Syrian capital Damascus, Syrian officials and war watch groups who killed at least 12 people, said a fatal clash, supported by sectarian tensions, announced Tuesday, exploded.
The battle began overnight on the outskirts of Jaramana, a large group of people from minority sects. It came after audio clips were circulated on social media of the man who humiliated the Prophet Muhammad. The clip was attributed to the hay cleric.
The Jaramana clergy and the religious figures who drafted denied the charges. Syrian Interior Ministry said its initial discovery showed that the clergy were not responsible and gently appealed.
As public outrage over Clip grew, unidentified fighters, armored vehicles gathered overnight outside Jaramana to fire the city overnight, firing fierce gunfights, according to the Syrian Human Rights Watch Group, a British-based war watch group.
As Islamist rebels defeated dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, attacking Syria was the latest wave of sectarian violence.
The audio clip also began demonstrations in many other cities. Several protesters have incited violence against interference.
The observatory did not say who was behind the attack on Jaramana, which injured 15 people. However, local hay authorities in the city said in a statement that the government is “fully responsible for what happened and for the worsening of the situation.”
Hikumat al-Hijiri, the spiritual leader of the Syrian hay community, accused Islamic extremists of being behind the attacks. Alhijiri is a voice critic of the country's new rebel leadership.
When the day broke on Tuesday, Syrian security forces were deployed on the outskirts of Jaramana and placed security cordons around the area to prevent additional clashes, adding that members of the government's security forces were one of the victims of the clash.
Syrian officials later met with religious figures and community leaders in Jaramana. According to Syrian state news agency Sana, they agreed to hold those involved in the attack accountable.
It was not the first time the area has seen sectarian violence in recent months. A fatal battle broke out in Jaramana at the beginning of March.
Syria is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, but hay practices a secret religion and does not consider itself a Muslim. The rebels who led the overthrow of Al Assad were part of the Sunni Muslim group that was once associated with al-Qaeda.
The country's new leaders are working to integrate the complex web of armed groups operating nationwide into new state equipment. Some of the strongest hay militias are discussing with the government about the conditions for integration into the new military.
Syria has already seen a serious wave of sect-led killings. The incident occurred last month in two coastal states with most of the Alawi people, a minority group to which the Assad family belongs. The area once formed the centre of Al Assad's support base.
The violence began with Assad's loyalists launching a coordinated attack on the new government's troops in the coastal region. Thousands of pro-government gunmen raided two states, killing more than 1,600 civilians, mostly Alawites within days.
The violence underscored the difficulties facing Syrian new leaders in control of various armed groups and former rebels who nominally joined the government.
“There is a real fear between citizens and urban residents that the situation can slip into a dangerous spiral, and it repeats the harsh experiences of coastal areas,” said Rabee Mounzer, a Druse community leader from Jaramana.
