Local factions in Suwayda renewed attacks on internal security forces affiliated with Syria’s Ministry of Interior, on the province’s western front, on Saturday, 13 December.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Daraa (southern Syria) said local factions in Suwayda targeted an internal security vehicle with a bomb-laden drone in the town of al-Mazraa (western Suwayda countryside) on Friday evening, 12 December, then repeated the attack on Saturday.
Qutaiba Azzam, head of the Public Relations Office in Suwayda Governorate, told Enab Baladi that the vehicle was targeted by local factions in Suwayda, confirming that no internal security personnel were injured.
A security source told the state-run al-Ikhbariya channel that groups it described as “rebel gangs” in Suwayda targeted internal security points in the countryside using explosive drones on Saturday, adding that this was the second such attack within 24 hours, in what it called a repeated breach of the Suwayda ceasefire.
The source said the attacks constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement, and that security forces would respond firmly to violations.
Factions accuse government forces
The “National Guard”, backed by Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, issued a statement on Friday accusing Syrian government forces of targeting residents of al-Majdal (Suwayda province) with sniper fire.
The statement said one civilian was seriously wounded and taken to hospital, where doctors amputated his hand due to the severity of the injury, according to the group. It added that its forces dealt directly with the source of fire “using the appropriate means.”
The group described the incident as part of a pattern of violations that directly targets civilians, calling it “hostile, resentful, and terrorist” behavior that threatens stability and endangers residents.
Clashes have repeatedly erupted between Interior Ministry internal security forces and local factions, most recently on 8 December.
Jordan’s role
A Jordanian source told the Lebanese newspaper al-Modon that Jordan is leading mediation efforts, coordinated with the United States, to resolve the Suwayda crisis. The source said visits by Syrian parties to Jordan are ongoing and “will not stop.”
Jordan’s efforts are currently focused on building confidence between the Syrian government and Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri. The source expected the mediation “will take some time, unless there is a breakthrough in negotiations.”
“The distance between Damascus and Suwayda is still wide, but what is certain is that mediation will succeed, especially since Washington is engaged in it,” the source added.
The Jordanian mediation is based on implementing a road map announced last September, during a trilateral meeting in Damascus attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and the US envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack.
Meanwhile, Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, said Washington should fulfill its duty to protect the rights of Syrian minorities to strengthen stability in Syria, arguing that “American support would make any Israeli intervention in southern Syria unnecessary.”
In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Tarif, who is visiting the United Nations in Geneva, said, “We hope the United States, President Trump, and America as a great power, will guarantee the rights of all minorities in Syria, to prevent any new massacres,” as he put it.
What is the road map?
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced it had reached a road map to resolve the crisis in Suwayda Governorate, following a trilateral meeting in Damascus that brought together Asaad al-Shaibani, Ayman Safadi, and Thomas Barrack on 16 September.
The road map included several urgent measures, most notably:
- Inviting the Independent International Commission of Inquiry to investigate events in Suwayda and hold all perpetrators of violations accountable under Syrian law.
- Continuing the entry of humanitarian and medical aid into the province in cooperation with the United Nations, ensuring the return of basic services with support from Jordan and the United States.
- Deploying qualified police forces along the Suwayda to Damascus road to secure civilian movement and trade, withdrawing civilian fighters from the province’s boundaries and replacing them with regular forces.
- Supporting the Red Cross efforts to release all detainees and abductees and complete exchange operations.
- Jordan, in coordination with the Syrian government, will invite a delegation from Suwayda’s local communities, Druze, Christians, and Sunnis, and another delegation representing Bedouin tribes in Suwayda, to meetings aimed at supporting reconciliation.
- Announcing plans to rebuild damaged villages and properties, with Jordanian and American assistance to secure the necessary funding.
- Promoting a “national narrative” based on unity and equality, and criminalizing hate speech and sectarianism through new legislation, with legal support from Washington and Amman.