Bedouin leaders said they came under renewed fire from Druze-held areas and called in tribal reinforcements.
Anas al-Enad, a tribal chief from Hama, told AFP that his forces had deployed to Walgha “because the Bedouin called for our help and we came to support them.” Syrian state-linked media framed the mobilization as a response to “sectarian provocation” backed by external actors.
In an unusual development, hundreds of Druze citizens of Israel crossed into southern Syria this week through a gate in the Golan Heights separation fence that the Israeli military briefly opened. The move was portrayed as both a gesture of solidarity and a military reinforcement, with Druze fighters joining their kin under fire in Sweida. Israel has not officially confirmed how many entered or whether it will allow them to return.
At a parallel diplomatic front, Turkey and Arab states gathered in Manama for a regional summit on Syria. The joint statement released Thursday evening reaffirmed support for Syrian sovereignty and condemned the Israeli strikes as “a flagrant violation of international law and Syria’s sovereignty.”
The regional bloc, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, also welcomed Al-Sharaa’s stated commitment to holding accountable those responsible for abuses in Sweida. The group called on the UN Security Council to enforce Israeli withdrawal from occupied Syrian lands and support Syria’s reconstruction.
For Ankara, the crisis highlights the deepening complexity of Syria’s transition after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December. Turkey maintains military zones in the north, opposes Kurdish autonomy projects and has aligned itself with Arab states in supporting Syria’s reintegration under interim governance.
As of Friday armed tribal groups remained positioned around Sweida. The situation remained volatile, with Druze commanders warning of a “full tribal siege” and calling for international guarantees to prevent ethnic cleansing.
With reporting from Agence France-Presse.