Since the overthrow of the Assad family in 2024, tensions that have flared up at times in southern provinces of Syria turned into clashes again in Suwayda. On Friday, at least 2 people were killed and more than 50 injured in violent clashes between the Druze-majority National Guard and government forces. Women and children were among the injured.
How did the clashes break out?
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that government forces and their allies attacked the Tal Hadid area west of Suwayda, the el-Thaala road industrial zone, and the towns of Umm al-Zaytun and al-Matuna with artillery and heavy weapons. The war monitoring group noted that 2 people had died, although it did not specify their affiliations, and more than 50 were injured.
State television al-Ikhbariya, citing unnamed security sources, announced that a group of armed men launched an attack on government security forces positions in the Tal Hadid area in the western countryside of Suwayda, that internal security forces repelled the advance, and that 2 attackers were killed and 16 others injured.
National Guard accuses
The Druze-led National Guard, in a statement issued early Friday morning, accused government forces deployed on the city's western and northwestern axes of starting the clashes. The group claimed that government forces 'clearly violated the de-escalation zones established by the 2025 ceasefire and carried out systematic attacks using drones and various types of heavy and medium machine guns.' The statement added that National Guard forces returned fire at the sources of the gunfire, scoring direct and confirmed hits among the attackers. No official statement has yet been issued by Syrian authorities.
Background of the tensions
This latest escalation occurred despite a ceasefire reached between the government and local Druze leaders in July 2025. The same period last year saw heavy clashes between the Druze minority and Sunni Bedouin tribes in Suwayda, followed by revenge killings and human rights violations after the government intervened. At the time, SOHR recorded at least 1,339 deaths, including 196 people executed by individuals linked to security forces.
In recent weeks, the region has seen an increase in kidnappings, sporadic clashes, and armed attacks. Last week, an elderly man named Ayed Nader was reported to have died after being kidnapped by National Guard forces, while on Sunday, 4 people died during a dispute between two families in the southeast of the province. The local Suwayda24 website claimed on Tuesday that National Guard fighters had stolen dozens of sheep and kidnapped a man while trying to advance toward the government-controlled town of Mazraa.
Druze community and armed formation
The National Guard was founded in August 2025 by Hikmat al-Hijri, the Druze spiritual leader in Suwayda. Al-Hijri is known as a fierce critic of President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government and in January accused the Damascus administration of attempting to kill minorities, calling for the establishment of autonomous regions in southern Syria.
The Druze, one of Syria's minority groups with an estimated population of around 700,000, live mainly in the south, particularly in Suwayda. Although marginalized during the Assad regimes, they largely remained neutral throughout the civil war that began in 2011 and managed their own local affairs. After Assad's overthrow, the Druze community sought guarantees of inclusiveness and fair representation from the new administration in Damascus. In March 2025, an agreement was reached for the integration of community members into state institutions, but it has not yet been implemented.
