ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 13 fighters have been killed in intensifying sectarian clashes between Druze fighters and government-affiliated forces in southern Syria’s Sahnaya town, a war monitor reported, amid anger over an audio recording allegedly insulting Prophet Mohammed.
“The death toll in the town of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya near Damascus has risen to 13, with around 15 others injured from both sides,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor.
11 government-affiliated security forces and two local Druze fighters are among the dead, the Observatory added.
Israel, which has previously warned Damascus against targeting the Druze, said it struck an “extremist group” threatening the community near Sahnaya, located 15 kilometers southwest of Damascus.
“The IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] carried out a warning action and struck the organization of an extremist group preparing to attack the Druze population in the town of Sahnaya,” said a joint statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
“A stern message was conveyed to the Syrian regime – Israel expects them to act to prevent harm to the Druze community,” the statement added.
Violence broke out on Tuesday between Sunni and Druze locals after the circulation of an audio clip reportedly containing insults to the Prophet Mohammed. The recording, which surfaced online recently, was attributed to prominent Druze cleric Sheikh Marwan Kiwan – a claim “categorically and staunchly” denied by the cleric.
The audio prompted a mobilization of gunmen affiliated with the Syrian government in Damascus, who advanced toward Druze-majority areas and sparked clashes with Druze fighters, with both sides using small and medium weapons.
A curfew has been imposed on Sahnaya in an effort to diffuse tensions, according to the Observatory.
In nearby Jaramana, a majority Druze and Christian suburb of Damascus, at least 18 fighters have been killed in the clashes.
On Tuesday, a senior Druze source in Jaramana told Rudaw correspondent Dilkhwaz Mohammed that armed men launched a multipronged push to enter the suburb from multiple directions, using the controversial audio as a pretext to target the area.
Syria’s interior ministry urged a probe to determine the source and context of the audio clip.
It emphasized that preliminary findings “do not conclusively link Sheikh Marwan Kiwan to the recording.” Investigative efforts are ongoing to identify the voice behind the audio and ensure that the responsible individual is brought to justice in accordance with Syrian law, the ministry stressed.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in early December. Its then leader and now Syria’s interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has repeatedly pledged to protect the rights of all Syrians. In December, the rebel coalition, including the HTS, agreed to merge into the Syrian defense ministry.
The international community has expressed concern that the new Islamist authorities in Damascus may impose strict Islamic rule in Syria, threatening the country’s minority groups, such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
Following clashes in Jaramana in February, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Damascus to “not harm the Druze,” and stressed that Syrian authorities would “suffer the consequences” if they harmed the community.
Syria’s Druze, Christian, and Kurdish communities have expressed deep mistrust toward Damascus and rejected the interim constitution.
