‘This Nightmare Isn’t Over’: Ceasefire Collapses as Street Fighting Resumes in Southern Syria
The ceasefire failed almost immediately, with bullets resumed flying across As-Suwayda.
[DAMASCUS] Syrian government forces began withdrawing from the southern city of As-Suwayda on Wednesday evening, implementing a ceasefire negotiated by Druze religious leaders after four days of fighting that killed more than 150 people.
But within hours of the army’s pullback, the truce unraveled.
Heavy street fighting resumed shortly after midnight Thursday in the al‑Maqwas neighborhood, with local Druze factions and Bedouin fighters exchanging fire in densely populated areas. Residents reported the use of small arms and rocket‑propelled grenades, with residential buildings caught in the crossfire.
There’s calm on paper, but bullets are flying again. This nightmare isn’t over.
“This so‑called ceasefire has already collapsed,” said Ghazal Hamza, a resident of As-Suwayda. “There’s calm on paper, but bullets are flying again. This nightmare isn’t over.”
The initial clashes began after a Bedouin gang kidnapped a Druze man. In retaliation, Druze fighters abducted Bedouin residents. Government security forces dispatched to mediate were ambushed by the As-Suwayda Military Council, a militia aligned with Sheikh Hikmat al‑Hijri, killing at least 12 officers. The incident sparked open warfare among Druze militias, Bedouin fighters, and regime troops.
On Wednesday, state media declared the army’s withdrawal marked the end of operations against “outlaw groups.” A 10‑point ceasefire agreement was read on national television by Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, one of Syria’s top Druze clerics.
The accord called for full reintegration of As-Suwayda into the Syrian state, withdrawal of militias, restoration of public services, reopening roads to Damascus, and investigations into the recent killings. Local internal security forces, not national military units, were to maintain order.
However, the fragile pact proved short‑lived.
Residents have described snipers, mass looting, and medical centers paralyzed by siege.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 248 people have been killed in As-Suwayda since fighting erupted on July 13. The Syrian Network for Human Rights confirmed 169 deaths, including five children and six women, and more than 200 wounded.
They’re breaking into homes, looting everything. People are dying in the streets. … There’s no food, no baby milk, no medicine. And no one is coming to help.
“I’m in Arman village. The streets are full of heavily armed men,” Iman Mahmoud, a 55‑year‑old educator, told The Media Line. “They’re breaking into homes, looting everything. People are dying in the streets. The National Hospital, Al‑Salam, and Al‑Mazra’a are all cut off. There’s no food, no baby milk, no medicine. And no one is coming to help.”
A viral video of regime troops forcibly shaving the beards of elderly Druze men, widely seen as a calculated act of humiliation, sparked outrage. The death, days later, of revered cleric Sheikh Marhej Shaheen led to mass mourning.
Druze leadership is now bitterly divided. While Sheikh al‑Hijri and the As-Suwayda Military Council have reportedly coordinated with Israel, Sheikhs Jarboua, Hammoud al‑Hinnawi, and Laith al‑Balous have urged restraint and reconciliation with Damascus.
Meanwhile, Israel has escalated its involvement.
Airstrikes targeted Damascus and surrounding areas earlier this week, including the general staff headquarters and sites near the Presidential Palace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were meant “to save our Druze brothers and eliminate the regime’s gangs.”
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The Syrian Health Ministry confirmed three deaths and 34 injuries in the capital. At least 26 government soldiers were killed in fighting across the south.
In a televised speech Wednesday night, interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa warned against foreign interference while pledging protection for Syria’s Druze.
We reject any attempt to drag Syria into the hands of external parties. The Syrian people have always prioritized national unity over chaos.
“We reject any attempt to drag Syria into the hands of external parties,” al‑Sharaa said. “The Syrian people have always prioritized national unity over chaos.”
He accused Israel of targeting civilian infrastructure and credited Arab, Turkish, and American mediation with helping avoid a broader escalation.
The United States has restored diplomatic ties with Syria’s interim government. On May 14, US President Donald Trump met with al‑Sharaa during a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Riyadh, the first direct contact between US and Syrian leaders in over 20 years.
