Syria’s interior ministry said on Monday that the situation in the southern province of Suwayda was heading towards a “resolution” in favour of the state, after violent clashes between local Druze groups and Bedouin tribesmen killed more than 30 people.
A source in the defence ministry also announced that six Syrian army soldiers were killed during operations to disengage the warring factions.
Suwayda has witnessed rapid security developments since Saturday evening, with fierce clashes erupting that have left more than 30 dead and around 100 injured, according to an official statement from the interior ministry on Monday.
“Things are heading towards a resolution in favour of the Syrian state, within the vision of the presidency,” interior ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba told Syria’s Al-Ekhbariya TV channel.
Al-Baba said that interior and defence forces had entered Suwayda in the early morning hours and expected the situation to be resolved by Monday afternoon. He noted that the security deployment plan was implemented after positive communication with influential parties in the province and claimed that outlaw groups were using civilians as “human shields.”
The interior ministry said in an earlier statement that the “dangerous escalation” in Suwayda came amid a vacuum of official institutions, “which led to the exacerbation of chaos, a breakdown in the security situation, and the inability of the local community to contain the crisis despite repeated calls for calm.”
The confrontations erupted following the theft of a car on a highway linking Suwayda to the capital, Damascus, which was followed by the mutual detention of civilians from Hasakah and Suwayda provinces. The situation then escalated into armed clashes between military groups and Bedouin tribes in the al-Maqous neighbourhood of Suwayda city, according to the interior ministry.
The fighting involved gunfire and shelling, causing damage to homes, and explosions were heard east of the city. The clashes later expanded to villages such as al-Sura al-Kabira and al-Tira, where homes and properties were burned, and mass displacement was reported from some areas.
The defence ministry said it had begun deploying specialised military units and providing safe corridors for civilians, noting that the institutional vacuum had contributed to the escalating chaos.
Sheikh Yusuf Jarbou’, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, led mediation efforts that resulted in the release of all detainees. The spiritual leadership of the Druze warned of a “despicable hidden sedition” and affirmed that “bloodshed is a red line.”
The Men of Dignity movement, a local Druze militia, called for a general mobilisation, accusing the government of failing to protect civilians while maintaining its defensive stance.
Suwayda is a stronghold of the Druze community in Syria, with an estimated population of about 700,000. The province witnessed similar clashes in April and May, which resulted in 119 deaths before truce agreements were reached between the government and community leaders.