SOHR: 21 Killed, Dozens Injured Amid Clashes and Forced Displacement
Suwayda spirals into violence as tribal clashes leave 21 dead, displace villagers, and paralyze key highways. With external fighters reinforcing rival factions, the Druze heartland risks descending into full-scale conflict amid Syria's security vacuum.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Rami Abdulrahman, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan24 that Suwayda province is witnessing a dangerous escalation in security tensions marked by armed clashes, forced displacement, and targeted shelling, raising the death toll to 21 people, including two children.
Mass Displacement as Violence Spreads
Most residents of the village of Al-Tayra in Suwayda’s countryside were forced to flee towards the towns of Al-Mazraa and Suwayda city after armed groups entered the area and violence erupted, including the torching of several homes. Despite the exodus, local groups remained stationed inside the village to protect it from repeated attacks.
According to Abdulrahman, shelling also targeted the towns of Sma’a and Al-Mazraa, while fierce clashes unfolded around the areas of Labeen and Haran. Local factions deployed along the frontlines confirmed they are actively repelling ongoing assaults.
Rising Casualties and Intensifying Clashes
The number of fatalities due to the armed confrontations and mutual shelling in the Al-Maqous neighborhood east of Suwayda city and other areas of the province has climbed to 21, including 17 Druze (two of whom were children) and 4 from the Bedouin tribes of Suwayda. Additionally, approximately 50 people have been wounded, including several children and individuals in critical condition.
In a worrying development, armed groups from the Houran region are sending reinforcements to the outskirts of Suwayda to support Bedouin tribesmen engaged in clashes with security forces at several points on the city’s perimeter.
Abdulrahman noted that dozens of fighters from Daraa’s countryside traveled in military vehicles toward the northern and western countryside of Suwayda, amid expectations of further escalation following casualties sustained during today’s attacks.
Frontlines Expand Across Northern and Western Suwayda
Clashes are ongoing in the Al-Maqous district of Suwayda city, with tensions spilling into rural parts of the province. This afternoon, violent confrontations broke out at the northern entrance of Suwayda, near the village of Al-Soura Al-Kabira, after Bedouin tribal gunmen attacked police checkpoints belonging to the Internal Security Forces. Mortar shells reportedly landed in the area as the fighters advanced toward the checkpoints.
According to Abdulrahman, Earlier this morning, armed groups blocked the Damascus–Suwayda highway from several axes, including near the town of Barraq in rural Damascus. This prompted security forces to shut down the highway completely to civilian traffic. Security units also sealed off the road at the Al-Masmiyyah checkpoint to ensure public safety.
Cycle of Retaliation and Mounting Tensions
The spike in violence comes amid a fast-moving chain of retaliatory actions. Tensions flared after an armed group from Bedouin tribes reportedly set up a temporary checkpoint near Al-Masmiyyah and assaulted a young Druze man from Suwayda, robbing and beating him before releasing him in a remote location in critical condition.
In retaliation, members of the local community detained individuals from the tribes, which further inflamed the situation. In response, tribal groups set up another checkpoint in the Al-Maqous neighborhood and abducted individuals linked to local armed factions. Simultaneously, the main Damascus–Suwayda road was blocked again.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, Abdulrahman warned that Suwayda is teetering on the edge of a broader internal conflict, fueled by communal tensions, acts of reprisal, and the deepening absence of state control in southern Syria.
