Syrian army withdraws from Sweida and delegates security to local factions
- Troop withdrawal
- Ceasefire agreement and internal divisions in the Druze community
- The end of a historic military presence
- Israeli intervention and regional tensions
- A precedent for future withdrawals?
The Syrian army has completed its total withdrawal from the southern province of Sweida following a ceasefire agreement with Druze community leaders. The departure of government troops brings an end, at least temporarily, to a week of intense sectarian clashes and marks a strategic shift in the security policy of the interim government led by Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
Troop withdrawal
The president himself announced that security in the province will be taken over by local Druze factions and the ‘sheikhs of reason’, referring to the spiritual authority of this community. ‘The decision was taken to preserve national unity and avoid a major war,’ Al-Sharaa said in a televised speech.
According to the official SANA news agency, the withdrawal began on Wednesday night and was completed in the early hours of Thursday. Military convoys left the city of Sweida in accordance with the agreement between the state and Druze representatives. Local media showed images of armoured vehicles leaving the city centre under the watchful eye of armed community leaders.
‘The city appears free of government presence, but the situation is catastrophic. There are still bodies in the streets,’ said Ryan Marouf, editor of the independent network Sweida 24, after touring the area.
Ceasefire agreement and internal divisions in the Druze community
Previously, the Syrian Interior Ministry and the House of the Druze Community in Sweida announced an agreement for a ceasefire, although it was marked by internal differences. The pact includes the formation of a joint committee, composed of state representatives and Druze sheikhs, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the cessation of hostilities and the regulation of tribal weapons in cooperation with the Ministries of the Interior and Defence.
Youssef Jarbou, one of the three sheikhs leading the Druze community, confirmed that the agreement provides for the immediate suspension of military operations and the return of army forces to their barracks.
However, the spiritual leadership of the Hijri, another of the historic clans of the Druze community, issued a statement rejecting the pact and stating that ‘there is no agreement or negotiation’ with the Syrian government. They called for the continuation of legitimate defence and hostilities until the total liberation of Sweida.
The Syrian Interior Ministry described the agreement as ‘an important step towards rebuilding trust between the people of Sweida and the state,’ with the aim of maintaining unity, security and national stability. However, internal disagreements underscore the fragility of the ceasefire and uncertainty about its long-term compliance.
The end of a historic military presence
The withdrawal represents the Syrian army's first complete withdrawal from a key province since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Sweida, a historic stronghold of the Druze minority, had for years maintained an ambiguous relationship with Damascus: cautious loyalty to the regime in exchange for relative autonomy.
That dynamic changed in recent days when a series of kidnappings and attacks between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin tribes sparked an armed conflict that left at least 374 people dead, including civilians, Druze fighters and members of the army, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). Among the dead are more than 27 Druze civilians summarily executed, according to the same source.
The Syrian Ministry of Defence stated that its operation in Sweida was aimed at ‘eliminating illegal groups’. However, multiple witnesses reported that government troops and allied militias committed abuses against civilians, looted homes and even attacked religious leaders.
The withdrawal agreement was reached on Wednesday after days of negotiations backed by the United States, Turkey and Arab countries. Washington described the pact as ‘an opportunity to restore calm’ and called on all parties to respect their commitments.
However, the previous ceasefire, announced on Tuesday, broke down almost immediately after the public rejection of influential Druze cleric Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri. This time, the commitment seems to have been fulfilled in its most visible aspect: the withdrawal of troops.
Even so, uncertainty dominates the landscape. ‘It is unclear whether the agreement will hold, or what will happen if the fighting resumes,’ a regional security official warned AFP.
Israeli intervention and regional tensions
The violence in Sweida also triggered a new military escalation between Syria and Israel. On Wednesday, the Israeli army bombed several strategic targets in Damascus, including the headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, in retaliation for the attacks on the Druze population. At least three people were killed and 34 wounded, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.
The Druze, an esoteric community with Shiite Islamic roots, represent one of the most closed and ancient minorities in the Middle East. Although culturally Arab, their identity is strongly religious and autonomous.
In Syria, where around 700,000 Druze live, the majority have historically opted for neutrality, maintaining an ambivalent relationship with the central government. During Bashar Al-Assad's regime, many preferred not to align themselves with either the government or the Islamist opposition, fearing reprisals or isolation.
But Assad's fall in December 2024 at the hands of a rebel coalition led by Islamists, and the rise to power of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, former leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has shattered the fragile balance. ‘Trusting the new government is difficult, especially when many of its members fought against us just a few years ago,’ said an elderly Druze man in Sweida.
Israel's position is not disinterested. More than 150,000 Druze live in Israel, many of them in the occupied Golan Heights. They are the only Arab group in the country subject to compulsory military service. For Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the link with this community goes beyond religious solidarity: it is also a strategic issue. They seek to keep Syrian forces away from their border.
‘We are acting with restraint, but with determination,’ said Defence Minister Israel Katz, who warned Damascus to cease its operations in Sweida or face ‘painful consequences’.
The withdrawal began just hours after Israel launched a series of air strikes against strategic targets in Damascus, including the Ministry of Defence headquarters and the presidential palace, in retaliation for the clashes in Sweida, which affect the Druze minority. Washington, in an attempt to mediate the conflict and restore relations with Syria, announced that an agreement had been reached to restore calm and called on all parties to honour their commitments.
A precedent for future withdrawals?
With Sweida out of direct state control, a dangerous but inevitable precedent has been set in a country fragmented by more than a decade of conflict. The province will now be run by local actors, with their own weapons and power structures, without clear central oversight.
Although Al-Sharaa praised international mediation and promised a ‘plural and inclusive’ Syria, the power vacuum in Sweida reflects the limits of his territorial control and leaves open the possibility of further disintegration if a lasting political pact is not reached. ‘This withdrawal is neither a victory nor a surrender: it is a recognition that forced centralisation has failed,’ said an Arab diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.