Clashes Erupt in Southern Damascus Suburbs, Leaving 18 Dead
(MENAFN) Clashes erupted with heightened intensity late Tuesday and early Wednesday in the southern suburbs of Damascus, amid growing sectarian tensions, as reported by a key Syrian monitoring group.
Fierce fighting, involving light and medium weapons such as RPGs, broke out in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), based in the UK.
Gunfire and at least one explosion, believed to be from a mortar, were reported in both Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya. In response, the General Security Directorate imposed night curfews in these areas.
SOHR also confirmed that the death toll from the ongoing clashes had risen to 18, including nine residents from Jaramana, Sahnaya, and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, and nine pro-government fighters. At least 15 others were injured, several critically, with expectations that the number of casualties will continue to climb due to the ongoing violence.
The violence follows earlier unrest in Jaramana, which reportedly stemmed from the online circulation of an audio recording deemed offensive to Islam, allegedly made by a member of the Druze community. This incident has fueled sectarian tensions across Syria, impacting cities like Aleppo and Homs, and now appears to be spreading further.
Additionally, gunmen targeted al-Thaala military airport in the Druze-majority Suwayda province with medium weapons and mortars, though no casualties have been reported as of yet. Syrian Ministry of Defense forces are stationed at the airport.
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