Ceasefire breached as Syrian defence, interior forces targeted in As-Suwayda PHOTO

Forces from Syria’s Ministries of Defence and Interior came under fire in the southern province of As-Suwayda, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said on July 15, in what he described as a clear violation of a previously agreed ceasefire.

"We welcome any faction in As-Suwayda that chooses to join the national project," he said in an interview with Al Jazeera. However, he warned that “anyone who disobeys the state will meet their end at the hands of the Ministries of Interior and Defence,” Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The attack comes just hours after Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Kasra announced a truce in the city, following “negotiations with prominent local figures and senior officials” from As-Suwayda.

Al-Baba stated that government forces had cordoned off residential areas in an effort to protect civilians. He added that while the government remains committed to dialogue and peaceful resolution, it would respond firmly to any group that defies state authority.

The Interior Ministry accused unnamed "isolationist movements" of seeking to escalate tensions and disrupt national unity, suggesting that these efforts may be linked to foreign agendas.

Clashes on July 14–15 left dozens dead, with casualty figures varying widely. While the Syrian Interior Ministry reported 30 fatalities, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) estimated at least 89 deaths, including 18 Syrian soldiers.

Fighting has centered in the western neighbourhoods and within the city of As-Suwayda itself, where armed groups opposed to the reassertion of central government control are engaging in urban combat, complicating efforts to contain the violence amid the civilian population.

The unrest began on July 12 following the abduction of a Druze merchant on the Damascus–Suwayda highway, sparking confrontations between Druze militias, Bedouin tribes, and Syrian government forces.

The situation further escalated on July 14 when Israeli airstrikes targeted Syrian tanks moving toward As-Suwayda. 

By Sabina Mammadli