Bedouin and Druze Swap Hostages, Tamping Down Suwayda Clashes

Bedouin tribal leaders and Druze factions in southern Syria exchanged hostages on Sunday night, easing a flare-up of inter-communal violence that began a day earlier in and around the city of Suwayda. Sheikh Yousef Jarbou received the released Bedouin captives at his compound after Druze gunmen freed them, while Bedouin fighters simultaneously released Druze hostages they had been holding. The swap followed negotiations aimed at containing clashes that erupted after the initial abductions. Syrian government troops remain deployed on the outskirts of Suwayda but have not entered the predominantly Druze city, according to local media reports. Talks are continuing to maintain the truce and prevent renewed fighting.