Suwayda: Two members of Syria's internal security forces were killed in shelling by outlaw groups in the southern Suwayda province, according to local media on Tuesday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the state-run Alikhbaria TV, citing an anonymous source, reported that rebel gangs launched mortar shells and drone strikes in the Rimat Hazem village in the western Suwayda countryside. The source added that the rebel gangs attempted to advance on security force positions, marking a new breach of the ceasefire that had been reached months ago. Details about the groups behind the attack remain undisclosed.
The incident occurred a day after clashes erupted between Syrian security forces and armed groups loyal to Hikmat al-Hajri, a Druze leader in Suwayda. Local sources informed Anadolu that Druze armed groups affiliated with al-Hajri initiated attacks on Syrian army positions in several villages, including Al-Majdal, Rima Hazem, Walgha, Al-Mazraa, and Ateel in western Suwayda. The attacks also targeted residential areas in Al-Mazraa village, prompting a response from the Syrian army and ensuing clashes.
Suwayda has experienced a ceasefire since July 19, following a weeklong bout of clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes that resulted in hundreds of casualties.
Meanwhile, Israeli army forces launched a raid on Tuesday in the southern countryside of Quneitra, marking the latest violation of Syria's sovereignty. Alikhbaria TV reported that an Israeli patrol was deployed in Saida al-Maqriz village for nearly an hour before withdrawing. There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli army or Syrian authorities on the media report.
Syrian government data indicates that since December 2024, Israel has carried out over 1,000 airstrikes in Syria and more than 400 cross-border raids into the southern provinces. After 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, a move that violated a 1974 agreement with Syria.