BEIRUT (AP) — A new outbreak of violence overnight on Sunday rocked Syria at two different flashpoints, straining a fragile ceasefire and questioning the ability of a transitional government to exert authority across the country.
In the north, government-affiliated fighters confronted Kurdish-led troops that ruled most of the region, and in South Sweida, they clashed with armed groups in the Druze.
The outbreak comes as Syrian interim authorities try to maintain a tense ceasefire in Sweida Clash with the Druze faction Last month, and will reintegrate the large Syrian belt with the rest of the country to implement an agreement with the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian democratic forces.
The Syrian government under interim president Ahmad Alshara has struggled to consolidate its control since he led it. The shocking rebellion that kicked out In December, former President Bashar Assad ended the decades of dictatorial rule of the Assad family. Political opponents and ethnic and religious minorities doubt Sharaa’s de facto Islamist domination and cooperation with associated fighters coming from extremist groups.
The provincial television said clashes between government forces and militias belonging to Deleuze minority on Saturday rocked Sweeda’s southern province on Saturday after Druze factions attacked Syrian security forces and killed at least one member. The state-run Arifbaria channel cited an anonymous security officer who said the ceasefire was broken. The Ministry of Defense has not issued a formal statement.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, a UK-based war monitor, said one Druze was killed, along with members of the murdered security forces, and at least nine people were injured in a clash that took place in western Sweida. The observatory said the collision occurred at the height of the strategic Tal al-Heid overlooking the neighboring state of Dara.
Difficult conditions for Sweida
According to state media, aid convoys continue to enter Sweeda city as part of a tense ceasefire after more than a week of violent clashes in July and more than a week of violent clashes between armed Bedouin clans supported by government forces. However, humanitarian conditions remain miserable, and residents of Sweida have called for roads to the city to be fully opened, saying that aid coming in is not enough.
The clash that drove away tens of thousands of people came after months of tension between Damascus and Swayda. The fight led to a series of target sects attacks against the Druze minority, now skeptical of peaceful coexistence. Druze Militias retaliated against the Bedouin community, which primarily lived in the western part of Sweida, replacing many with nearby Daraa.
Elsewhere, government-affiliated fighter jets collided with the SDF in Northern Aleppo. The Ministry of Defense said three civilians and four soldiers were injured after the SDF launched a rocket barrage “in irresponsible ways and for unknown reasons” near Manbij city.
Meanwhile, SDF spokesman Farhad Shami said the group is responding to artillery fires by “undisciplined factions” in government forces in Deir Haffar, an eastern city in the same state.
The eastern part of Aleppo province spans areas controlled by the government and SDF. The two are slowly trying to implement a ceasefire and an agreement to integrate the regions under Damascus, but tensions remain.
“The Ministry of Defense’s attempts to distort facts and mislead public opinion have not contributed to security or stability,” Shami said in a previous Twitter X post.
Israeli forces will raid against the annexed Golan Heights
Israeli forces have announced that they have carried out another ground operation in the southern province of Queneitra in the area adjacent to the Israeli annexed Golan Heights. The military questioned the suspects who were condemning their involvement in the trafficking of weapons in Hader’s village, saying they had attacked four areas where the weapons were found to be trafficked.
Since Assad’s expulsion, Israel has carried out numerous strikes and military operations in southern Syria, saying its forces are robbing extremist groups suspected of hurting Israelis and residents at the height of Golan.
Damascus is critical of Israeli military operations, with both sides trying to reach security arrangements through consultations via the US. Syria has repeatedly said it has no intention of taking military action against Israel.
These talks intensified after Israel supported Sweida’s Druze during previous clashes. Israel attacked military personnel near the city of Southern, most notably setting up an airstrike targeting the Ministry of Defense headquarters in the heart of Damascus.
