Aid trucks pass through the Bosra al Sham Corridor between Daraa and Suwayda.
On August 3, clashes between local Druze militias, Sunni Arab tribal forces, and Syrian government troops in Syria’s Suwayda Governorate reignited after a two-week hiatus following a US-brokered ceasefire.
The fighting began when Druze militias attacked Tal Hadid and nearby areas near the village of Thaaleh in Suwayda’s western countryside. Tal Hadid, which Syrian government forces had held to separate Sunni tribal fighters from Druze militias, is a strategic high point overlooking Suwayda city, which remains under Druze control. The attack resulted in the deaths of five Syrian government soldiers.
In response, the Syrian government initiated a counterattack against the Druze militias, recapturing all positions seized by what it called “unlawful gangs” in Tal Hadid, Rima Hazm, and Walgha. The Ministry of Interior issued a statement accusing the militias of trying to drag the province into “tension and chaos,” driven by the “personal ambitions” of their leadership. The ministry claimed that these armed groups were stealing aid destined for Druze civilians, fueling internal strife, and violating ceasefire agreements to cover up their abuses.
The clashes also forced the temporary closure of the Bosra al Sham Corridor west of Suwayda city, the sole route for relief and aid shipments to Druze civilians in the area. The corridor was reopened the following day, on August 4, after the security situation stabilized.
One of the Druze fighters killed was Nashwan al Shaer, a native of Suwayda city. Open-source information indicates that Shaer was a member of the Eagles of the Whirlwind. This militia was affiliated with the Assad regime and serves as the military wing of the Syrian Social National Party (SSNP). The SSNP advocates for the creation of a “Greater Syrian” nation, and some analysts have described it as a “rabidly anti-Semitic, fascist organization.”
Internal divisions have also begun to surface among Syria’s Druze factions. A video recently emerged featuring Tareq Shoufi, the leader of the Suwayda Military Council, a militia composed of former Assad regime officers that has called for local autonomy in Suwayda and has pledged allegiance to one of the three Druze spiritual leaders, Hikmat al Hijri, who has publicly called for Israeli intervention to defend the Druze. In the video, Shoufi claimed that an armed group led by Nawras Azzam, who is also affiliated with Hijri and rumored to be involved in the illicit drug trade, stormed a meeting in Suwayda city, kidnapped Shoufi, and forced him to record a statement confessing to coordinating with Syrian government forces.
Additionally, a statement attributed to local activists in Suwayda emerged that accused armed factions loyal to Hikmat al Hijri of attempting to separate the city from Syria and establish communication channels with Israel. A group of Syrians who referred to themselves as the “Free people of Suwayda” signed the statement, which rejected any form of separation from the rest of Syria, “no matter how much intimidation and suppression the factions loyal to al-Hijri practice.”