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Government forces denote ceasefire aft clashes betwixt Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes termination dozens successful the confederate Syrian city.
Published On 15 Jul 2025
Syria defence ministry has announced a ceasefire successful the Druze-majority metropolis of Suwayda, saying an statement has been reached with the city’s “notables and dignitaries” aft days of deadly clashes with Bedouin tribes.
“To each units operating wrong the metropolis of Suwayda, we state a implicit ceasefire,” Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra posted connected X connected Tuesday, soon aft the ministry deployed authorities forces to halt the violence that killed dozens since Friday.
A curfew was besides imposed connected the metropolis pursuing the unit which dispersed crossed the Suwayda governorate, sidesplitting astatine slightest 99 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights warfare monitor.
The dormant see 60 Druze, including 4 civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 information unit and 7 unidentified radical successful subject uniforms, the show said. The Ministry of Defence reported 18 deaths among the equipped forces.
Bedouin and Druze factions person a longstanding feud successful Suwayda, with unit occasionally erupting.
Meanwhile, Israel launched aerial strikes connected Suwayda connected Tuesday aft Syrian authorities forces entered the Druze city. Israel had vowed to support Syria’s Druze minority, which it sees arsenic imaginable allies.
The Druze spiritual enactment had earlier resisted immoderate deployment of Syrian troops successful the confederate city, but past urged Druze fighters to laic down their arms and let authorities forces in.
On Tuesday afternoon, however, Druze governmental enactment changed course, with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, who has been powerfully opposed to the caller enactment successful Damascus, saying that Syrian troops had breached immoderate arrangements by continuing to occurrence connected residents.
“We are being taxable to a full warfare of extermination,” helium said successful a recorded video statement, calling connected each Druze “to face this barbaric run with each means available”.
Earlier connected Tuesday, Syrian subject columns were seen advancing towards Suwayda, with dense artillery deployed nearby. The Defence Ministry aboriginal said they had entered the city, and urged radical to “stay location and study immoderate movements of outlaw groups”.
It was the archetypal clip authorities forces were deployed to Suwayda since the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad successful December and the enactment of an interim government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The Druze spiritual sect is simply a number radical that originated arsenic a 10th-century offshoot of a subdivision of Shia Islam. In Syria, the 700,000-strong assemblage chiefly resides successful the confederate Suwayda state and immoderate suburbs of Damascus, chiefly successful Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south.
Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Deir Az Azor successful Syria, said warring successful the metropolis had been ongoing since Friday.
“It escalated and much than 2 twelve radical were killed. The authorities sent its reinforcements and past determination was an ambush of the authorities troops arsenic well, wherever astatine slightest 18 soldiers we judge were either killed oregon wounded,” helium said.
Bin Javaid said the concern has been exacerbated by Israeli attacks connected authorities positions successful Syria.
Israel, which has attempted to represent itself arsenic a protector of the Druze successful Syria and sees them arsenic imaginable allies, bombed respective Syrian tanks connected Monday.
“There person been a fig of attacks by Israel, and the Israelis person said that immoderate question of unit oregon hardware successful the southbound of Syria volition proceed to beryllium monitored by the Israeli service and [they] volition proceed to onslaught them arsenic well,” Bin Javaid said.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
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