One Killed, Nine Injured in Clashes in Jaramana

ARK News.. One person was killed and nine others were injured on Saturday night, March 1, 2025, following clashes between security forces of the new Syrian regime and local Druze militants in the Jaramana suburb near Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Amid the escalating tensions, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz warned on Saturday night that Israel would take military action in Syria if Damascus forces "harmed the Druze community."

Jaramana, located southeast of Damascus, is home to a majority of Druze and Christian residents, along with families displaced by the war that has gripped Syria since 2011.

It was among the first areas where, on December 7, residents toppled a bust of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, a symbolic act marking the downfall of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that one resident was killed and nine others were wounded in clashes between regime security forces and local armed groups assigned to protect the area.

According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, Damascus Rural Security Director Lt. Col. Hossam al-Tahhan stated that on Friday, a checkpoint stopped Defense Ministry personnel entering the area to visit relatives. After surrendering their weapons, they were reportedly assaulted, and their vehicle was later fired upon, resulting in the death of one soldier and the injury of another.

Following the incident, local armed groups attacked a police station in Jaramana, forcing security forces to evacuate. Al-Tahhan confirmed ongoing efforts, in coordination with community elders, to track down all individuals involved in the attack, warning of the consequences such incidents could have on "Syria’s security, stability, and unity."

Later, Jaramana’s Druze elders issued a statement declaring they would "withdraw protection from all offenders and outlaws" and pledged to hand over those found responsible to the authorities to face justice.

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