As Suwayda, southwest Syria – Syria’s Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday that forces from the Interior and Defense Ministries have begun entering the southern city of As Suwayda, imposing a curfew following days of violent clashes that left dozens dead and wounded.
Brigadier General Ahmad Al-Dalati, head of As Suwayda’s (Sweida’s) Internal Security, said the deployment aims to “protect civilians and restore security and stability” after recent bloody confrontations.
Speaking through the ministry’s official channels, Al-Dalati urged residents to remain in their homes and warned armed groups against using residential buildings as positions for attacks on government forces.
The curfew took effect at 8 a.m. local time and will remain in place until further notice.
Al-Dalati called on local religious leaders and faction commanders to “fulfill their national and moral responsibility” by cooperating fully with state forces to help secure the city and restore calm.
Separately, Syria’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the army continues to pursue “outlaw groups” in and around Sweida and urged residents to report any suspicious activity.
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Meanwhile, the Druze spiritual leadership, the highest religious authority for Syria’s Druze community, issued a statement on Tuesday welcoming the security deployment.
“We welcome the entry of Interior and Defense Ministry forces to secure security centres and stabilize the province,” the statement read.
The leadership called on all armed factions in Sweida to cooperate, refrain from resisting the state forces, and hand over their weapons. The statement stressed that this move aims to “stop bloodshed and restore security and stability”.
The Druze leadership also urged all parties to open dialogue with the Syrian government to address the aftermath of recent events and reactivate state institutions in Sweida.
On Monday, state-run media reported that six soldiers were killed and 15 wounded when army units were ambushed by armed groups while trying to break up clashes in the area.
The Interior Ministry expressed alarm at the violence, which has reportedly left over 30 people dead and about 100 injured in recent days. It said that security forces, working alongside the army, would take direct action to end the fighting, restore order, and bring those responsible to justice.
Military convoys from Damascus and Homs reportedly arrived at the outskirts of Sweida late Monday, as intense clashes were reported between Internal Security forces and Druze armed groups near the village of Thaala, west of Sweida.
Authorities stressed that restoring security in Sweida is a shared responsibility between the state and its citizens, urging all sides to cooperate with security forces and to avoid any actions that would worsen the situation for civilians.
While the Druze spiritual leadership renewed its call for urgent international protection — rejecting the entry of armed forces “under the pretext of protection” and warning that anyone who backs this operation bears full responsibility for any attacks on Sweida’s people.
The Syrian government said that the operation aims to restore security and end kidnappings and local feuds, but tensions remain high amid fears of wider violence.
