Syria prepares to redeploy forces to Suwayda

Shafaq News – Suwayda

The Syrian Interior Ministry is preparing to deploy security forces to Suwayda amid ongoing clashes and widespread displacement, local media reported Friday.

According to reports, government reinforcements are being mobilized to “restore order” in the southern province following deadly confrontations between Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze armed factions.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba, however, denied that any forces had yet entered the province.

This comes despite a recent ceasefire agreement aimed at ending the violence, resolving internal disputes, and reintegrating Suwayda more fully into the Syrian state.

Fighting broke out after armed groups allegedly attacked Bedouin civilians, torching homes and killing women and children. In response, tribal leader Sheikh Abdul Monem al-Nassif called for a mass mobilization to stop what he described as a massacre.

Over 500 Bedouin families have reportedly fled Suwayda, while in the town of Shahba, more than 1,000 civilians are said to be held by armed groups following the withdrawal of state security forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 600 deaths as a result of the clashes.

#المرصد_السوريبينهم 275 عنصرا من وزارتي الدفاع والداخلية و304 من أبناء السويداء.. ارتفاع حصيلة قتـ ـلى الاشتباكات في #السويداء إلى نحو 600 شخصhttps://t.co/JTv1XLKBpr

— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) July 17, 2025