Fighting resumes in southern Syria after massive mobilization by pro-government Bedouin tribes

Fierce fighting reignited in the Druze-dominated areas of southern Syria on Friday after tens of thousands of Bedouin tribesmen across the country mobilized to crush Druze rebels.

After days of fierce fighting, the Syrian government withdrew from the Druze stronghold of Suwayda after announcing a ceasefire. The Druze Suwayda Military Council was successful in the first round of fighting, backed by heavy Israeli air strikes that devastated government convoys and hit government buildings in Damascus. Shortly after the government withdrew, however, dozens of allied Bedouin tribes announced a general mobilization across Syria, sending tens of thousands of fighters to take the south.

The fighting in southern Syria began on Sunday after tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between Druze and local Bedouins. The Bedouins are loyal to the government but ostensibly mobilized independently. Druze sources suspect that the mobilization was ordered or carried out with the tacit blessing of Damascus, with some suggesting that the Bedouin forces include some government troops.

Pro-government sources accused Druze militants of carrying out massacres and other atrocities against Bedouin civilians.

Bedouin commanders argued that they weren’t bound by the Wednesday ceasefire, which was only agreed upon by the government. Bedouin militants launched a major offensive beginning Thursday evening, pushing Druze forces back. Reports suggested that Israel launched airstrikes in support of its Druze allies, though the Israel Defense Forces didn’t confirm.

In a marked turnaround from Thursday, Israel said it agreed to allow Syrian government forces into the Suwayda region for the next two days to quell the renewed fighting.

“In light of the ongoing instability in southwest Syria, Israel has agreed to allow limited entry of the [Syrian] internal security forces into Suwayda district for the next 48 hours,” an Israeli official who declined to be named told reporters, according to the Times of Israel.

Pro-government sources claimed that the leader of the SMC, Hikmat al-Hijri, was requesting that Damascus send its forces to Suwayda to stop the fighting.

As of early Friday afternoon, local time, geolocated videos showed Bedouin forces fighting with the SMC in towns north of Suwayda city.

The scale of the Bedouin army has strained the tribes’ logistics. Videos showed gunmen traveling to fighting areas in buses and being loaded into the back of a semi-trailer truck.

Though the Bedouin tribal army lacks the discipline and heavy weaponry of the government, the sheer number of fighters could overwhelm the Druze enclave. Videos showed dozens of militants taking part in assaults on Druze positions.

The lack of discipline of the Arab tribal army, motivated by tales of atrocities committed against their kinsmen, raises the risks of even worse atrocities than those that consumed the area earlier this week.

The local Christian community also fears atrocities from the invading tribal army. The representative of the Greek Catholic Church in Suwayda, Father Toni Butros, proclaimed his support for the Druze amid the struggle.

“We have not left our homeland. As Christians, we stand with our Druze brothers and sisters against these terrorist attacks,” he said.

The ongoing fighting in the south is the worst violence to engulf Syria since the end of the civil war on Dec. 8, surpassing the sectarian violence seen between government forces and Alawites along Syria’s coast. Casualty estimates are difficult to calculate due to the chaotic nature of the fighting and a blackout in Suwayda, but confirmed deaths are in the several hundreds. The new Bedouin invasion is likely to further boost the death toll.

SYRIAN GOVERNMENT FORCES WITHDRAW FROM DRUZE AREAS, ANNOUNCES NEW CEASEFIRE

The Druze have been able to hold their own so far, boosted by support from Israel, which has a large, loyal Druze community.

Israel’s intervention saw a rare rift between Jerusalem and Washington, with the U.S. denouncing Israel’s airstrikes on Thursday. The Trump administration has thrown in its lot with the new government, led by former ISIS lieutenant and head of Al Qaeda in Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, hoping to bring peace to the country, which saw the second bloodiest war of the 21st century.