A series of security incidents have disrupted the operation of the Busra al-Sham humanitarian corridor, located on the administrative border between Daraa and Suwayda, which was designated for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Suwayda following deadly events in the province and the military cordon imposed by the Syrian government.

The incidents resulted in civilian deaths, vehicle seizures, and abductions, some of which targeted staff members of international organizations.

After the Damascus–Suwayda highway was closed due to battles between government forces and tribal fighters against local factions loyal to the Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) opened a humanitarian crossing from the city of Busra al-Sham (administratively part of Daraa province). Through it, hundreds of trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and fuel entered Suwayda.

The Red Crescent, along with the Syrian Civil Defense and Internal Security forces, supervised the evacuation of families from Suwayda through Daraa to Damascus. These included Druze and Christian families, as well as foreign residents of the province.

The procedures also facilitated the entry of Suwayda residents living in the Druze-majority suburbs of Jaramana and Sahnaya (near Damascus) into the province via the humanitarian corridor

Tribal convoy on the administrative border between Daraa and Suwayda – July 20, 2025 (Enab Baladi/Mahjoub al-Hasheesh)

Attacks on the road

On August 17, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a civilian car near the town of Kahil in eastern Daraa countryside, on the Damascus–Busra al-Sham road, injuring a woman and two children.

On the same day, unknown attackers targeted a commercial truck at the Khirba junction on the Busra al-Sham road, killing a driver from Damascus.

On August 15, unidentified assailants targeted a passenger bus in Kahil, killing Nada Amer, a woman from Suwayda, and wounding her child.

Two days earlier, seven people, including Syrian Arab Red Crescent staff, had been abducted. They were released on August 20.

Background of the tensions

The unrest in Suwayda began on July 12 with reciprocal kidnappings between local factions and residents of al-Maqous neighborhood, inhabited by Bedouins.

The tensions escalated into armed clashes that prompted government intervention and were accompanied by violations. Government forces later withdrew after Israeli strikes targeted their positions in Suwayda and Damascus.

Subsequent violations by local factions against Bedouins fueled anger among tribes, which dispatched convoys into Suwayda.

After repeated attacks along the international Busra al-Sham road, the Red Crescent altered the route of its convoys to the Busra al-Harir road, with an aid convoy entering through the Busra al-Harir crossing on August 19 for the first time.

The Busra al-Sham crossing, overlooking the village of Bard in Suwayda, is a civilian crossing that had not witnessed clashes and was designated solely for humanitarian operations.

Motives behind the attacks

The events in Suwayda have deepened sectarian tension, especially following the displacement of thousands of Bedouins from their villages in the province’s countryside. This climate of hostility has fueled animosity among the parties.

Activist Hamza Faheed, a resident of the Lajat area near Suwayda, told Enab Baladi that violations committed by local factions loyal to Hikmat al-Hijri had stoked resentment among local communities.

He added that dozens of Bedouin families in eastern Daraa still have relatives, including women, held by groups loyal to al-Hijri.

Faheed argued that the solution lies in state intervention, the confiscation of weapons, and the dismantling of “unlawful groups,” the term used by the Syrian government to describe Suwayda’s local factions.

For his part, military expert Brigadier General Abdullah al-Asaad told Enab Baladi that the displacement of Bedouins and the violations against them generated anger that translated into attacks on aid convoys and evacuations, creating security chaos.

Al-Asaad said that the “fundamental” solution is the return of Bedouins to their villages, state control over Suwayda, and the confiscation of weapons.

He added that the incidents on the Busra al-Sham road targeted civilian or commercial vehicles, some of which had taken side roads and were subjected to kidnappings and killings, whereas convoys accompanied by Syrian security forces were not targeted.