Syria:Two killed in clashes, Demonstrators storm governor’s house

Dozens of demonstrators angry over worsening economic conditions in Syria stormed and ransacked the governor’s office in the southern city of Sweida on Sunday, clashing with police, the authorities and witnesses said.

Earlier, more than 200 people had gathered around the building in the centre of the Druze-majority city, chanting slogans calling for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, they said, amid spiralling prices and economic hardship.

The activist media collective Suwayda 24 posted images on social media that showed dozens of protesters calling for the fall of the regime as security forces stood guard outside the building.

The Syrian interior minister said in a statement that the people who raided the building were armed and destroyed furniture, smashed windows and looted files. The statement said a “group of outlaws” killed one policeman as they tried to storm police headquarters.

State television said “lawbreakers” had stormed the provincial government building and “set fire to official documents and files”.