Syria’s electoral commission said Saturday that next month’s first parliamentary election under the new administration will exclude Suwayda and two other provinces because of security concerns.
Hundreds of people died in clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters in July, when government forces were sent to the city to quell the unrest.
Israel intervened with airstrikes to prevent what it claimed were mass killings of Druze by government troops.
The Druze are a minority offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Suwayda is predominantly Druze but is also home to Sunni tribes and there is longstanding tension between the communities over land and other resources.
The main Druze factions that control the province have renounced President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government and resisted the deployment of government troops, saying they want to run their own security.
