Conflict in Syria: Army begins withdrawal from Suwaida

According to the government,Syria's army has begun its withdrawal from the city of Suwayda. Members of the government troops told AFP they received the order to withdraw shortly before midnight. They completed the withdrawal by dawn.

The withdrawal from the capital of the province of the same name is part of a ceasefire agreement reached on Wednesday, according to the government in Damascus. According to the text of the ceasefire agreement published by the Syrian Interior Ministry, a "complete and immediate cessation of all military operations" was promised.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a televised address that responsibility for security had been transferred to local representatives. A committee of government representatives and Druze religious leaders will oversee the implementation of the agreement. The southern Syrian province is predominantly inhabited by Druze.

Apparently more than 350 fatalities

Since the weekend, bloody clashes between various ethnic groups and the army have erupted in Suwayda. According to the UK- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 350 people have been killed.

The non-governmental organization obtains its information from a network of local activists. Their information often cannot be independently verified, but has often proven accurate in the past.

The Observatory also reports the withdrawal of Syrian soldiers from Suwayda. "The Syrian authorities have withdrawn their forces from the city of Suwayda and the entire province," the non-governmental organization's director, Rami Abdel Rahman, told AFP.

After fighting broke out on Sunday between the Druze religious minority and Sunni Bedouins, the Islamist government in Damascus sent soldiers to Suwayda province on Monday – with the aim of ending the fighting between the ethnic groups, according to Damascus. On Tuesday morning, government troops advanced on the provincial capital. They then became involved in clashes with the Druze militias, and the violence escalated.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Syrian government forces killed not only Druze fighters but also civilians belonging to the minority. Since the fighting began on Sunday, 79 Druze fighters and 55 civilians have been killed. In addition, 189 members of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior, as well as 18 Bedouin fighters, were killed.

Druze protector Israel intervenes

Neighboring Israel , which acts as the Druze's protector, also intervened in the conflict. This spread the conflict even to Damascus. On Wednesday, the Israeli army attacked a "military target" in the area surrounding the presidential palace in Syria's capital.

The Syrian army headquarters in the Damascus region also came under Israeli fire. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 15 members of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior were killed in the Israeli airstrikes. Israel is demanding the withdrawal of Syrian government troops from the Druze region near the border with Israel.

In his televised address, the Syrian interim president criticized Israel's attacks "on civilian and government facilities," saying they had led to a "significant complication" and pushed matters toward a "massive escalation."

At the same time, Al-Sharaa praised the mediation of the United States , the Arab states, and Turkey in the conflict. This had helped save the region from an "unknown fate," the interim president said.

Contradictory statements from Druze leaders

Earlier, Sheikh Yusuf al-Jarbu, one of the three most important religious leaders of the Syrian Druze, read out the ten points of the ceasefire agreement on state television. According to the agreement, "the full integration of the province" of Suwayda into "the Syrian state" is envisaged.

However, another Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, rejected the agreement with the Islamist government. He called on fighters to continue resisting "criminal gangs" that were wreaking death and destruction in Suwayda.

Suwayda must be freed from these forces "unconditionally." There are no negotiations and no agreement with "armed gangs that call themselves the government." A ceasefire had already been announced in Syria on Tuesday, but al-Hijri had opposed it. New fighting broke out soon after.

But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced that they had agreed on concrete steps to end "this worrying and frightening situation." Now all parties must "fulfill the commitments they have made." Regarding Israel's intervention, Rubio spoke of "a misunderstanding between the Israeli and Syrian sides."

The IslamistHTS militia, led by al-Shaara, and allied groups overthrew long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. HTS is a former branch of al-Qaeda , but broke away from the terrorist network years ago. Since taking office, the former jihadist al-Shaara has sought to maintain a more moderate image.

The Druze are a sect that emerged from Ismaili-Shiite Islam. Al-Shaara said in his televised address on Wednesday that those responsible for the violence would be held accountable. The new Syrian leadership has repeatedly assured its commitment to protecting the country's minorities.

AR/se (afp, dpa, rtr)