Syrian forces withdraw from Druze province after Israeli airstrikes

Monitor group says 15 Syrian regime personnel killed in Israeli airstrikes to defend Druze minority, as death toll in southern Syria hits 350.

By World Israel News Staff

Syria’s military pulled its forces out of a predominantly Druze province in the country’s south as part of a ceasefire deal.

On Wednesday night, regime forces, including armored vehicles, were seen withdrawing from the As-Suweyda province of southern Syria, a region where members of Syria’s Druze minority make up 90% of the population.

That evening, the Syrian regime under President Ahmed al-Sharaa entered into a truce with Druze militias, ending four days of fighting.

Sheikh Yusuf Jerboua, an influential Druze cleric, announced Wednesday that a deal had been reached with the al-Sharaa regime under which As-Suweyda would accept “full integration” into the Syrian administration.

The deal allows Druze militias to maintain security control over the province, while accepting Damascus’ authority.

Some Druze leaders and militias rejected the deal, citing the recent violence by pro-regime Sunni militias and the abuse of captured and killed Druze men.

Videos circulated on social media showed pro-regime fighters forcibly shaving the moustaches of captured Druze militiamen, Druze clerics, and even the corpses of Druze men.

Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri called on Druze militias to fight “until As-Suweyda is liberated,” denigrating the Syrian regime as a collection of “armed gangs.”

The ceasefire was reached Wednesday evening, after Israeli forces struck Syrian regime forces in As-Suweyda and in and around the capital city of Damascus.

The strikes included the bombing of the entrance to the Syrian defense ministry’s headquarters near Damascus.

According to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a London-based monitor group, Israeli strikes killed 15 regime personnel and injured dozens.

Syrian President al-Sharaa condemned the strikes in a televised address, accusing Israel of spreading “chaos and destruction.”

The SOHR reported that over 340 people were killed in fighting in Suweyda since the latest wave of clashes broke out on Sunday.

The fatalities include 189 regime personnel, 18 Bedouin militiamen, 79 Druze militiamen, and 55 Druze civilians, half of whom were reportedly murdered in “summary executions.”

The latest round of fighting began Sunday, after the assault and abduction of a Druze vendor near As-Suweyda by Bedouin militiamen led to retaliatory attacks by Druze militias, prompting regime forces to intervene.