Damascus, Syria – At least 12 people, including two members of Syria’s internal security forces, were killed and more than a dozen others injured on Tuesday following armed clashes in the suburb of Jaramana near Damascus. The violence was triggered by the circulation of an audio recording allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad, local sources said.
According to a security source speaking to +963, the fighting broke out when armed individuals attacked the outskirts of Jaramana, prompting a response from local defense groups aligned with Syria’s transitional government. The exchange left at least five attackers and six local fighters dead, with over 15 others wounded.
Tensions escalated after a voice message surfaced on social media that was widely perceived as blasphemous. The recording was initially attributed to Sheikh Marwan Kiwan, a Druze religious figure from the southern province of Suwayda. Kiwan later denied involvement in a video statement, claiming the voice in the recording was not his.
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In a statement on Tuesday, Syria’s transitional Ministry of Interior said it had launched an investigation, noting that initial findings indicated the recording had been falsely attributed to Kiwan. Authorities are working to identify the real speaker, promising swift legal action.
“These acts of incitement endanger public safety,” the ministry said, urging restraint and warning against individual or collective retaliation.
Jaramana, a diverse town home to Christians, Druze, and Muslims, has historically remained relatively calm compared to other areas during Syria’s civil war. However, the incident underscores the fragile sectarian balance and the heightened sensitivities around religious defamation.
Druze leaders across Syria have condemned the recording and the ensuing violence. Sheikh Hammoud al-Hinawi, one of the community’s highest religious authorities, called for unity and warned against “sectarian strife that only serves Syria’s enemies.”
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“We must not allow provocateurs to pull us into a cycle of violence,” he said.
A separate statement from the influential Druze group “Men of Dignity,” led by Sheikh Laith al-Balous, reaffirmed the community’s commitment to national unity and denounced any disrespect toward religious figures as unrepresentative of Druze values.
Syrian authorities said the investigation would continue and urged citizens to avoid spreading inflammatory content online. The provincial governor of Suwayda also called for legal accountability rather than vigilante justice.
The incident comes amid a tense political transition in Syria, as the internationally recognized transitional government works to restore order and legitimacy after years of conflict and authoritarian rule under President Bashar al-Assad.
