Clashes broke out early Monday in western Suweida between Syrian Internal Security Forces and Druze armed groups affiliated with what is known as the “National Guard”, amid a widening security escalation in southern Syria.
Local networks said fighters from the “501 Knights of Hamza” battalion attempted to advance towards the Mansoura-Rima Hazem axis in the province’s western countryside under heavy fire cover, including 23mm machine guns and 107mm rockets.
Internal Security Forces reportedly detected the movement and engaged the group, triggering clashes involving exchanges of mortar fire.
No confirmed information on casualties was immediately available.
The escalation followed attacks on Internal Security positions in the areas of Rima Hazem and Walgha, prompting clashes to spread across multiple fronts in the western countryside, with heavy and medium weapons used by both sides.
Local media reported that government forces shelled areas on the western and northwestern outskirts of Suweida using mortars and drones, launched from positions in the villages of Walgha, Mansoura and Rima Hazem.
In a statement, the National Guard declared a state of alert and said it was ready to “confront any attacks targeting civilians or their positions”. It added that “the security of the region and the safety of its residents is a red line”.
Tensions in Suweida date back to 12 July 2025, when mutual kidnappings between residents of the Bedouin-majority Maqous neighbourhood and members of the Druze community escalated into armed clashes.
The Syrian government intervened on 14 July to contain the violence, but its involvement was accompanied by reported violations against Druze civilians. Government forces withdrew from the province two days later after Israeli strikes targeted their positions.
In a separate development, Israeli forces carried out incursions in southern Syria. Three Israeli military vehicles entered Wadi al-Raqad in the western countryside of Daraa at dawn on Monday, establishing a temporary checkpoint before withdrawing.
Israeli forces also shelled positions in the Quneitra and Daraa countryside, firing towards the Kodna forest and the vicinity of Tel al-Ahmar, as well as targeting agricultural land near the ceasefire line between the towns of Rafid and Ma’allaqa.
Israel has expanded its military presence in southern Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, moving beyond the long-established buffer zone in the Golan Heights.
Israeli forces have carried out repeated deadly strikes and raids in Quneitra and Daraa, effectively widening the scope of their illegal presence on the ground.
Israeli ministers have also reportedly discussed plans to divide Syria into separate zones of influence, while it has sought to fuel sectarian tensions between the Syrian government and Druze communities in Suweida.
