Syria Opens Sweida Trials After Druze Violence and Israeli Strikes

Syrian authorities say courts have begun trying suspects over the July 2025 Sweida violence, which killed about 2,000 people in the Druze-majority province and triggered Israeli strikes on the new Syrian government's forces. Military prosecutors referred people to investigators and some cases to Damascus's military criminal court; public sessions began July 1 with defendants and lawyers present. The committee previously listed suspects from defense and interior ministries, Druze factions, civilians, Bedouins and tribes. Israel's concern is concrete: Druze communities, including many loyal Druze Israelis who serve in the IDF, must not be left exposed to sectarian violence on the northern frontier.