Sectarian clash leaves 37 dead in Syria: violence between two factions; security forces deployed

At least 37 people were killed in violent clashes between Bedouin tribes and local Druze fighters in the southern Syrian city of Sweida.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that among the 37 killed, 27 were Druze and 10 Bedouins, including two children

Earlier on Sunday, local news outlet Sweida 24 had reported a preliminary toll of 10 dead and 50 wounded from both sides. Reportedly, Damascus-Sweida highway has been closed according to the outlet.

Sweida Governor Mustapha al-Bakur responded to the violence and has urged citizens to “exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform".

Amid the violence, Syrian education ministry announced the postponement of official secondary school exams scheduled for Monday in Sweida. A new date is yet to be confirmed.

Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported that security forces had been deployed along the administrative border between Daraa and Sweida provinces to manage the rough situation.

Syria’s Druze population numbers around 700,000, with Sweida province home to the sect's largest community. Tensions between Bedouin and Druze factions have simmered for years in Sweida, with recent flare up in April this year, killing dozens of people.