Over 1,000 Bedouins held by armed groups, hundreds displaced in Sweida: Reports

Armed groups have detained more than 1,000 Bedouin civilians in the town of Shahba in Syria’s Sweida province, following the withdrawal of Syrian government forces from the area, according to local news outlets. 

The civilians are reportedly being held inside a mosque by what local sources described as armed militias.

In a related development, over 500 Bedouin families have fled their homes after armed groups set fire to their houses. The displacement has led to a large-scale forced exodus of Bedouin tribes from rural Sweida.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), these events mark a wave of forced displacement following what it described as "violations and massacres" committed by groups operating outside the law against civilians.

Local news sources report that these armed factions are allegedly seeking revenge, further escalating the already tense situation in the province.