The Syrian government is negotiating with local factions in Suwayda for full access to the governorate, following requests by Druze sheikhs and factions to intervene and end the conflict in the western countryside, where tribal fighters are engaged in clashes.

The Public Relations Office at the Ministry of Interior denied claims on Friday, July 18, that security forces were preparing to enter Suwayda to restore order.

Hussein al-Mohammad, a media figure embedded with tribal fighters inside Suwayda, told Enab Baladi that Interior Ministry convoys have not entered the governorate. He stated that Druze religious leaders had requested the Ministry’s deployment in areas now controlled by tribal forces, but the Ministry refused.

According to al-Mohammad, the Ministry informed the Druze sheikhs that the deployment of any police officer or security personnel would signal the start of a full-scale government takeover of the province.

He added that negotiations are ongoing between the Syrian government and top Druze religious authorities, noting that the state is approaching the talks “from a position of strength, not weakness.”

Reuters reported on Friday, July 18, citing an Interior Ministry spokesperson, that “Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy in Suwayda to suppress the fighting with Bedouin tribes,” a move that could place further strain on the fragile truce in southern Syria.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Daraa reported on Friday, July 18, that a security convoy has arrived in the southern region, though it remains unclear whether it intends to enter Suwayda or position itself on the city’s outskirts to separate the opposing sides.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent reported that, on Thursday evening, tribal fighters took control of the villages of al-Mazraa and Taara in the western countryside of Suwayda. The fighters are now positioned on the outskirts of the city but have not entered it.

The local news network alRased confirmed on Friday that some convoys reached the northern countryside but did not advance beyond the villages of the al-Lawa area, denying reports that fighters had entered Suwayda city.

The takeover of the western countryside followed mass mobilization on social media, prompting tribal fighters from across several Syrian provinces to rally to the area.

Tribal fighters were also accused of committing violations, including burning mostly evacuated homes in retaliation for previous abuses by local Suwayda factions against Bedouins in the western countryside.

The escalation is part of a broader cycle of violence in the province, which began with a series of mutual kidnappings between tribal groups and local factions. These incidents led to armed confrontations and the temporary deployment of Defense and Interior Ministry forces, which later withdrew following Israeli airstrikes on government positions.