Syrian security forces and regime-affiliated militias killed over 5,000 Druze in al-Suwaida, wiping out one percent of the population. The region remains blockaded amidst shifting geopolitical alliances, prompting international demands for war crimes investigations.
The human rights situation in southern Syria has deteriorated sharply since the widespread violence began. The Druze in Syria face systematic campaigns of intimidation, arbitrary blockades, and targeted violence from armed groups. Protecting the Druze in Syria requires immediate international oversight, independent verification of atrocities, and a complete cessation of minority repatriations to secure zones that remain profoundly unstable.
Druze in Syria face ongoing violence
One year after the start of the genocidal massacres against the Druze population in Syria on July 13, 2025, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns of new attacks on the religious community and calls for a halt to deportations of Druze and other minorities.
“The Druze region in the south of the country continues to be attacked; people are being abducted and intimidated. The region is largely sealed off,” reported STP Middle East consultant Kamal Sido today in Göttingen.
To commemorate the victims and draw attention to the situation in Syria, a candlelight vigil will take place on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at 11 a.m. in Berlin in front of the German Bundestag. Additional events are planned in Stockholm, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. In Berlin, a memorial service will also take place on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the church on Hohenzollernplatz (Nassauische Str. 66–67).
Lawmakers urged to prioritize Druze in Syria
Ahead of the anniversary of the massacres, the STP appealed to all members of the German Bundestag not to forget the suffering of the Druze and other minorities in Syria. In its letter, the human rights organization calls for “members of parliament to visit not only Damascus but also the Druze region and other minority regions during their trips to Syria, and to speak with representatives of the Druze, Alawites, Kurds, Christians, and Yazidis.” It calls for an “independent international investigation into the attacks on the Druze population in the summer of 2025” and “humanitarian aid and protective measures.”
Casualties rise among the Druze in Syria
On July 13, 2025, the Druze in southern Syria were attacked by security forces of the Islamist regime in Damascus as well as by armed civilians affiliated with the regime. According to Druze sources, at least 5,000 people were killed in these attacks. This amounts to nearly one percent of Syria’s total Druze population. Their homeland, the Syrian province of al-Suwaida, remains largely cut off from the outside world. According to the STP’s assessment, the access road between Damascus and the Druze region remains an extremely dangerous route that is barely passable.
Druze in Syria risk regional isolation
An Israeli withdrawal—Israel having acted as the Druze’s protective power thus far—would be particularly dangerous. “Without Israel’s protection, even more Druze would have been killed in the attacks since July 2025. But this protection could be withdrawn at any time, as pressure on the Israeli government is growing both domestically and internationally, especially from the Trump administration. Sunni political Islam seems to be much more important geopolitically to the Trump administration, the German federal government, and other NATO governments than the lives of the numerically small Druze minority,” Sido criticizes.
Population metrics define the Druze in Syria
The Druze are a religious community in the Middle East. Worldwide, there are about 1.5 million Druze. Approximately 700,000 of them live in Syria. Other communities exist in Lebanon (250,000), Israel (153,000), and Jordan (20,000). An estimated 10,000 Druze live in Germany.