JARAMANA, Syria - Security situation in Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, normalizes after security forces affiliated with the new Syrian authorities reached a settlement with local Druze gunmen to allow Damascus-linked forces to be deployed and take charge of the area.
Deadly clashes erupted between local gunmen and the security forces affiliated with the interim government in recent days. An agreement was reached following mediation from dignitaries and Syrian government authorities.
“What happened was an individual incident. People in a civilian car were attacked by unknown men. Unfortunately, one of the people in the car was a military or security officer [was killed]. It was indeed an unfortunate incident, may he rest in peace,” Rabi’ Mondir, a resident of the suburb told Rudaw on Monday.
Makram Saleem is a lawyer. He said the Damascus-linked forces entered the area following an agreement with locals.
Jaramana is a mostly Druze and Christian suburb of the capital Damascus.
Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the rebel coalition that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime in early December. Its then leader and now Syria’s interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has repeatedly pledged to protect the rights of all Syrians. In December, the rebel coalition, including the HTS, agreed to merge into the Syrian defense ministry.
The international community has expressed concern that the new Islamist authorities in Damascus may impose strict Islamic rule in Syria, threatening the country’s minority groups such as Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites.
On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Damascus administration to “not harm the Druze,” stressing that Syrian authorities would “suffer the consequences” if they harmed the community.
"The presence of state [forces] would automatically eliminate the need for weapons among the people. The religious clerics, dignitaries, and residents of Jaramana do not want weapons to proliferate in the hands of the public. [This region], just like any other region in Syria, wants to hand over its arms to the state, if there are [security] guarantees for the people, the people are not comfortable with the proliferation of arms,” said Mansour Atrash, a local tribal leader.