Thousand of people gather in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 8 to celebrate the first anniversary of the fall of the government of President Bashar Assad. The assistance has become part of a vital lifeline for the province, and has empowered Druze militias and spiritual leaders calling for secession from Syria and an alliance with Israel. They started in early July as tit-for-tat kidnappings between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes but soon devolved into street fighting. Israel, which has made overtures to Syria’s Druze, mobilized. (Jalaa Marey / AFP via Getty Images)All that has made the Sweida militias more effective.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 21, 2025 17:01 UTC