Syrian Government, Druze Leaders Announce New Ceasefire to End Sweida Clashes
The Syrian government and the leaders of the Druze community on Wednesday announced a new ceasefire that would end days of clashes in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, reported Syria’s official news agency SANA.
According to the Syrian Interior Ministry, the ceasefire agreement involves deploying security checkpoints in the Druze-majority province of Sweida and its full integration into the Syrian State.
The announcement followed days of clashes between the Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups and a short-lived ceasefire on Tuesday.
It also came after Israel’s intervention in the conflict under the pretext of protecting the Druze, who form a significant community in Israel and often serve in the country’s military.
On Tuesday, Israel launched airstrikes against government troops and convoys. It also struck the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters and near the presidential palace in the heart of Damascus on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Moreover, the Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, on Wednesday warned that the Israeli military “will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood.”
The new ceasefire’s terms include the immediate halt of all military operations in Sweida and the formation of a monitoring committee of government representatives and Druze leaders to oversee the ceasefire implementation, according to SANA.
The terms also involve the agreement on a mechanism to regulate heavy weapons, in cooperation with the Ministries of Interior and Defense, and the full integration of Sweida province into the Syrian State.
