DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM – The death toll from ongoing sectarian clashes in the southern suburbs of Damascus climbed to 39, including 16 security personnel, after ceasefire efforts collapsed and intense fighting resumed in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, officials and monitoring groups said Wednesday.

According to the Syrian interior authorities, armed groups launched coordinated attacks overnight on security checkpoints and patrols in agricultural zones surrounding the town, targeting both civilian and security vehicles.

Eleven officers from the General Security Directorate were killed in the initial assault, and another five fell during a renewed attack Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of fallen security personnel to 16.

The ministry confirmed that ceasefire attempts involving local elders and government representatives were violated when the armed groups reneged on their commitments and resumed attacks.

“Any assault on public security forces is an assault on national stability,” the interior authorities said, vowing a firm response.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 22 people have been killed in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya alone, including six local Druze fighters and 16 members of pro-government and security forces. The confrontations have involved light and medium weapons, and the situation on the ground remains volatile.

The recent violence stems from the leak of an audio recording attributed to a member of the Druze community containing comments deemed offensive to Islam.

The recording triggered widespread outrage and incitement on social media, setting off deadly clashes earlier this week in Jaramana, where 17 people were killed.

In total, at least 39 people have been killed in the latest wave of violence across Jaramana, Sahnaya, and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, including both government forces and local armed factions.

Local officials are continuing efforts to prevent further escalation, but as of Wednesday afternoon, fighting was ongoing, and fears persist that the unrest may drag on if not contained quickly.

Meanwhile, Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir ordered the army to prepare for possible strikes on Syrian government targets if violence against Druze communities continues, the military said.

The military said in a statement that the instruction followed a situational assessment.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli air force struck what, according to the military, were “operatives on the outskirts of Damascus who had attacked Druze civilians.”

The military said it was “monitoring developments in the region,” and its troops are “deployed and prepared for defense and developments in the area of Syria.”

XINHUA

DAMASCUS – Clashes intensified late Tuesday and early Wednesday in the southern suburbs of Damascus amid rising sectarian unrest, according to a major monitoring group in Syria.

Renewed clashes involving light and medium weapons, including RPGs, were reported in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Gunfire and at least one explosion, believed to be caused by a mortar shell, were reported in Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, prompting the General Security Directorate to enforce night curfews in both towns.

SOHR reported that the death toll from the ongoing violence had risen to 18, including nine residents from the areas of Jaramana, Sahnaya, and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, and nine members of pro-government forces.

At least 15 others were wounded, with several in critical condition. The casualty figures are expected to rise due to continued instability.

The clashes followed earlier unrest in Jaramana, reportedly triggered by the online circulation of an audio recording deemed offensive to Islam, allegedly made by a member of the Druze community.

The incident fueled sectarian tensions across several parts of Syria, including university cities like Aleppo and Homs, and now appears to be spreading further.

In a related development, unidentified gunmen reportedly targeted al-Thaala military airport in the countryside of the Druze-dominated Suwayda province with medium weapons and mortar shells, although no casualties have been confirmed so far. Syrian Ministry of Defense units are stationed at the base.

Aerial surveillance by Israeli reconnaissance aircraft was also reported over Sahnaya on Tuesday evening, according to local media, though there were no reports of strikes.

In anticipation of further violence, Interior Ministry forces were deployed along the edges of Jaramana, and residents began fleeing the area. Several families left the town, and three buses carrying Druze university students returned to their home provinces amid fears of reprisals, according to SOHR.

The latest wave of unrest has heightened concern about the potential for broader sectarian conflict, as local authorities and community leaders work to prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control.

Earlier on Tuesday, Syrian authorities and local community leaders in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana reached an agreement in a bid to restore calm after recent deadly clashes.

XINHUA

DAMASCUS – Six people, including two members of the Syrian security forces, were killed on Tuesday in clashes involving members of the Druze community in the Jaramana area, east of the capital Damascus, according to local media reports and a war monitor.

Sham FM radio, citing a security source, reported that security forces were not directly involved in the clashes but had attempted to prevent further escalation between armed groups. Two security personnel were killed during the intervention, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported that four people from the Druze community were killed and six others injured as a result of security forces’ shelling and the use of light and medium weapons in residential areas.

The clashes reportedly followed the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze individual, which contained remarks deemed religiously offensive. The incident sparked tension and provoked sectarian reactions in several parts of the country, the observatory said.

In early March, an outbreak of unrest between security forces and local gunmen in Jaramana resulted in one person killed and five others injured, according to local media reports.

XINHUA

DAMASCUS – A powerful explosion shook the al-Mina al-Bayda area in Syria’s Latakia countryside on Friday, the Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Ambulances rushed to the scene following the blast. There were no immediate official reports on the casualties or damage. The cause and source of the blast remained unknown.

The al-Mina al-Bayda area has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes twice since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

XINHUA

DAMASCUS – Israeli warplanes conducted two airstrikes on Thursday evening targeting the 75th Brigade near the town of al-Kiswah, south of Damascus, Syrian state television reported.

No immediate details were provided regarding casualties or the extent of damage from the strikes.

The attack followed a significant wave of Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, which targeted five locations across Syria, including Damascus, Hama, and Homs. The strikes on Hama resulted in the near-total destruction of the military airport and left at least nine people dead, including four Ministry of Defense personnel, according to local officials and state media.

On the ground, Israeli troops carried out a raid overnight in the area of Tasil in Daraa province. According to a statement from the Israeli military, the operation aimed to seize weapons and destroy militant infrastructure, killing several gunmen.

Syrian military authorities condemned the airstrikes on Wednesday, labeling them “unprovoked aggression” and accusing Israel of seeking to destabilize the country and obstruct reconstruction efforts.

XINHUA