ANKARA

Heavy clashes erupted between armed Druze factions and Bedouin tribal forces near the western entrance of Suwayda city in southern Syria on Friday.

According to Anadolu’s correspondent in Syria, the fighting intensified after Druze armed groups affiliated with Hikmat al-Hajri expelled Bedouin families from nearby areas.

The tensions followed a brief withdrawal of Syrian government forces from the region on Wednesday after a local agreement was reached to de-escalate violence.

However, the fragile calm quickly collapsed. On Thursday evening, Bedouin tribes, backed by hundreds of fighters from Arab tribes across Syria, launched a counteroffensive, regaining control of several villages and pushing toward the western gate of Suwayda city.

In response, the Druze armed groups withdrew from the outskirts and established defensive lines within the city center, while skirmishes continued along the western front.

While the Syrian regime has refrained from directly engaging in the current round of fighting, its forces maintain control over the main roads leading into the provincial capital.

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.