Syria's defence ministry has announced a ceasefire in the Druze-majority city of Suwayda, saying an agreement has been reached with the city’s “notables and dignitaries” after days of deadly clashes with Bedouin tribes.
“To all units operating within the city of Suwayda, we declare a complete ceasefire,” Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra posted on X on Tuesday.
Violence erupted from Friday last week across Suwayda governorate, killing at least 99 people.
The dead include 60 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms.
Bedouin and Druze factions have a longstanding feud in Suwayda, with violence occasionally erupting.
Meanwhile, Israel launched air strikes on Suwayda on Tuesday after Syrian government forces entered the Druze city. Israel had vowed to protect Syria’s Druze minority, which it sees as potential allies.
The Druze spiritual leadership had earlier resisted any deployment of Syrian troops in the southern city, but then urged Druze fighters to lay down their arms and allow government forces in.
It was the first time government forces were deployed to Suwayda since the overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the formation of an interim government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The Druze religious sect is a minority group that originated as a 10th-century offshoot of a branch of Shia Islam.
In Syria, the 700,000-strong community primarily resides in the southern Suwayda province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south.
