Syrian government officials and Druze religious leaders on Wednesday announced a renewed ceasefire aimed at halting days of violent clashes in Sweida province that have threatened the country's fragile postwar political transition. The truce follows a failed earlier attempt on Tuesday and comes amid escalating Israeli military intervention and deepening sectarian strife.
The ceasefire, jointly declared by Syria’s Interior Ministry and a Druze religious leader via video message, prompted the partial withdrawal of government convoys from the southern city of Sweida. However, doubts remain over the truce’s durability, as prominent Druze leader Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri publicly disavowed the agreement. Compounding skepticism, Israeli airstrikes continued unabated even after the ceasefire was announced.
The unrest, initially sparked by tit-for-tat abductions and clashes between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and armed Druze factions, intensified after government forces intervened—reportedly targeting both militants and civilians. The flare-up represents the gravest threat yet to Syria’s new Sunni-led administration, which came to power following the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in December, ending nearly 14 years of civil war.
Tensions have been mounting between Syria’s Sunni rulers and minority communities, especially the Druze and Alawites, after sectarian violence flared in March. Hundreds of Alawite civilians were reportedly killed in revenge attacks during that period.
Israel, citing the need to protect its Druze population and deter Islamic militants near its borders, has launched a series of rare and high-impact airstrikes deep inside Syria. On Wednesday, Israeli missiles struck the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus, killing three and injuring 34. Another strike reportedly hit near the presidential palace on the outskirts of the capital.
As of Wednesday, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported over 300 deaths since Monday, including four children, eight women, and at least 165 members of Syria’s security forces. The Syrian Interior Ministry has officially confirmed only 30 fatalities.
With Israeli strikes continuing and sectarian divisions deepening, the future of the ceasefire—and Syria’s political stability—remains uncertain.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)