DAMASCUS: Syria’s government has announced that Bedouin fighters have been cleared from the city of Suwayda and that government forces have been deployed to oversee their exit from the entire governorate.
The announcement on Saturday came after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ordered a new ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze groups, following a separate United States-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military attacks on Syria.
Shortly before the government’s claim, there were reports of machinegun fire in the city of Suwayda as well as mortar shelling in nearby villages.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Nour al-Din Baba, a spokesman for the Syrian Ministry of Interior, said in a statement carried by the official Sana news agency that the fighting ended “following intensive efforts” to implement the ceasefire agreement and the deployment of government forces in the northern and western areas of Suwayda province.
He said the city of Suwayda, located in the province’s west, has now been “cleared of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city’s neighbourhoods have been brought to a halt”.
Domino effect
The fighting broke out last week when the abduction of a Druze truck driver on a public highway set off a series of revenge attacks and resulted in tribal fighters from all over the country streaming into Suwayda in support of the Bedouin community there.
The clashes drew in Syrian government troops, too.
Israel began attacking on Wednesday, carrying out heavy air attacks on Suwayda and Syria’s capital, Damascus, claiming it was to protect the Druze community after some members of the minority group accused government forces of abuses against them.
Syrian government troops withdrew from Suwayda on Thursday.
At least 260 people have been killed in the fighting, and 1,700 others have been wounded, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health. Other groups, however, put the figure at more than 900 killed.
More than 87,000 people have also been displaced.
The fighting is the latest challenge to al-Sharaa’s government, which took over after toppling President Bashar al-Assad in December.
Al-Sharaa, in a televised statement on Saturday, called on all parties to lay down arms and help the government restore peace.
He condemned Israel’s attacks, saying it “pushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability”.
After the president’s announcement, the Syrian government began deploying troops to Suwayda and Bedouin groups said they would withdraw from the city of Suwayda.
Al Jazeera reported from Damascus that the Druze, too, seemed to have accepted the truce.
“Hikmat Al Hajri, a prominent spiritual leader, has called for all Bedouin fighters to be escorted safely out of Suwayda,” he said.
“Security forces from the interior ministry have been deployed to help separate rival groups, and oversee the implementation of the ceasefire. But there are still reports of ongoing fighting in the city, with some Druze leaders voicing strong opposition to the cessation of hostilities,” he said.
“So while there is hope, there is also doubt that this conflict is over,” Vall added.
Syria clears Bedouin fighters from Suwayda city, declares halt to clashes
