The conflict in southern Syria is escalating. Druze militias are fighting against the Syrian army. Neighboring Israel is also intervening in the conflict. What's happening there?

Footage of heavy fighting in the area around the town of Suweida overnight is circulating on social media. The ceasefire between Druze militias and the Syrian army is not holding – on the contrary, the number of casualties continues to rise.

Residents of Suweida accuse state security forces of arbitrarily executing Druze. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 100 army soldiers were among those killed.

Targeted action against Druze?

From the government's perspective, the goal in Suwayda province is to establish state control over its territory. Security expert Fayez Al Asmar echoes the government's line in Damascus. He believes the deployment of the army is necessary, he told Al-Hadath television:"It is completely unacceptable for any country for a province to remain outside state authority. No state can accept such a situation. Suwayda has been outside state control for seven months."

For many Druze, the situation is different: They accuse the Islamist government in Damascus of deliberately targeting members of their religious community in order to move closer to the goal of a Sunni-dominated Syria and to deny the Druze a say.

Compromise yes, cooperation no

One Druze leader, Hikmet al-Hijri, rejects cooperation with the government in Damascus. However, activist Jabr al-Shoufi says his tough stance does not represent all Druze. He emphasizes that compromises are certainly possible."The security forces could also come from the region itself and cooperate with the Interior and Defense Ministries. Only then can an agreement be reached. The Syrian army must not act as a conqueror here."

After the fall of Assad, the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that it would integrate the country's numerous militias into the state security forces - according to the motto: one state, one army.

However, Druze militias, as well as Kurdish militias in the north of the country, are reluctant to lay down their weapons because they distrust the ruling Islamists. Their promises that the rights of minorities in the new Syria will be protected and that they will have a political say are not credible.

The government has recently received support from the United States. Thomas Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria and ambassador to Turkey, advocated for a strong central government in Syria. The news portal Axios also reported that the US had called on Israel to refrain from further attacks on Syrian troops in Suweida province.

Israel threatens further attacks

However, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israeli army would continue shelling Syrian government troops until they withdraw from Suwayda. Israel would not abandon the Druze.

Around 700,000 Druze live in Syria, primarily in the Suweida province. There is also a Druze minority in Israel and on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Many of them have family ties to the Druze in Syria.

Assad's overthrow - trigger for violence

According to observers, the fighting around Suweida was triggered by a robbery of a Druze vegetable seller - after which Druze are said to have kidnapped members of the Bedouin tribes.

Since the overthrow of Assad in December of last year, Syria has experienced several waves of sectarian violence. In the spring, more than 1,700 people were killed in massacres of Alawites, and in May, at least 100 people died in clashes between Islamist groups and Druze.

Three weeks ago, a suicide bomber killed 25 Christians in a church in Damascus. In all cases, the government of President al-Sharaa was criticized for not doing enough to protect Syria's minorities. There were also accusations that the ruling Islamists were supporting armed groups in their violence.