Suwayda: A member of Syria’s Interior Ministry was killed in the countryside of Suwayda in southern Syria following a new ceasefire violation by ‘outlaw groups,’ as reported by Alikhbariah TV.

According to Anadolu Agency, an unnamed Interior Ministry security source informed the broadcaster that this incident is part of a series of repeated breaches by the same groups targeting Interior Ministry posts in recent weeks. Previously, on January 17, the same outlet reported that ‘rebel groups’ linked to Hikmat al-Hijri, a Druze leader, had shelled civilian homes in the town of al-Mazraa using mortar rounds and 23-mm anti-aircraft guns. These actions in the western Suwayda countryside further violated the province’s ceasefire.

Suwayda has been under a ceasefire since July, following deadly clashes between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes, which resulted in hundreds of casualties. Despite the ceasefire, al-Hijri-linked groups have repeatedly attacked military positions. Meanwhile, the government has maintained its commitment to the agreement, facilitating civilian evacuations and allowing the entry of humanitarian aid.

Separately, Alikhbariah reported that Israeli forces detained two young men herding sheep in the village of Saida al-Hanout in the southern countryside of Quneitra. Israeli forces have been conducting near-daily incursions into Syrian territory, particularly in the Quneitra countryside, where they have detained civilians, set up checkpoints, questioned travelers, and destroyed farmland.

Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, violating the 1974 agreement.