{"id":1838,"date":"2025-07-20T07:40:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T07:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/07\/20\/syria-clears-bedouin-fighters-from-suwayda-declares-halt-to-clashes\/"},"modified":"2025-07-20T07:40:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T07:40:40","slug":"syria-clears-bedouin-fighters-from-suwayda-declares-halt-to-clashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2025\/07\/20\/syria-clears-bedouin-fighters-from-suwayda-declares-halt-to-clashes\/","title":{"rendered":"Syria clears Bedouin fighters from Suwayda, declares halt to clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Syria\u2019s government has ordered the clearing of Bedouin fighters from the governorate of Suwayda and declared a halt to the deadly clashes there, hours after deploying security forces to the restive southern region.<\/p>\n

The announcement on Saturday came after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ordered<\/a> a new ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze groups, following a separate United States-brokered deal<\/a> to avert further Israeli military attacks on Syria.<\/p>\n

Shortly before the government\u2019s claim, there were reports of machinegun fire in the city of Suwayda as well as mortar shelling in nearby villages.<\/p>\n

There were no immediate reports of casualties.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cfollowing intensive efforts\u201d to implement the ceasefire agreement and the deployment of government forces in the northern and western areas of Suwayda province.<\/p>\n

He said the city of Suwayda, located in the province\u2019s west, has now been \u201ccleared of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city\u2019s neighbourhoods have been brought to a halt\u201d.<\/p>\n

Domino effect<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The clashes drew in Syrian government troops, too.<\/p>\n

Israel began attacking on Wednesday, carrying out heavy air attacks<\/a> on Suwayda and Syria\u2019s capital, Damascus, claiming it was to protect the Druze community after some members of the minority group accused government forces of abuses against them.<\/p>\n

Syrian government troops withdrew from Suwayda on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

More than 87,000 people have also been displaced.<\/p>\n

The fighting is the latest challenge to al-Sharaa\u2019s government, which took over after toppling President Bashar al-Assad in December.<\/p>\n

Al-Sharaa, in a televised statement on Saturday, called on all parties to lay down arms and help the government restore peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we thank the [Bedouin] clans for their heroic stance, we call on them to adhere to the ceasefire and follow the orders of the state,\u201d he said. \u201cAll should understand this moment requires unity and full cooperation, so we can overcome these challenges and preserve our country from foreign interference and internal sedition.\u201d<\/p>\n

He condemned Israel\u2019s attacks, saying it \u201cpushed the country into a dangerous phase that threatened its stability\u201d.<\/p>\n

After the president\u2019s announcement, the Syrian government began deploying troops to Suwayda and Bedouin groups said they would withdraw from the city of Suwayda.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing consultations with all members of Suwayda\u2019s clans and tribes, we have decided to adhere to the ceasefire, prioritise reason and restraint, and allow the state\u2019s authorised institutions the space to carry out their responsibilities in restoring security and stability,\u201d the Bedouin factions said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, we declare that all our fighters have been withdrawn from the city of Suwayda,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n

Al Jazeera\u2019s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Damascus, said the Druze, too, seemed to have accepted the truce.<\/p>\n

\u201cHikmat Al Hajri, a prominent spiritual leader, has called for all Bedouin fighters to be escorted safely out of Suwayda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecurity 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo while there is hope, there is also doubt that this conflict is over,\u201d Vall added.<\/p>\n

World welcomes truce<\/h2>\n

Jordan, meanwhile, hosted talks with Syria and the US on efforts to consolidate the ceasefire in Suwayda.<\/p>\n

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani and the US special envoy for Syria, Thomas Barak, \u201cdiscussed the situation in Syria and efforts to consolidate the ceasefire reached around Suwayda Governorate to prevent bloodshed and preserve the safety of civilians\u201d, according to a readout by the Jordanian government.<\/p>\n

The three officials agreed on \u201cpractical steps\u201d to support the ceasefire, including the release of detainees held by all parties, Syrian security force deployments and community reconciliation efforts.<\/p>\n

Safadi also welcomed the Syrian government\u2019s \u201ccommitment to holding accountable all those responsible for violations against Syrian citizens\u201d in the Suwayda area, the statement said.<\/p>\n

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented on the developments in Syria in a post on X, urging Syrian government troops to prevent fighters from entering Suwayda and \u201ccarrying out massacres\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey must hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks,\u201d he said. \u201cFurthermore the fighting between Druze and Bedouin groups inside the perimeter must also stop immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

Countries around the world also called for the truce to be upheld.<\/p>\n

The United Kingdom\u2019s foreign secretary, David Lammy, said in a post on X that he was horrified by the violence in southern Syria and that \u201ca sustainable ceasefire is vital\u201d.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs stressed the need for \u201cSyrian authorities to ensure the safety and rights of all segments of the Syrian people\u201d, and called for investigations into abuses against civilians in Suwayda.<\/p>\n

Japan also expressed concern over the violence, including the Israeli strikes, and called for the ceasefire to be implemented swiftly.<\/p>\n

It added that it \u201cstrongly urges all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint, preserve Syria\u2019s territorial integrity and national unity, and respect its independence and sovereignty\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Syria\u2019s government has ordered the clearing of Bedouin fighters from the governorate of Suwayda and declared a halt to the deadly clashes there, hours after deploying security forces to the restive southern region. The announcement on Saturday came after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ordered a new ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze groups, following a separate … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}