Deadly clashes erupt between Druze fighters, Jolani’s HTS terrorists –
Calls for sectarian violence flooded social media after a Druze cleric was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Clashes erupted overnight between Druze militants and armed factions affiliated with Jolani’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham terrorists in the town of Jaramana in the Damascus outskirts, resulting in several deaths and injuries.

The fighting followed the circulation of a recording, attributed to a Druze cleric, insulting the Prophet Muhammad – sparking widespread anger and calls of incitement against minorities, including Druze and Alawites.

At least 12 people have been killed and others injured, including civilians, Druze fighters, and Jolani’s HTS terrorist members.

“Large military convoys gathered in a site near Jaramana city, to the flank of Al-Naseem neighborhood, and started shelling some neighborhoods, coinciding with the start of heavy gunfire,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

Druze religious leadership condemned the “unjustified” attack on Jaramana and said that Syrian authorities bear “full responsibility for the incident and for any further developments or worsening of the crisis.”

Druze cleric Youssef Jarbou said the “unacceptable” insult against the Prophet Muhammad does not represent the sect, and condemned calls on social media for violence against Druze as “an attempt to sow discord among members of Syrian society.”

Marwan Kiwan, the cleric accused of making the recording, denied responsibility.

“I categorically deny that the audio was made by me. I did not say that, and whoever made it is an evil man who wants to incite strife between components of the Syrian people,” he said.

Syria’s Interior Ministry said an initial probe confirmed that Kiwan was not responsible for the recording and urged people to abide by the law and not undermine security.

According to reports on Syrian telegram channels, there is speculation that the recording is a pretext and that the real reason behind the violence is a recent decision by the Suwayda Military Council to deploy forces to the borders of the mainly Druze city of Suwayda in southern Syria.

The council, a military body independent of the Damascus government, was formed in late February by former officers and local Druze fighters.

Clashes erupted between Druze fighters and security forces in Jaramana in early March, before a de-escalation saw security forces enter parts of the city.

Since former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government collapsed in December, Syria has been plagued by a widespread Israeli occupation across large swathes of the country’s south.

Israel has claimed it wishes to support the Druze minority in Syria.

Minorities in Syria have faced violence and persecution at the hands of the new Syrian government. Last month, over 1,700 Alawites were killed in a series of sectarian massacres carried out by security forces.

The Cradle Media report