DAMASCUS, Siris (AP) — A new round of clashes between Druze armed groups and government forces in southern Syria's Suwayda province subsided Friday but left fears of a new escalation.
Thursday's clashes led to both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire that ended several days of intense fighting in July. There were reports of injuries on both sides, but no deaths reported.
The National Guard, the de facto military force in Suwayda, accused government forces of attacking the city of Al Majdal on Thursday, “using heavy and medium weapons and attack drones in an aggressive attempt to break through our defense lines and strike vital installations.”
“Our troops bravely and with high combat efficiency repelled this attack, inflicting heavy losses on the attacking forces in equipment and personnel,” the statement said.
The government in Damascus was the first to accuse Sweid's factions of violating the ceasefire.
Mustafa al-Bakour, the Damascus-appointed governor of Suwayda province, said that “some factions and the so-called National Guard” had launched “attacks on de-escalation points.” The attacks, he added, “represent a clear violation of international agreements and hamper reconstruction efforts and preparations for the return of residents to their villages.”
Saber Abu Ras, a political scientist based in the city of Suwayda, said Thursday's clashes “were very intense and violent” and included attacks using drones, anti-aircraft machine guns and mortar shells. He said Israeli warplanes could be heard over the town of Suwayda, but it was unclear whether they carried out any strikes.
Abu Ras said he believed government forces launched a “retaliatory attack” after the local government police chief in Suwayda along with a “large group of officers” seized a checkpoint previously controlled by Syrian government security forces in the province's northern countryside.
On Thursday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, speaking at an event organized by international affairs think tank Chatham House during a visit to London, said there were “mistakes made by all sides” in Suwayda.
“There are a lot of problems, but we don’t solve them as if we are the other side,” he said. “We view this as a Syrian wound and that there is an internal problem within one house.”
Suwayda was the site of violent clashes in July, which began with fighting between Druze groups and local Bedouin tribes after a series of mutually linked kidnappings.
Violence intensified after government security forces intervened, ostensibly to stop the fighting, but they eventually defected to the Bedouin. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, many by government fighters.
Israel intervened on the side of the Druze, who are also a significant minority in Israel, by striking government forces and a Defense Ministry building in central Damascus. A US-brokered ceasefire led to the withdrawal of government troops from Suwayda.
Druze groups have since established a de facto military and government body in Suwayda, similar to the Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast of the country, and have largely refused to deal with the government in Damascus.
Tens of thousands of people remain displaced after the July fighting, including Druze displaced within Suwayda province and Bedouins who were evacuated from the province to other areas.
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Sewell reported from Beirut.
