Despite a ceasefire agreement brokered in recent days, renewed violence has gripped Syria’s Sweida province, where heavy fighting continues between Druze militias, Bedouin groups, and Syrian government forces. Israeli military involvement and a deepening humanitarian crisis have added layers of complexity to the conflict, which has reportedly claimed around 900 lives and displaced tens of thousands within a matter of days.

• Druze
• Bedouin
• Syrian government forces
• Israeli military

Israeli officials have confirmed plans to send medical equipment and supplies to a hospital in Sweida, which sustained significant damage during the clashes. “The humanitarian situation is dire,” an Israeli security source said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that the aid shipments are expected to depart in the coming days. Syrian officials echoed concerns about access to basic necessities. According to Syria’s emergency management ministry, humanitarian convoys are on standby but unable to enter due to ongoing hostilities. The UN estimates that at least 87,000 residents have fled their homes since the violence escalated.

• Israeli
• Syrian
• UN

Fighting resumed shortly after Syrian government forces began a phased withdrawal from parts of the region. Bedouin groups, who claim to act independently of Damascus, launched renewed offensives on Druze positions, asserting their goal to free prisoners from opposition-affiliated detention sites. “We were never part of any ceasefire agreement,” a Bedouin field commander told local media. Meanwhile, skirmishes were reported beyond Sweida, including in the Rif Dimashq countryside, raising concerns about the conflict’s geographic spread.

• Syrian government forces
• Bedouin
• Druze
• Rif Dimashq

Israeli airstrikes have continued throughout the week. Among the reported targets were Syrian security installations in Damascus and a coastal brigade position in Latakia. According to regional intelligence sources, the strikes were aimed at deterring Syrian state units from engaging Druze militias. In response, the Syrian presidency issued a statement condemning the Israeli actions as “a clear violation of international sovereignty” and accused Druze forces of igniting hostilities through attacks on civilians.

• Israeli airstrikes
• Syrian security installations
• Damascus
• Latakia
• Druze
• Syrian presidency

Footage and testimonies emerging from the area point to grave abuses by multiple parties. Witnesses described regime troops executing women and adolescent boys, looting homes, and publicly humiliating Druze clerics by shaving their mustaches — a symbolic insult in local tradition. In apparent retaliation, several videos posted online show Druze fighters beating and, in some cases, executing captured government soldiers. These acts remain unverified by independent monitors, but both sides have traded allegations of war crimes.

• Druze
• War crimes

Amid mounting international scrutiny, President Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the nation, calling for calm and announcing a security initiative intended to restore order. “The stability of our provinces depends on the unity of our people,” al-Sharaa said. However, efforts to enforce the ceasefire have faltered. A planned two-phase security deployment — first establishing control, then permitting humanitarian access — has yet to gain traction on the ground.

• Ahmed al-Sharaa

Diplomatically, a miscalculation over Syria’s initial military deployment appears to have deepened tensions. Damascus reportedly believed Israel and the United States had tacitly approved the move following discussions in Baku. However, U.S. officials denied endorsing the operation, while Israeli authorities sharply criticized it. “This deployment endangers every minority group in Syria,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, in remarks broadcast Friday evening. “There’s no doubt that in al-Sharaa’s Syria, being a minority has become a perilous position.”

• Syria
• Israel
• United States
• Baku
• Israel Katz

International reactions have been markedly divided. While Syria continues to denounce Israeli military strikes, authorities in the autonomous region of Rojava condemned the violence as a whole and sent batches of humanitarian aid. Commanders from the Syrian Democratic Forces, including the all-female YPJ, publicly declared their readiness to help protect civilian Druze populations, citing a shared resistance to extremist threats.

• Syria
• Rojava
• Syrian Democratic Forces
• YPJ
• Druze