On 13 July 2025, fighting began between Druze and Bedouin armed groups in the city of Suwayda and its surrounding villages in southern Syria. The Syrian transitional government deployed the Armed Forces to the area to restore order between 14 and 16 July. A ceasefire agreement was reached between Druze leaders and the government on 15 July, but one of the Druze leaders, Hikmat al-Hijri, called for armed resistance against the government and Bedouin groups. The other two Druze leaders, Hammoud al-Hinnawi and Youssef Jarbou, initially cooperated with government calls for a ceasefire, but later issued statements expressing opposition to the government. Extrajudicial killings and abuse of both Druze and Bedouin civilians were reported as a result of the clashes.
Israel launched airstrikes targeting Syrian government forces and Bedouin fighters with the stated goal of defending the Druze. Israel had recently invaded deeper into southwestern Syria and had been demanding the Syrian military stay out of the region. Syria's foreign ministry accused Israel of inflaming sectarian tensions to undermine the new Syrian government. Another ceasefire agreement was reached on 16 July, and the Syrian Armed Forces sided with the Bedouins before withdrawing from Suwayda. Following the withdrawal, Druze groups reportedly committed massacres against local Bedouin tribes, leading to a mass exodus to the neighboring Daraa Governorate. Up to 50,000 Bedouins from 41 tribes reportedly mobilized to Suwayda in response to the reports. Rumours of another Bedouin attack on Suwayda prompted a mass exodus of Druze residents on 17 July. Reports of abuse of Druze civilians have since resumed. Various Druze from Israel stated that they would participate in the fighting if attacks continued. Government forces re-entered Suwayda on 19 July in response to growing violence between the two groups. The clashes are an escalation of the Druze insurgency in Southern Syria, which is considered a part of the aftermath of the Syrian civil war.
Background
The Druze, who make up about three percent of Syria's population, have largely remained neutral during the country's civil war that began in 2011. Druze communities exist in Lebanon, and in Israel's Galilee and in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights. Druze citizens of Israel are subject to conscription to the IDF. While most Druze in Israel identify as Israeli citizens, Druze living in the occupied Golan still identify as Syrians and have close ties to family in Syria.
Druze groups were involved in conflict earlier in the year, including clashes in February with the Syrian government in Jaramana, a Damascus suburb, and clashes in Southern Syria with Bedouin tribes that began in April and lasted until May.
The clashes occurred about seven months after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Following this change in leadership, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed to protect minorities across the country.
Druze factions in Syria are divided in their approach to the new authorities, ranging from cautious to outright rejection. In March 2025, Bahaa al-Jamal, a Druze commander in Suwayda, stated that massacres of Syrian Alawites by pro-government Islamist fighters had led to insecurity for other minorities, but the Druze had significant military capabilities with "thousands of military personnel" and the right to defend themselves if confronted by government forces.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed a commitment to prevent harm to the Druze in Syria due to Israel's historical commitment to its Druze citizens and their historical and family ties to the Druze in Syria, along with ensuring the demilitarization of the area near the border with Syria.
Different sources and scholars have taken different positions on the motives for Israel's intervention in Syria. One reason was the security of its northern border, due to concerns about a power vacuum in southern Syria, which is considered a potential threat, especially from the establishment of anti-Israeli militias on its northern border. Another reason was attributed to support for the establishment of a federal system in Syria. Another reason is pressure from the Israeli Druze population to protect their related Syrian Druze in the event of an attack.
Israel and Syria have engaged in secret back-channel talks. Israel was in the process of trying to reach an updated security agreement with Syria based on the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between the two nations. Syria has said that the goal of negotiations was the reimplementation of the 1974 agreement.
Timeline
July
11 July
The violence was reportedly triggered by a robbery that happened on 11 July 2025 on the Damascus–Suwayda highway, in which a Druze vegetable merchant was assaulted by members of Bedouin tribes after they set up an improvised roadblock. The assailants stole his vehicle and belongings before forcibly taking him to a remote and rugged area. There, the group subjected him to sectarian insults and repeated death threats throughout his detention. He was later released blindfolded and in critical condition in a distant town. In response, local Druze armed groups detained several individuals from Bedouin tribes the next day in an effort to recover the stolen property. This initiated a cycle of retaliatory kidnappings between the two sides, which quickly escalated into open armed clashes.
13 July
Bedouin fighters responded by establishing a checkpoint in the al-Maqwas neighborhood in eastern Suwayda city on 13 July, where they captured several members of the local Druze armed groups. Armed clashes soon erupted between the two sides in and around the area.
Violence soon spread beyond al-Maqwas to rural areas including at-Tira, al-Mazraa, and as-Sawra al-Kabira. Reports confirmed the use of mortars and other heavy weapons. The highway between Damascus and Suwayda was cut off by armed groups. Syrian government checkpoints came under attack by Bedouin fighters, leading to reported clashes between the assailants and government security forces in various parts of the region.
Reinforcements from Daraa Governorate arrived to the area to assist the Bedouin fighters.
Bedouin tribal fighters were reported to have advanced toward the outskirts of at-Tira village. Most residents of the village were displaced toward al-Mazraa and Suwayda amidst the violent clashes, during which several homes were set on fire.
