ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Clashes erupted in Syria’s Druze-majority Suwayda province late Thursday between two families affiliated with the province’s Druze National Guard forces, state media reported Friday, adding that two people were wounded by stray bullets.

Syrian state media reported that members of a family called “Abu Sarhan” opened fire on a lawyer from the “Radwan family” over a personal dispute involving a gasoline depot.

The fighting lasted for over an hour and saw RPGs and machine guns used, ending in a car chase, local sources told Syria TV.

The Suwayda-based National Guard, an umbrella group of local armed factions established in August 2025 amid clashes with Damascus forces in the province.

The fighting “led to material damage and two people being injured by stray bullets,” Syria TV said.

Clashes between groups within the National Guard have been recurring, according to state media, adding that the worst clash was on August 29, where the head of a local security office was killed and several houses were damaged.

Tensions between Damascus and local Druze authorities have contributed to Suwayda’s continued isolation, hindering its integration into state institutions as the province faces mounting economic and security challenges and worsening social conditions.

Violence flared between state security forces and local Druze fighters in July 2025, with intermittent clashes occuring between the National Guard and interior ministry forces on several occasions since, such as an October incident in which explosive-laden drones were reportedly used against Druze militants.

High-profile figures from the religious minority have accused Damascus of pursuing sectarian policies and failing to protect the minority population, while Syrian authorities have accused Druze religious leaders and armed factions of pursuing a separatist agenda.

Tensions peaked in July, when the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) documented more than 1,600 deaths in Suwayda during clashes, with over 700 people from the city killed, most of them Druze, according to the monitor.