On June 30, the Trump administration lifted broad economic sanctions on Syria, though targeted sanctions against individuals linked to the Assad regime remain in place. A US flag was raised weeks later at the ambassador’s residence in Damascus, signaling renewed engagement.
Still, critics argue that Washington’s policy overlooks ongoing abuses.
The Druze are not pawns. If Washington and Jerusalem want stability, they must treat us as partners.
“Any deal that ignores As-Suwayda sacrifices the Druze,” said Eman Safady, an Israeli Druze analyst. “The Druze are not pawns. If Washington and Jerusalem want stability, they must treat us as partners,” she told The Media Line.
On July 17, protests erupted in Jaramana, Sahnaya, and Ashrafieh, Damascus suburbs with large Druze and Christian populations. That same day, Israeli drones struck again in Damascus, reportedly killing five Syrian security personnel.
Netanyahu warned Israeli Druze not to cross the border to assist their co‑religionists, while President Isaac Herzog emphasized diplomacy alongside military readiness. Despite these appeals, hundreds of Israeli Druze attempted to breach the border. Most were blocked by the Israel Defense Forces.
A ground incursion is needed now. Druze communities are mourning, protesting, and preparing. They see the massacres and the silence. They’re asking: Who will protect us?
“Symbolic statements aren’t enough,” Safady said. “A ground incursion is needed now. Druze communities are mourning, protesting, and preparing. They see the massacres and the silence. They’re asking: Who will protect us?”
Ahmed Al‑Kanani, a Damascus‑based political academic and security affairs expert, told The Media Line that the regime’s heavy‑handed tactics gave Israel an opening.
“From a security perspective, the use of heavy weapons by government forces—and violations against civilians—provided Israel with a pretext for intervention,” he said. “Israel warned Damascus not to bring tanks and artillery into the south, which Tel Aviv considers a weapons‑free zone.”
According to Al‑Kanani, Israel’s airstrikes tipped the balance in favor of the As-Suwayda Military Council and Sheikh al‑Hijri, weakening Damascus’s grip on the province.
“Politically, Israel sees this as a chance to exert pressure ahead of upcoming talks in Brussels between the Israeli and Syrian foreign ministers,” he added. “Back‑channel talks are also happening in Baku, Azerbaijan.”
Israel wants to intimidate Syria’s new leadership into accepting terms—chiefly, demilitarizing the south and freezing any claim to the Golan Heights
Al‑Kanani said the UAE and the United States are mediating those discussions. “Israel wants to intimidate Syria’s new leadership into accepting terms—chiefly, demilitarizing the south and freezing any claim to the Golan Heights.”
“Damascus wants to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement and redeploy UN forces,” he said. “But Israel insists on permanent security arrangements around Mount Hermon.”
Al‑Kanani also noted friction among Syria’s regional allies. “There’s some ambivalence in the Syrian‑Qatari relationship, but Qatar is not central to these negotiations. The UAE and Saudi Arabia are more involved.”
“As for Turkey,” he said, “it views any Israeli presence near its own sphere of influence as a threat. Ankara is watching As-Suwayda carefully.”
Despite the unraveling of the truce, Al‑Kanani believes a new equilibrium may still emerge.
“Yes, the ceasefire will succeed,” he said. “But not in the way the government imagined. What happened in As-Suwayda has changed the equation.”
Syria must now treat the Druze as full partners in governance—especially in security, military, and administrative affairs
“Syria must now treat the Druze as full partners in governance—especially in security, military, and administrative affairs within the governorate.”
At the United Nations, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned Israel’s airstrikes, warning they threaten “the fragile peace Syrians paid a high price to reach.” He accused Israel of “deepening ethnic fault lines” and called for urgent international action.
Some Druze militias remain aligned with the central government under older local agreements, but those arrangements are increasingly under strain amid rising demands for autonomy.
For now, the guns have not fallen silent in As-Suwayda.
“Underneath, everyone is still afraid,” Hamza said.
Al‑Kanani insists the old order is gone.
“After As-Suwayda, the old arrangements no longer apply,” he said. “This isn’t just about law and order anymore—it’s about power‑sharing. And the Druze won’t accept being treated as subjects. They expect to help run the state.”
Jacob Wirtschafter reported from Istanbul.