Meanwhile, Syrian government forces from the Ministry of Interior were dispatched to contain the fighting.
On the evening of 13 July, the Ministry of Education postponed the high school final exams originally scheduled for 14 July to a later date due to escalating security tensions in the region.
14 July
Several videos circulated on social media showed a vehicle belonging to the General Security Service, with an individual inside making sectarian remarks while declaring his involvement in the armed conflict in Suwayda. In response, the Security Forces Command in Daraa announced on 14 July the arrest of several security personnel who appeared in the video and said in a statement that the individuals acted independently and were not authorized to speak on matters related to civil peace. The officers involved were suspended from duty, and a formal investigation into the incident was launched.
On 14 July, the spiritual leadership of the Druze community in Syria headed by Hikmat al-Hijri issued a statement saying it is reaffirmed its previous demands, foremost among them an urgent call for international protection, citing the increasingly dangerous situation in Suwayda. The statement reiterated the leadership's rejection of any security forces entering their areas—specifically naming the General Security Service and another unnamed agency—accusing them of crossing into the province under the pretext of providing protection while allegedly shelling border villages and supporting extremist groups with heavy weaponry and drones. The spiritual leadership held all parties involved in attacks on local areas and civilians fully responsible, condemning any attempts to impose official security control over Suwayda as a direct threat to the safety of its residents. The statement concluded by emphasizing that international protection is an urgent necessity to prevent further bloodshed, calling on relevant international actors to intervene immediately.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior declared that its forces, in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, would begin a direct intervention in the region. The objective is to end the ongoing clashes, restore security, pursue those responsible for the violence, and bring them before the relevant judicial authorities. The ministry emphasized that this intervention aims to prevent further unrest and re-establish the rule of law in Suwayda. Several Syrian army personnel were killed and others injured while deployed to de-escalate clashes in Suwayda after coming under attack by armed groups. The Ministry of Interior later reported that several of its security personnel were "abducted" while carrying out a security deployment aimed at restoring order and containing the clashes in the al-Maqwas neighborhood.
Shelling was reported in the neighboring Daraa Governorate, in which four civilians were wounded by a Druze group from the town of Tha'la and among the villages controlled by Druze groups.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that it obtained multiple video and voice recordings from the clashes that it would refrain from publishing due to its highly sensitive nature. The recordings reportedly contain elements that could undermine Syria's national cohesion, inflame sectarian tensions, and further incite discord among citizens.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets were reported to have conducted low-altitude flights over the western countryside of Suwayda, deploying flares during their intensified aerial presence in the area. The Israeli Army later announced that it had struck multiple tanks belonging to the Syrian Army in Suwayda Governorate. However the tank was repaired and was deployed again in an hour. Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said the strike was "a message and a clear warning to the Syrian regime. We will not allow harm to the Druze in Syria". The Syrian Arab News Agency reported a total of three Israeli strikes.
15 July
The Syrian Minister of Defence announced that a ceasefire had been reached with Druze spiritual leadership, including Hikmat al-Hijri, for state security forces to deploy in the region with the aim of stopping the ongoing violence. They urged all armed factions in the area to cooperate and surrender their weapons. However, later that day, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri released a video urging Druze fighters to "resist this brutal campaign by all available means", including women, children, and elderly fighting, accusing government forces of violating the ceasefire by shelling Suwayda city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused government and government-aligned forces of summary executions of 19 Druze civilians, including 12 in one house.
Protests erupted on several main roads in northern Israel as members of the Druze community demonstrated in solidarity with Druze in Syria. The protesters called for international intervention to safeguard Syria's Druze minority from "Islamist fighters loyal to the regime".
Israel conducted further strikes in al-Mazraa after the Syrian Armed Forces took control of the town. Strikes were also reported on the outskirts of Suwayda. Intensive airstrikes continued across Suwayda following the announcement of a ceasefire. The airstrikes targeted military equipment and convoys of the Syrian armed forces. The airstrikes targeted military convoys, one Syrian army convoy was struck in Suwayda resulting in at least one casualty.
At least two Israeli strikes were reported targeting locations near the 12th Brigade in the northeastern countryside of Izra in Daraa Governorate.
The Mar Mikhael Church in the town of as-Sawra al-Kabira was robbed, vandalized, and burned amid the chaos.
Dozens of Israeli Druze civilians were reported to have crossed the fence from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at Hader, near Majdal Shams, towards the Syrian side. The IDF said that its troops were "working to safely return the civilians who crossed the border".
Men of Dignity confirmed the casualties and injuries of more than 50 militants of their faction amidst clashes with the Syrian Armed Forces.
16 July
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the number of fatalities as a result of fighting, bombardment, and extrajudicial killings had risen to 248.
In the early hours of 16 July, the Israeli Air Force executed at least 7 airstrikes against multiple targets in Suwayda's countryside, including on the al-Tha'lah Military Airbase.
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri issued a statement, in which he appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Jordan's King Abdullah II to save Suwayda, stating that "the mask has fallen off the face of the ruling clique" and declaring, "we can no longer live with a regime that knows nothing of governance except iron and fire". He held the international community morally and ethically responsible and called on Sunni Syrians to take a clear stand regarding what is happening to their Syrian brethren.