At least nine people, including five Druze men, were killed in sectarian clashes that erupted overnight on April 28 in Jaramana, a suburb of Damascus, following the entry of regime security forces, IntelliNews has learned.

The Druze minority religious leadership in the city has held the authorities "fully responsible" for the violence after the government-backed troops entered the self-governing area, which has been fearful of the new Turkish-backed government in Damascus.

The clashes in Jaramana erupted following the circulation of an audio recording allegedly attributed to a member of the Druze community, containing offensive remarks directed at the Prophet Muhammad.  Syria's Interior Ministry has reported intermittent clashes between armed groups in the Jaramana area following the circulation of an audio clip containing offensive remarks about Prophet Muhammad, Al-Watan reported on April 29.

According to the Interior Ministry's Media Office, the clashes occurred between armed groups, some from outside the area and others from within, resulting in casualties including security forces deployed in the region.

"Public security units supported by forces from the Ministry of Defence were dispatched to stop the clashes, protect residents, and maintain social peace. A security cordon was also imposed around the area to prevent similar incidents," the ministry stated.

The ministry affirmed its commitment to pursuing and holding accountable those involved according to the law, while investigations continue to identify the person behind the offensive audio clip.

Ahmad Al-Hallaq, spokesman for the Ministry of Endowments, confirmed the ministry is closely following the issue of recent offences against Prophet Muhammad and religious sanctities.

"The ministry has initiated contact with the public prosecutor to file a public lawsuit on behalf of the ministry," he said.

Al-Hallaq stressed that the ministry "will not tolerate any attack on religious symbols and sanctities," noting that respect for religious and moral constants is fundamental to national and media discourse.

In a separate development, Daraa Governorate announced that the Public Security Administration seized quantities of weapons and ammunition in the city of Da'el in central rural Daraa, after receiving a security report about their storage location.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that "intense clashes broke out in Jaramana after security forces and affiliated gunmen stormed several neighbourhoods, following tensions sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen containing religiously offensive content."

The Druze, roughly 3% of Syria's population, have historically balanced loyalty to local powers with a commitment to self-preservation. The fall of Assad's regime in December 2024 created both opportunity and uncertainty, particularly for those in southern Syria. Damascus fears that the southern regions are now working to secede from the central government's control. 

In a statement received later received France's by AFP news agency, the spiritual authority of the Druze Muslim community in Jaramana said, “While we strongly condemn any form of insult directed at the Noble Prophet, we consider the fabrication of such an audio recording to be an incitement to sedition and an attempt to sow division among the citizens of a single nation.”

The Authority also denounced what it described as “an unjustified armed assault on the city of Jaramana, in which various types of weapons were used, targeting innocent civilians and terrorising peaceful residents without any legitimate cause.”