Syria: Ministry of Defense "preparing to enter" to break up clashes in Sweida

Syrian news reports indicate that "fighting has ceased" in the Sweida province this morning, Saturday, amid the "arrival of more armed elements and fighters" from several Syrian provinces. This coincided with the United States' announcement of a "ceasefire agreement between Israel and Syria" on Friday evening. However, "scattered clashes" between tribal fighters and Druze groups continued at the entrance to Sweida in the south of the country.

US envoy to Syria, Tom Barak, announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa "agreed to a ceasefire," supported by Washington.

He pointed out that the agreement was "adopted by Turkey, Jordan, and neighboring countries," calling on "armed groups from the Druze community and Bedouin tribes to lay down their arms and work with other minorities to build a new Syrian identity," as he put it.

Meanwhile, the Syrian presidency announced in a statement that it was working to dispatch a "specialized force" to break up the ongoing clashes in Sweida, calling for "restraint."

This violence in the Sweida Governorate, in which Israel intervened, undermines the efforts of the transitional authorities headed by Sharaa to extend their authority across all of Syria, more than seven months after they ousted the previous regime.

Syrian authorities withdrew their forces from As-Suwayda province on Thursday, as Sharaa declared his desire to spare the country a "large-scale war" with Israel, which has threatened to escalate its airstrikes, claiming it "will not allow the targeting of the Druze minority" and emphasizing that it "will prevent the deployment of government-affiliated military forces in southern Syria."

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported Friday night that forces from the Syrian security and defense ministries were scheduled to enter Sweida on Saturday morning to break up the clashes.

The Ministry of Defense gave tribal fighters hours to hand over heavy weapons seized from armed group headquarters in Sweida, and gave them a deadline to leave Sweida at dawn today.

The Syrian Internal Security Forces announced that any armed vehicles or personnel would be prohibited from passing through the Damascus-Daraa/Damascus-Suwayda highway until further notice.

humanitarian situation

The city of Sweida remains deprived of electricity and water, amid a weak communications network. Field reports describe the humanitarian situation as "catastrophic," with no milk even available for babies.

According to UN reports, the violence has forced approximately 80,000 people to flee their homes in Sweida, the International Organization for Migration announced Friday.

It's worth noting that clashes erupted Sunday in the Sweida Governorate between armed Druze and Bedouin militants, sparked by the alleged kidnapping of a Druze vegetable merchant, followed by tit-for-tat kidnappings.

As clashes intensified, government forces announced on Monday their intervention in the governorate to break up the clashes.

The Druze population in Syria is estimated at around 700,000, most of whom live in the south of the country, particularly in the As-Suwayda Governorate.