Syria monitor says 4 dead as security forces, Druze fighters clash near Damascus

BEIRUT — A monitor of Syria's conflict said Tuesday that at least four Druze fighters were killed in overnight clashes with security forces after they stormed a Damascus suburb.

 

"Heavy clashes erupted in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed" areas of the mostly Druze and Christian suburb, after "the circulation of an audio recording, attributed to a Druze citizen, containing religious insults", said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, adding that at least four Druze fighters were killed.

 

A Jaramana resident told AFP they heard gunfire and shelling during the clashes, which lasted around half an hour.