The Syrian government said Tuesday it had opened investigations into alleged extrajudicial killings in the Druze-majority Suwayda province and vowed to hold accountable anyone involved, including its own forces, following a week of deadly violence.
The violence, which began on July 13 and ended with a weekend cease-fire, started with clashes between Druze and Bedouin armed groups but soon escalated, killing more than 1,400 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses, including summary executions, when they entered Suwayda last week.
The Interior Ministry condemned Tuesday "in the strongest terms the videos circulating showing field executions carried out by unidentified individuals in Suwayda."
For days, brutal videos on social media have appeared to show the execution of people in civilian clothing.
