By Taysir Mohammed
SUWAYDA, Syria (North Press) – North Press obtained both written and audio testimonies from inside the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, accusing Syrian Ministry of Defense personnel and allied tribal fighters of carrying out field executions, looting homes and shops, and contributing to a dire humanitarian situation—particularly at the Suwayda National Hospital.
As of Sunday morning, clashes were still reported within the city. However, a government source informed North Press that tribal fighters began on Monday a gradual withdrawal from Suwayda as part of implementing the ceasefire agreement announced on Sunday by Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the Druze religious leadership, and the tribal militants.
Background of the conflict
Violence erupted on July 13 following escalating tensions and tit-for-tat kidnappings between Druze factions and Bedouin tribal gunmen along the Damascus–Suwayda highway. Clashes quickly spiraled, reportedly resulting in nearly 1,000 killed or injured, including civilians, government forces, and fighters from both sides.
Syrian Defense and Interior Ministry forces initially entered as a so-called “conflict-resolution force” but soon became entangled in the fighting, particularly after sustaining ambushes by local factions. Three separate ceasefire agreements were brokered over the past week, all of which failed to hold.
The conflict escalated further after Israel carried out airstrikes on government convoys near Suwayda and issued warnings to Damascus to withdraw its forces. Israeli strikes later targeted the Syrian General Staff building, the vicinity of the Presidential Palace, and military installations in Daraa.
In the aftermath of these strikes, Syrian government forces withdrew, allowing Druze factions to advance in the western countryside of Suwayda. These factions have been accused of displacing hundreds of Bedouin families and committing acts of violence, including killings.
Voices from inside Suwayda
Yara, a resident of Suwayda who withheld her last name for safety reasons, said that armed groups continued firing within the city, and accused Ministry of Defense elements of violently assaulting civilians while advancing alongside tribal fighters.
“We were forced to flee our home this morning after some tribal fighters broke the ceasefire,” she said.
Yara described the humanitarian situation as catastrophic, likening Suwayda to a ghost town filled with the stench of blood and a severe shortage of food and medicine.
“The national hospital is in a horrific state. Hundreds of bodies remain unburied—decaying and infested with worms. The stench is unbearable and spreads across wide distances,” she added.
Although North Press could not independently verify the testimonies, widely circulated videos on social media show armed fighters parading Druze civilians through the streets, executing them at close range, and in one instance, forcing three young Druze men to leap from a balcony before shooting them dead.
The Syrian presidency acknowledged in an official statement that violations against the Druze community have occurred and denied any involvement, pledging accountability. Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa reiterated this stance in a video address on July 19.
“Executions and humanitarian collapse”
Rajaa, a university student from Suwayda, confirmed the dire conditions at the hospital. “The health situation deteriorates by the hour. We are facing a real humanitarian and epidemic disaster.”
Lynn, another local resident, said her uncle—a civil engineer—was executed in the street. “We’re trapped inside our homes. The walls didn’t protect us. Today, most residents are living through a human tragedy.”
Other testimonies describe a surge in looting and arson. Dozens of homes and shops have reportedly been burned and ransacked.
A faculty member at Damascus University, who asked to remain anonymous, said he and his family narrowly escaped an assault by tribal and government forces. “We managed to flee just in time to a safer district,” he said.
Horrific acts
In one audio testimony, a university student reported that armed men stormed a residential building in Suwayda’s al-Nahda neighborhood, where a retired air force pilot and his wife were staying. “They killed them, burned the bodies inside their apartment, and set the entire building on fire.”
The testimony also described how a child in the same neighborhood was mocked—forced to mimic a dog—and then shot in the head.
The town of Qanawat and central streets in Suwayda also suffered extensive damage from the clashes. Shops were looted and destroyed, and corpses remain scattered in the streets.
Despite a cautious calm currently in place, ongoing kidnappings, reprisals, and retaliatory killings suggest that the situation in Suwayda could erupt again, casting doubt on the durability of the ceasefire agreements shaped and announced unilaterally by each warring side.