Chicago – July 21, 2025
The Syrian government says clashes in the southern city of Suwayda have stopped after a week of violence left hundreds of people dead, drawing Israeli intervention and US condemnation.
A ceasefire agreement reached by the government, Druze groups and Bedouin tribes on Saturday appeared to be holding Sunday, but communications with the province remain difficult.
There were no reports of gunfire in the city of Suwayda Sunday.
“After several bloody days in Suwayda province, the Internal Security Forces have succeeded in calming the situation following their deployment in the northern and western areas,” Syria’s interior minister Anas Khattab said in a post on X.
“They managed to enforce the ceasefire within the city of Suwayda, paving the way for a prisoner exchange phase and the gradual restoration of stability across the province,” he continued.
The prisoner exchange is yet to happen. The US envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, said on X Sunday: “Escalating hostilities can only be contained with an agreement to pause violence, protect the innocent, allow humanitarian access, and step back from danger.”
An aid convoy from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) entered Suwayda province on Sunday afternoon carrying medicine and food but elsewhere the Syrian health ministry said it was denied access.
