Renewed Clashes Erupt in Syria’s Suwayda as Druze Armed Groups Violate Ceasefire

Tensions have flared again in Syria’s southern province of Suwayda, where Druze armed groups reportedly attacked internal security forces and shelled several villages, killing at least one government soldier and wounding others.

According to state-run Ekhbariya TV, the attacks marked a breach of the latest ceasefire in the region, which had been holding in the wake of last month’s deadly wave of sectarian violence.

Ekhbariya cited a security source who blamed “rebel gangs” in Suwayda for the escalation. The source said the groups had continued to push “media and sectarian mobilisation campaigns” even after the truce was agreed.

“As these gangs failed to thwart the efforts of the Syrian state and its responsibilities towards our people in Suwayda,” the government statement read, “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.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported four deaths in the latest clashes, including three government soldiers and one local fighter.

Violence in Suwayda first reignited on July 13, when fighting broke out between Druze factions and Bedouin tribal fighters — two communities with a long history of tension over land and resources.

Despite the deployment of government forces, the violence only escalated. Israel responded with air strikes on Syrian military positions and bombed parts of Damascus, saying the moves were intended to protect the Druze community.

Suwayda province is home mostly to the Druze, a minority religious community with populations across Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. But it also includes Bedouin tribal areas, and clashes between the two have been a recurring issue.

A US-brokered truce between Syria and Israel was announced alongside a ceasefire declaration by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Previous attempts to end the fighting had failed, and the new ceasefire was seen as a chance to stabilize the area after nearly a week of fierce battles in Suwayda city and surrounding towns.

Syria’s government said it had formed a committee to investigate the outbreak of violence.

The unrest in Suwayda is yet another blow to al-Sharaa’s new government, which is still trying to establish stability after sectarian attacks in March killed hundreds of Alawite civilians in the coastal regions.

Hundreds of Bedouin families have reportedly fled the Suwayda clashes, many seeking refuge in neighboring Deraa province.