 "Members of the Druze minority and their supporters protest outside the US Embassy in Jerusalem, amid the clashes between Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups in the southern Syrian city of Sweida. AP")
Israel and Syria agreed to reach a ceasefire early on Saturday after a week-long fight between the Syrian government forces and Bedouin tribes and armed groups from the Druze minority, killing over 300 people.
The announcement was made by US Envoy to Turkey and Syria Tom Barrack as Druze groups and members of the Bedouin continued to clash in Syria’s southern Sweida province, displacing tens of thousands of people amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Earlier this week, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus and hit government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying that Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze - part of a small but influential minority that also has members in Lebanon and Israel.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity,” Barrack said in a post on X. He said that the ceasefire was supported by Turkey, Jordan and neighbours.
Meanwhile, Syrian government forces had withdrawn from the fight on Wednesday after it reached a separate truce with the Druze, following Israel’s barrage of airstrikes that wreaked havoc in the country and even struck the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters in central Damascus.
Israel defended its actions to protect the Druze minority, who have a substantial base in the country and are seen as a loyal minority there, often serving in the Israeli military.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHours earlier, Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa had announced that the government would send a “specialised force to break up clashes and resolve the conflict on the ground” in Sweida.
Druze-Bedouin clash
Just days after the government struck a ceasefire deal with the Druze, an armed tribal group, the Bedouin, began clashing with members of the minority group.
According to a report by AFP, around 200 Bedouin fighters armed with machine guns and shells attacked Druze members. The Bedouins, which is backed by the government, were supported by several small tribal groups across Syria who reinforced them to attack Druze men.
Clashes began Sunday between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes. Government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ended up taking the Bedouins’ side against the Druze. Israel later in the week launched airstrikes against Syrian forces in defence of the Druze.
80,000 people displaced since Sunday
The United Nations’ migration agency said Friday that nearly 80,000 people had been displaced altogether since clashes started on Sunday.
It also noted that essential services, including water and electricity, have collapsed in Sweida, telecommunications systems are widely disrupted, and health facilities in Sweida and Daraa are under severe strain.
Meanwhile, “there are severe disruptions to supply routes, with insecurity and road closures blocking aid deliveries,” Adam Abdelmoula, UN Resident and Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator in Syria, said in a statement Friday.
With inputs from agencies