Druze clashes erupt in Syria's Suwayda, ceasefire violated amid renewed violence

Suwayda [Syria], August 4 : Druze armed groups have attacked Syria's internal security forces in Suwayda province, killing at least one soldier and injuring others, while also shelling several villages in the southern region, Al Jazeera reported, citing state-run Ekhbariya TV.

According to the report on Sunday, a security source claimed the groups violated a ceasefire agreement in the predominantly Druze area, where sectarian violence last month killed hundreds.

In response, the Syrian government said in a statement, "The media and sectarian mobilisation campaigns led by the rebel gangs in the city have not ceased over the past period." Al Jazeera further reported that the government accused the armed factions of launching "treacherous attacks" after failing to derail the state's efforts in Suwayda.

The statement added, "As these gangs failed to thwart the efforts of the Syrian state and its responsibilities towards our people in Suwayda, they resorted to violating the ceasefire agreement by launching treacherous attacks against internal security forces on several fronts and shelling some villages with rockets and mortar shells, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of a number of security personnel."

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, four people were killed in the renewed fighting three government soldiers and one local fighter Al Jazeera reported.

Violence in Suwayda originally erupted on July 13 between Druze factions and Bedouin tribal fighters. Despite the deployment of government forces, the clashes worsened. Israel launched air strikes on Syrian troops and targeted Damascus, citing the protection of Druze communities, Al Jazeera said.

The Druze, a minority sect present in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, primarily inhabit Suwayda province, which also includes Bedouin tribes. Longstanding disputes over land and resources have fuelled tensions between the communities.

A U.S.-brokered truce between Israel and Syria was announced alongside Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's declaration of a ceasefire in Suwayda after multiple failed efforts. Syria said it had formed a committee to investigate the clashes, Al Jazeera added.

Hundreds of Bedouin families displaced by the fighting were relocated to nearby Deraa.

In a separate incident, the Israeli military on Sunday said it had raided targets in southern Syria the previous day. According to Al Jazeera, the army said it seized weapons and detained several suspects linked to weapons smuggling in the area.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed that five of its members were killed in an ISIL (ISIS) attack on a checkpoint in Deir Az Zor on July 31.

ISIL has been attempting a resurgence across the Middle East, the West, and Asia. While Deir Az Zor fell to ISIL in 2014, it was recaptured by the Syrian army in 2017.

On Saturday, Syria's Defence Ministry said an SDF-led attack in the countryside of Manbij injured four soldiers and three civilians. Describing the incident as "irresponsible and for unknown reasons," the ministry's statement was cited by Syria's state-run SANA news agency, Al Jazeera reported.

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