Illustrative image. (Syrian Arab News Agency)
Druze fighters recaptured the city of al-Suwayda from tribal forces loyal to Syria’s Islamist-led government late on July 19, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The tribal forces withdrew to the outskirts of al-Suwayda following a large-scale offensive by the Druze, the London-based monitoring group, adding that the forces later shelled the city with mortars, causing casualties and damage.
Al-Suwayda was attacked by tribal forces in the early morning, just hours after the United States said that it had brokered a ceasefire agreement involving Israel which has been backing Druze fighters. Activists in al-Suwayda reported that the forces set buildings on fire and captured or killed any Druze civilian they encountered.
Following SOHR’s report, Noureddine al-Baba, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, confirmed that tribal forces had left the city.
“After intensive efforts by the Interior Ministry to implement the ceasefire agreement and the deployment of its forces in the northern and western regions of al-Suwayda Governorate, the city of al-Suwayda was evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city’s neighborhoods were halted,” al-Baba said in a statement to the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency.
According to the SOHR, the battle in al-Suwayda, which broke out at the start of the week, has so far claimed the lives of at least 940 people, including 182 Druze civilians who were executed by government forces. The real death toll is likely much higher.
Israel backed the Druze when the conflict first broke out, but took a step back after the withdrawal of government forces from the governorate. The withdrawal provoked the intervention of the tribal forces. Some fighters of these forces are reported to be members of the Syrian military and security forces.
The conflict is not over yet, as many issues remain unsolved. For example, the government claims that it has the right to deploy its security forces in al-Suwayda under the U.S.-brokered agreement. However, a statement by the spiritual leadership of Druze stated that the said forces should deploy only on the administrative border of the governorate.
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v sýrii kľud len tak ľahko nebude!!! podstatné je aby si rusko udržalo svoje vojenské základne ktoré tam má!!! o iné sa nateraz rusko nemusí starať!!! svetu mier a mysleniu zdar!!!
putler lost control over syria. now, the syrians need support from israel. god bless the jews.
the only support syrians will get from the thieving joo genocide merchants is the same support a hanged man gets from a rope. the jooz are a curse on humanity.