Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader

Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader
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Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader

Syria: Sweida Tensions Rise After Assassination of Armed Faction Leader

Residents of Sweida province in southern Syria were shocked on Wednesday morning by the assassination of Merhej al-Jarmani, leader of the local “Liwa al-Jabal” armed faction.

He was found dead in his home, shot by unknown assailants, triggering widespread anger in the community.

Local media reported that al-Jarmani was killed by a single bullet fired at close range. Details of the killing are still unclear. According to the local news network, al-Jarmani’s wife discovered him dead with a gunshot wound to the head.

Sweida has seen weekly peaceful anti-regime protests that intensified in February when authorities resumed security settlements for those wanted for military service.

Protests in Sweida province, the heartland of the country’s Druze minority, also follow President Bashar Assad’s government ending fuel subsidies last month.

Al-Jarmani, a key figure in these protests and a participant in the “defense of the mountain” battles, reportedly detained dozens of security officers last month after a young woman from Sweida was arrested in Damascus.

Locals credit al-Jarmani with helping to repel extremist groups that have attacked Sweida since 2014 and confronting government-backed groups. A local news outlet reported that no one heard gunshots when al-Jarmani was killed, suggesting a silencer was used.

“Suwayda 24,” the local news network, noted that pro-government supporters had been inciting against al-Jarmani on social media recently.

Al-Jarmani’s death and his Thursday burial in Umm al-Zaytun have shocked the protest movement in Sweida. Protesters have called him the “martyr of dignity” and held vigils in his honor.

Local sources in Sweida told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Jarmani played a significant role in the protests, with his faction protecting the demonstrators.

Although the details of the assassination remain unclear, the protesters suspect “government security agencies” were involved.

The sources warned that if these accusations are confirmed, it could be a dangerous development.



Pope Speaks Against Forced Mass Displacement of Gaza Civilians

Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
TT
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Pope Speaks Against Forced Mass Displacement of Gaza Civilians

Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Pope Leo, whose role in advocating for peace in Gaza has become notably stark since Israel struck the territory's only Catholic church last week, told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday that he opposed any forced displacement of Palestinians.

The Vatican said Abbas, who leads the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, had phoned the pope on Monday, three days after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called and expressed regret over the strike on Gaza's Holy Family church.

Israel has said the strike, which killed three people and wounded the church's parish priest, was a mistake, Reuters reported.

The small church in Gaza has been a focus of papal advocacy for peace throughout the war in the territory. Pope Leo's predecessor Pope Francis spoke to the parish nightly.

In Monday's conversation with Abbas, Leo condemned the "indiscriminate use of force" and any "forced mass displacement" of people in the Gaza Strip, the Vatican said.

Israel has said it wants Gazans to move to a special humanitarian zone in Gaza or leave the territory voluntarily. All mainstream Palestinian groups and neighbouring Arab states have rejected any plan that would displace them.

In emotional remarks on Sunday after his weekly Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed at the church in Gaza and called for an end to the "barbarity of war".