File image.
Another round of clashes broke out between government forces and Druze fighters across the front in the southern Syrian governorate of al-Suwayda late on November 25, with both sides sustaining casualties.
The situation in al-Suwayda has been tense since July when an attack by government forces and allied Bedouin fighters claimed the lives of over 3,000 people, third of whom were Druze civilians. Israel intervened at the time to protect the Druze, citing its historic ties with its own Druze community.
The battle ended with a United States-brokered ceasefire. More than 30 Druze towns in the northern and western countryside of al-Suwayda are still held by government forces.
The forces are also believed to be holding hundreds of Druze civilians hostage – allegedly up to 600 – and continue to impose a partial blockade on the governorate.
The latest round of clashes broke out when a checkpoint manned by security forces near the town of Barad in the western al-Suwayda countryside came under attack. The Syrian Ministry of Interior held “unlawful groups” – the government term for Druze armed groups in the governorate – responsible for the attack, which it said claimed the life of a security officer and left two others wounded.
The ministry added in a statement published by the SANA that its “units dealt with the source of the fire, resulting in deaths and injuries among the groups.”
Activities based in al-Suwayda later reported a series of drone strikes by government forces that mainly targeted civilian vehicles moving between the towns of Salim and Atil in the northern countryside of the governorate. The local Al-Suwayda 24 news blog said that the strike killed a civilian and wounded at least five others.
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Notably, the clashes broke out right after thousands of Alawites took to the streets in the governorates of Latakia, Tartus, Homs and Hama in western and central Syria to protest against discrimination by the government and demand a federal system.
Despite the escalation by the government, Druze activists organized on November 26 a sit-in in the city of al-Suwayda to voice their support for the Alawites.
Recent weeks also saw a rise in tensions between the government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with clashes being reported in the north and east of the country, namely in the governorates of Aleppo, Raqqa and most recently Deir Ezzor.
Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect in al-Suwayda, the government has not engaged in any serious talks with the Druze.
Tensions have been also building up with the Alawites since a government crackdown claimed the lives of more than 1,400 civilians from the community in March. No real efforts have been yet made by the government to engage with the Alawites on any level.
The government has been, however, engaged in talks with the SDF, with mediation from the U.S., although these talks appear to be cosmetic. Since a general understanding on the integration of the group into the state was reached in March no tangible progress has been made, and all reports indicate that both sides are preparing for a major battle by the end of the year.
While the government made much progress in building up its foreign relations in recent months, sectarian, ethnic and even social tensions are boiling within Syria.
The Islamists leading the government have so far shown no willingness whatsoever to share power for real, even on a lower level, with anyone else, and they appear to be betting on subduing the opposition, including Druze, Alawites and Kurds, by force.
The Druze, who are reported to be receiving support from Israel, are unlikely to back down, however. Same with the Kurds, who command a force of more than 100,000 fighters and control much of Syria’s natural resources. Even the Alawites which many on the government’s side apparently thought were intimidated for the long term after the March massacres are again rising up.
SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi has recently called for the inclusion of Druze and Alawite representatives in talks with the government, an initiative that could provide Syria with a way out of this situation. The chances of this happening are however slim, and another civil war, a far more brutal one, seems much more likely.
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