Ceasefire in Syriaʼs Suwayda province after four days of violence

The Syrian Defense Ministry has reported a ceasefire in the Druze-majority city of Suwayda, saying it has reached an agreement with the cityʼs "respectable people and authorities" after days of deadly clashes.

This is reported by the Qatari media Al-Jazeera and the Egyptian Al Arabiya.

Bedouin and Druze groups have a long-standing feud in Suwayda, where violence occasionally erupts. Witnesses said the latest clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes began after a spate of kidnappings. On Friday, a Druze merchant was kidnapped on the highway linking Damascus to Suwayda.

Syrian military columns with heavy artillery were spotted on July 15 en route to Suwayda. The Defense Ministry later said they had entered the city and urged people to “stay at home and report any movements by criminal groups”. This is the first time government troops have been deployed to Suwayda since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.

The Druze spiritual leadership had previously opposed any deployment of Syrian troops in the southern city, but then called on Druze fighters to lay down their arms and let government forces in. However, on July 15, the Druze political leadership changed course, and Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, who strongly opposes the new leadership in Damascus, said that Syrian troops had violated the agreements by continuing to shell residents.

"We are experiencing an all-out war of extermination," he said in a video message and called on all friends to "resist this barbaric campaign by all available means".

The Syrian Ministry of Defense later reported that it had reached a ceasefire agreement with the cityʼs "respectable people and authorities". According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 99 people were killed in the violence.

60 friends were killed, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniform. The Syrian Ministry of Defense reported 18 deaths in the Armed Forces. A curfew was imposed in the city of Suwayda.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out airstrikes on Suwayda on July 15, destroying at least one Syrian government tank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to "immediately strike regime forces and weapons that have been deployed to the Suwayda region [...] for regime operations against the Druze". Israel has sought to portray itself as a defender of the Druze in Syria and views them as potential allies.

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