Governor of Druze-majority Suweida released after being held hostage at town hall

An armed group briefly held the governor of Syria's Suweida province hostage at the town hall on Wednesday, demanding the release of a prisoner, who had previously been convicted of stealing several vehicles, Syria's Information Ministry said.

The assailants stormed the government building at gunpoint, sealed its gates, and detained Governor Mustafa Al Bakour, along with employees and security guards, the ministry said, before eventually releasing them.

Later, the convicted individual was released under threat, for the safety of the hostages. The same group has been implicated in similar thefts.

“The attackers brandished their machine guns at the governor, employees, and building guards after they had locked the doors. They claimed they were demanding the release of a relative detained in a car theft case,” the ministry said.

“Following the incident, Suweida's Nationalist Factions, led by the Mountain Brigade, intervened to remove the outlawed group. The Men of Dignity movement was mobilised and secured the governor's exit route from the building.”

The ministry said that “enforcing the law and maintaining security in Suweida Governorate is an irreversible choice. We will not tolerate any attempt to destabilise security or undermine state institutions”.

The Druze majority province of Suweida in south-western Syria continues to experience tension despite an agreement signed with the government earlier this month.

Violence erupted in Syria earlier this month after an audio recording allegedly of a Druze citizen and considered blasphemous circulated on social media. Syrian authorities later said the recording was fake. Sunni militants attacked Druze towns near Damascus and more than a hundred Druze were killed as a result.

Syrian Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri condemned at the time a “genocidal campaign” against his people and called for “international forces to maintain peace and prevent the continuation of these crimes”.

The Druze are a small religious sect that emerged from a branch of Islam in the 11th century. Their faith blends elements of Islam with ancient traditions. The Arabic-speaking minority is concentrated in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and estimated to be about 1 million.

In Syria, the largest Druze population is based in the southern province of Suweida, as well as in certain Damascus suburbs such as Jaramana and Sahnaya. Their numbers in Syria are estimated at about 700,000.