ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced a ceasefire in the Druze-majority city of Suwayda to put an end to deadly fighting with the Bedouin tribes, as Damascus forces entered the southern city.
"To all units operating within the city of Sweida, we declare a complete ceasefire after an agreement with the city's notables and dignitaries,” Qasra wrote in a post on X.
Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military struck the embattled city, as Tel Aviv has on several occasions said it would not tolerate any attacks on the Druze community in Syria.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, warned the Syrian government on Monday not to target the Druze, or they would take matters into their own hands.
Clashes erupted in the Druze-majority Suwayda on Sunday afternoon after gunmen from local tribes attacked police checkpoints of internal security forces. Nearly 100 people have been killed in the deadly clashes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported 99 people have been killed since the fighting erupted on Sunday, with the defence ministry reporting 18 deaths among the ranks of the armed forces.
Both sides have also kidnapped and held hostages from the opposite side, according to the UK-based war monitor.
Syria has fallen to sectarian strife time and again since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels in December overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime, leading to then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa seizing the presidency of the country.
Despite vows of inclusivity, minorities remain cautious of the new regime in power.
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