Druze community declares Syria’s Suwayda “disaster-stricken city”
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – The Spiritual leadership of the Druze community declared on Thursday that Suwayda city, southern Syria, is a “disaster-stricken city,” following days of intense clashes between forces of the Syrian transitional government and Druze armed groups that left more than 300 people dead or injured.
In an official statement in Arabic, the Spiritual leadership said, “In these difficult moments, and after cleansing Suwayda of the filth of terrorists, we declare a period of general mourning in honor of the souls of the martyrs.”
Earlier in the day, field sources told North Press that the government forces had completed its withdrawal from Suwayda, coinciding with the start of a ceasefire in the governorate.
The Spiritual leadership also called for unrestricted access for medical personnel and human rights documentation teams to operate inside the city. Additionally, it appealed for the “opening of roads leading to our brethren the Kurds” in northeastern Syria to facilitate aid and movement.
The statement included a humanitarian appeal to Jordan’s King Abdullah II to open a border crossing between Suwayda and Jordan, emphasizing the urgent need for humanitarian access and mobility.
“We stress the humanitarian importance of these roads in these critical moments and express hope for swift action to ease the suffering of citizens.”