These incidents, carried out by multiple actors, including Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups, may constitute war crimes or even crimes against humanity, pending further investigation, the Commission said.
Widespread devastation
The escalation in the southern governorate, also spelled Suwayda, occurred following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
“The scale and brutality of the violence and violations documented in Suwayda are deeply worrying,” said Commission President Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro.
“Greater efforts to hold all perpetrators to account, regardless of affiliation or rank, are urgently needed to rebuild trust between victim communities, along with genuine dialogue to resolve root causes.”
Overlapping waves of hostilities
The report is based on more than 400 first-hand accounts from survivors and witnesses.
Syrian authorities granted investigators access and conducted extensive field visits to the most affected areas. They found widespread devastation, particularly in Druze villages, where tens of thousands of homes, businesses and places of worship were burned.
The violence was initially triggered by tensions between communities and developed in three waves: two against Druze civilians and the other against Bedouins.
“The entire period was also marked by elevated levels of hate speech and misinformation, which was largely spread through social media,” the report said.
The first major wave of violence was the deadliest: government forces, accompanied by tribal fighters, committed widespread violations (including murder, torture, arbitrary detention, and looting) against Druze civilians in western Sweida and the town of Sweida between 14 and 16 July.
“Men identified as Druze were separated from women and children and executed. Others were shot in the streets or murdered in their homes along with their families,” the Commission said.
The second wave began on July 17 after government forces withdrew following Israeli airstrikes on Sweida and the Syrian capital, Damascus. Druze armed groups then attacked Bedouin civilians, committing murder, torture, arbitrary detention, forced displacement and looting.
“Such attacks forced tens of thousands of Bedouins to leave Druze-controlled areas of the governorate,” the report said, eventually driving almost the entire Bedouin community out of areas under the control of armed groups.
Retaliatory attacks
The third and most destructive wave was carried out by tribal fighters from across Syria who mobilized later, from July 17 to 19, and attacked Druze civilians in retaliation.
“There was widespread looting and systematic burning of almost all houses in 35 mixed or predominantly Druze villages by tribal fighters, along with killings and kidnappings of civilians who had not fled the previous government advance or who had returned to their villages on July 17,” the report said.
Businesses and religious sites were also burned and looted, while some members of government forces “removed their uniforms” and joined the attacks.
The Commission noted that “Israel’s military intervention and previous efforts to counter the functioning, centralization and division of the government” not only caused deaths and injuries “but also contributed to instability, fueling accusations of treason against leaders of the Druze community and provoking increased online hate speech and retaliatory attacks against, and dividing, the entire community.”
Call for accountability
In response to the violence, Syrian authorities promised accountability and launched a national investigation. According to reports, 23 security and army personnel were recently detained. Information about investigations into command responsibility has been limited.
“Serious violations committed by government forces and Druze armed groups may constitute war crimes and require expanded, rapid, effective and impartial investigations to provide justice and guarantees of non-repetition,” said Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Aoláin.
The report calls for greater efforts to ensure accountability, measures to prevent recurrences, and strengthened confidence-building and reconciliation efforts, among other measures.
Urges the international community to support the Syrian authorities in implementing these recommendations and external actors, including Israel, to stop actions that risk further destabilization and civilian harm.
About the Commission
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic was established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in the country since March 2011.
The panel consists of three members who are not UN staff and do not receive any payment for their work.