Syria moves to restore order in Suwayda with new ceasefire and troop deployment

Suwayda [Syria], July 19 : Syria has started deploying its security forces in the troubled southern province of Suwayda, following intense clashes between Druze and Bedouin armed groups that have left hundreds dead, compounded by Israeli military intervention, Al Jazeera reported.

The deployment came shortly after the United States announced an agreement between Israel and Syria to enforce a ceasefire, though the truce remains uncertain amid ongoing fighting, Al Jazeera said. Syria's government confirmed the ceasefire, stating it aims "to spare Syrian blood, preserve the unity of Syrian territory, the safety of its people."

President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in a televised address, noted that he had "received international calls to intervene in what is happening in Suwayda and restore security to the country." He described Israeli intervention as having "reignited tensions" and called the fighting "a dangerous turning point," while thanking the US for its support, according to Al Jazeera.

Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba announced on Telegram that "internal security forces have begun deploying in Suwayda province ... with the aim of protecting civilians and putting an end to the chaos," Al Jazeera reported.

Despite this, it remains unclear whether Syrian troops have entered Suwayda city or are still on the outskirts, Al Jazeera added.

The ethnic clashes between Druze and Bedouin armed groups and government forces have reportedly caused at least 260 deaths, with an estimated 80,000 people displaced, according to Syria's Health Ministry and the International Organisation for Migration, Al Jazeera noted. Al Jazeera's correspondent Mohamed Vall reported that "a lot of extrajudicial killings [are] being reported," and many civilians suffer from a lack of basic services due to the conflict.

Al Jazeera also highlighted that some Druze leaders welcome the ceasefire while others pledge to continue fighting. Meanwhile, Bedouin fighters are preparing to travel to Suwayda to support their counterparts, with one fighter telling Al Jazeera their conflict is with forces loyal to Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, whom they accuse of aligning with Israeli interests.

An Israeli official told reporters that Israel had agreed to allow "the limited entry of the [Syrian] internal security forces into Suwayda district for the next 48 hours," amid the ongoing instability, Al Jazeera reported.

Al Jazeera's analysts say Israel's attacks in the region serve "less to do with the minority Druze community and more with a strategic Israeli objective to create a new reality," describing it as part of Israel's attempt to assert itself as the dominant power in the Middle East through territorial expansion and ongoing conflicts across the region.

The conflict and military actions in Suwayda contradict earlier efforts by the Trump administration to expand normalisation deals with Israel in the region, a policy that the Syrian government had initially welcomed before the crisis, Al Jazeera concluded.

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