SUWAYDA 

Six days of clashes between armed Druze factions and Bedouin tribal forces in southern Syria, intensified by Israeli airstrikes, have worsened the humanitarian crisis in the region.

Widespread damage to power lines during the clashes has left most of the region without electricity.

With power outages disabling water pumps, residents have been unable to access even well water.

Markets and bakeries have remained shuttered due to the ongoing clashes, halting bread production and leaving people unable to meet basic food needs. The scarcity of flour has further exacerbated the situation.

Healthcare services have also come to a standstill, as medical facilities are unable to operate amid security threats and power disruptions.

- Clashes in Suwayda and Israeli attacks

Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Wednesday on more than 160 targets across four areas of Syria – Suwayda, Daraa, Damascus and the Damascus countryside - killing three people and injuring 34 in the capital alone.

On June 13, clashes broke out between Bedouin Arab tribes and armed Druze groups in Suwayda. The violence escalated, leading to deadly attacks by Druze fighters on Syrian security forces deployed in the area. Dozens of soldiers were reportedly killed.

A temporary ceasefire was reached between government forces and local Druze factions but soon collapsed. Israeli airstrikes followed, targeting Syrian military positions and infrastructure.

Israel has cited the “protection of Druze communities” as a pretext for its attacks in Syria, especially in the country’s south.

However, most Druze leaders in Syria have publicly rejected any foreign interference and reaffirmed their commitment to a unified Syrian state.

Following the fall of Bashar Assad in December 2024, Israel intensified its air campaign in Syria and declared the buffer zone between the two countries defunct alongside the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in Syria in January.