The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday a ceasefire in the Druze-majority city of Sweida of southern Syria, as the Israeli occupation army launched a number of airstrikes on the city.
The Syrian Defense Ministry said an agreement has been reached with the city’s “notables and dignitaries” after days of deadly clashes.
إلى كافة الوحدات العاملة داخل مدينة السويداء، نعلن عن وقف تام لإطلاق النار بعد الاتفاق مع وجهاء وأعيان المدينة، على أن يتم الرد فقط على مصادر النيران والتعامل مع أي استهداف من قبل المجموعات الخارجة عن القانون.
— مرهف أبو قصرة (@Murhaf_abuqasra) July 15, 2025
“To all units operating within the city of Sweida, we declare a complete ceasefire,” Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra posted on X on Tuesday shortly after the ministry deployed forces to halt the violence that killed dozens since Friday.
The new authorities in Syria, led by interim president Ahmad Al-Sharaa, said the forces were deployed following clashes with what they described as “outlawed groups.”
A curfew was imposed on the city following the violence, which spread across the Sweida governorate. Syria-based sources, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the clashes have killed 99 people.
The dead include 60 Druze, among them four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms, the war monitor said. The Defense Ministry reported 18 deaths among the armed forces.
Israeli Strikes
Meanwhile, Israeli Air Force carried out several strikes in the Sweida area, Syrian media reported, ahead of official announcement by top Israeli officials.
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An Israeli airstrike a short while ago in Sweida pic.twitter.com/vC11Wji2Cq
— News Radar Live (@NewsRadarLive) July 15, 2025
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said they have instructed the occupation military to strike Syrian forces “following the attack on the Druze in Syria.”
The statement said the IOF was told to hit “regime forces and weapons that were brought into the Sweida area,” which Netanyahu and Katz said are “against the demilitarization policy that was decided, prohibiting the entry of forces and weapons into southern Syria that endanger Israel.”
“Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria, and we are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them, and to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria,” the statement added.
Source: Al-Manar Website
