An alleged attack carried out by Druze armed groups on Sunday targeted Syrian internal security forces in Sweida province, killing one officer and wounding several others, according to state-run Ekhbariya TV.
The clashes came weeks after a U.S.-brokered truce paused heavy clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribal fighters.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported four deaths in the renewed fighting, including three soldiers and one Druze fighter, and said at least nine others were wounded.
The observatory said the clashes took place in the western part of Sweida province, at the Tal al-Hadeed heights overlooking neighboring Daraa province. SOHR also reported fighting around the city of Thaala, saying it began “following bombardment of the area with shells and heavy weapons launched from areas under the control of government forces.”
The conflict between the Druze militias and Bedouin tribal fighters initially erupted on July 13. Government forces intervened, but the violence escalated, prompting Israeli strikes under the pretext of protecting Druze civilians.
A ceasefire agreement, reached on July 17 and mediated by the U.S., Turkey, and Jordan, mandated the withdrawal of troops from Sweida.
In a statement, the Syrian government accused local factions of inciting unrest through “media and sectarian campaigns.”
“As these gangs failed to thwart the efforts of the Syrian state and its responsibilities towards our people in Sweida, they resorted to violating the ceasefire agreement by launching treacherous attacks against internal security forces on several fronts and shelling some villages with rockets and mortar shells, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of a number of security personnel,” the Syrian government added.
A security source told Syrian state television that government forces had regained control of Tal al-Hadeed and other areas targeted in Sunday’s attacks.
Since July 13, sectarian clashes in Sweida have left over 1,000 people dead and displaced at least 175,000 others, according to monitoring groups and humanitarian organizations.
