On 28 August, violent clashes erupted in the city of Zawiyya after a young man from the al-Awis clan was killed in an ambush by a member of the rival Bin Nasr clan, reportedly during a dispute over a stolen car, after he was lured to the house of the killers.
In retaliation, the victim’s brother mobilized his gang and attacked the perpetrators after midnight. Four people died and several more were wounded in the ensuing, hours-long fighting with light infantry weapons between the two clans in Qamoudeh and Sakina Dilah in central Zawiyya.
The fighting caused widespread panic, prompting mediation efforts by elders and security officials, which temporarily restored calm. At about 03.00 am, the 103rd Infantry Battalion (aka al-Sila’a Brigade) and the Counter Security Threats Agency separated the belligerent parties. Despite this, tensions remained high for the whole day as both factions continued to mobilize, with both sides receiving reinforcements from allied groups.