More than a dozen people were killed in sectarian violence on Tuesday in the predominantly Druze town of Jaramana, located southeast of Damascus, following the circulation of a controversial recording. The audio allegedly featured a Druze man insulting the Prophet Mohammad, sparking outrage among Sunni gunmen, according to security sources and rescuers.
The clashes, which erupted overnight, involved gunmen from the nearby Sunni-majority town of Maliha and other Sunni areas. Security sources reported that the fighting, which included small and medium arms fire, resulted in at least 13 deaths, including two members of Syria’s General Security Service — a force made up mostly of former rebels.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Mustafa al-Abdo denied that armed gunmen attacked the town, instead claiming that the violence stemmed from a civilian protest over the recording, which was met with fire from Druze groups.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement urging calm, saying an investigation was underway to determine the source of the recording. Authorities called for an end to the violence and warned citizens against allowing emotions to escalate tensions.
In response to the rising violence, Druze elders met with security forces in an attempt to prevent further clashes. Druze religious leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou condemned the actions of the individuals behind the recording, stressing that they did not represent the views of the Druze community or society at large.
Syria’s ongoing conflict has fragmented the country into areas controlled by various factions. The Druze, an Arab minority with a religion rooted in Islam, have long armed themselves to protect their communities from outside threats, particularly as the country’s new Islamist-led government seeks to consolidate power and impose control over all weapons.
Local Druze leaders criticized the government for failing to prevent the attack and warned that the regime would be held responsible for any future consequences. “The authorities are responsible for preserving security,” said Rabei Munzir, a Druze activist in Jaramana.
In a rare comment on the situation, neighboring Israel expressed its willingness to intervene to protect the Druze community, many of whom also reside in Israel and in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
