Syrian government forces deploy south of Damascus to ‘end chaos’ in Druze villages
Clashes recently erupted between Syrian security forces and Druze militias in the city of Jaramana, resulting in casualties on both sides
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led Syrian security forces deployed to the city of Jaramana on the outskirts of Damascus late on 2 March to “end the state of chaos” in the area, according to state media.
“Our forces will work to end the state of chaos and illegal checkpoints set up by outlaw groups who have resorted to kidnapping, killing, and armed robbery,” Hussam Tahhan, the lieutenant colonel responsible for the Damascus countryside, told the Syrian state news agency SANA on 3 March. “This action follows the refusal of those involved in the assassination of the late Ahmad al-Khatib, a security member at the Ministry of Defense, to surrender themselves.”
“The armed individuals outside state authority rejected all mediations and agreements. No Syrian geographical area will remain outside the control of state institutions. We have witnessed significant cooperation from the residents of the city of Jaramana in this matter,” Tahhan added.
Jaramana, which is dominated by Syria's Druze religious minority, is home to some three million Syrians, including Christians and Sunni Muslims displaced from other parts of the country during the 14-year war that began in 2011.
Since HTS ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and took power in Damascus in December, they have not been allowed to deploy their forces to Jaramana. The city has instead been protected by local Druze militias who operate checkpoints at its entrances.
Local sources told The Cradle on Monday that the Syrian security forces did not establish a heavy presence in Jaramana.
The sources said that the Syrian forces took control over the city’s main police station, but many of their vehicles have withdrawn, and the Druze militias are still deployed at all the checkpoints at Jaramana’s entrances.
Last week, two members of the HTS-led Syrian security forces entered Jaramana and opened fire on Druze gunmen. The Druze returned fire, killing one HTS militant, sources told The Cradle. In another incident in Jaramana on the same day, an HTS militant stabbed a Druze man with a knife. The injured man was taken to the Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, the sources added.
Since the Assad government collapsed in December, Syria has been plagued by a widespread Israeli occupation across large swathes of the country’s south.
Israel has claimed it wishes to support the Druze minority in Syria. Following the clashes over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We will not allow Syria's extremist terrorist regime to harm Druze. If the regime hits Druze – it will be hurt by us.”
Last month, Netanyahu demanded the “complete demilitarization of southern Syria.”