Sectarian Tensions Grip Damascus Suburbs as Clashes Leave 18 Dead, Dozens Injured
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A volatile cocktail of sectarian grievance, political tension, and simmering local resentments has once again ignited violence in the southern suburbs of Damascus. Clashes over the past 48 hours in the towns of Sahnaya, Ashrafieh Sahnaya, and Jaramana have left at least 18 people dead and over a dozen critically injured, with the death toll feared to rise.
The most prominent among the deceased is Sheikh Wajdi al-Hajj Ali, a local cleric reportedly killed by a gunshot wound to the head in Sahnaya. His death has already inflamed communal tempers. Among the casualties were also nine residents from the affected areas and nine members of pro-government security and allied militia forces, underscoring the deeply entangled nature of Syria&rsquo;s local governance and paramilitary affiliations.
What began as a series of tense exchanges in Jaramana&mdash;allegedly triggered by the circulation of an inflammatory audio recording deemed offensive to Islam and attributed to a Druze individual&mdash;has spiralled into a broader sectarian confrontation. The recording, though short, has rekindled long-standing religious sensitivities in a region already bruised by over a decade of war and division. The aftermath has reverberated far beyond the original epicentre, with tensions reported in university towns such as Aleppo and Homs.
By late Tuesday evening and into the early hours of Wednesday, gunfire and explosions rocked Ashrafieh Sahnaya and Sahnaya. Residents recounted the sound of RPGs and the dull thud of at least one mortar round, believed to have landed near a residential zone. In response, the General Security Directorate imposed night curfews in both towns in a bid to quell the unrest.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent Druze-majority province of Suwayda, unknown assailants launched an attack on the strategically sensitive al-Tha&rsquo;la military airport using medium-calibre weapons and mortars. Although no injuries were reported, the attack marked a dangerous escalation, indicating that the fallout from the sectarian unrest in Damascus may have begun to ripple into neighbouring regions.
Back in Damascus, aerial activity by Israeli reconnaissance aircraft was observed over Sahnaya on Tuesday evening. Though no strikes were reported, the timing of the surveillance has led to speculation among locals about heightened regional interest in the area&rsquo;s deteriorating security situation.
On the ground, the Syrian Interior Ministry has moved swiftly to deploy reinforcements around Jaramana. The once-bustling suburb is now marked by anxious silence, broken only by the occasional burst of automatic fire or the wail of an ambulance. Several families have already begun to flee, fearing an impending spiral of sectarian reprisal attacks. At least three buses ferrying Druze university students were seen leaving for safer provinces, a grim echo of earlier displacement waves during the civil war&rsquo;s peak.
Community leaders and security officials are scrambling to prevent the violence from gaining further momentum. On Tuesday afternoon, an emergency agreement was reached in Jaramana between local authorities and representatives of various sectarian groups, aimed at halting the clashes and re-establishing calm. But with tempers flaring and social media continuing to circulate incendiary content, such efforts face an uphill battle.
This most recent flare-up underscores the fragility of the post-conflict order in Syria&rsquo;s urban and peri-urban zones. Despite years of military victories, the Damascus regime remains burdened by unresolved sectarian fissures, deep economic despair, and an ever-restive periphery. In places like Sahnaya and Jaramana&mdash;where communities once coexisted, albeit uneasily&mdash;the veneer of normalcy has again been stripped away.
The coming days will be critical. Whether local reconciliation efforts take root or the violence spreads further will likely hinge not just on Damascus&rsquo;s ability to project authority, but on whether it can still provide the basic assurances of safety and order in a fractured and weary nation.
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18 dead, dozens injured as sectarian violence flares in Sahnaya, Jaramana, and Ashrafieh

Sectarian Clashes Rock Damascus Suburbs

18 dead, dozens injured as sectarian violence flares in Sahnaya, Jaramana, and Ashrafieh

April 30, 2025 | 23:07 IST