Syrian Army Enters Sweida After Deadly Weekend Clashes

Syrian government forces officially entered the southern city of Sweida on Tuesday, marking the first such deployment since President Ahmed al-Sharaa took office in December 2024.

The move followed two days of intense clashes between local armed groups and government-affiliated factions, which left at least 99 people dead, according to war monitors.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the fatalities, noting that among the dead were 60 Druze, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel, and others unidentified.

The city, home to Syria’s Druze minority, has largely maintained autonomy throughout much of the country’s civil unrest. But escalating violence over the weekend forced the hand of Druze religious leadership, who called on fighters to lay down their weapons and allow government forces entry.

The defence ministry said later that they had entered the city, and urged people to "stay home and report any movements of outlaw groups," local sources reported.

A curfew was announced in Sweida in a bid to curb the spread of violence, which had already reached several nearby towns and villages in the governorate. Military convoys with heavy artillery were spotted advancing toward the city early Tuesday.

The defence ministry claimed their mission was to separate warring factions, but government troops soon assumed control of key areas in and around the city.

Despite the shift in control, Druze spiritual figure Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri voiced opposition to the military’s arrival, calling for “international protection” amid the unrest. His stance was echoed by factions within Sweida still resistant to external intervention.

Meanwhile, Israel entered the scene with its own warning. Following Monday’s developments, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said, The strikes were "a clear warning to the Syrian regime — we will not allow harm to be done to the Druze in Syria,” after Israeli tanks reportedly bombed Syrian military vehicles near the area.

Talks between Druze factions and the Damascus government are said to be ongoing.