ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least two people were killed and seven others wounded in new ceasefire breaches between government forces and local Druze fighters - including reported drone attacks - as a cautious calm settled over south Syria’s Suwayda province on Tuesday.
In a late Tuesday statement on X, Syria’s interior ministry condemned what it called a “terrorist attack” on a security checkpoint in Suwayda’s western countryside, blaming “outlaw gangs” for the assault.
One security officer was killed and two others injured, the ministry said, adding that its units had engaged the source of fire.
“These attacks are aimed at undermining security and stability in the lives of civilians in Suwayda province,” the statement added.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) provided further details.
The war monitor said that the casualties resulted from clashes between “forces aligned with the transitional government” and members of Suwayda’s “National Guard” in the village of Barad, southwest of the Druze-majority province.
The National Guard is a unified local Druze paramilitary group formed in late August that brings together more than 30 armed factions under the authority of the Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hajri - a prominent critic of Damascus advocating for Druze self-determination.
SOHR also reported that “one civilian was killed and five others wounded in two separate attacks along the Atil-Suleim road north of Suwayda city.