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Escalating Security Tensions in Suwayda: Damascus Accuses Israel of Supporting Armed Factions
The Syrian capital, Damascus, is on alert as official concerns grow over the possibility that Druze armed factions may launch attacks against government forces in Suwayda province in the coming days. The developments come amid direct Syrian accusations that Israel is backing these factions and providing them with military and logistical support, according to a senior Syrian official cited by the Israeli newspaper *The Jerusalem Post*.
The predominantly Druze province of Suwayda is considered one of the most sensitive fronts in the stability efforts pursued by President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. The Syrian official said field reports indicate that armed groups may be preparing for military operations against government forces, adding that the buildup along contact lines could pave the way for renewed clashes.
According to the same source, Damascus believes that any potential military action by Druze factions would be encouraged and supported by Israel. The official said Israel had recently stepped up aerial reconnaissance over Suwayda and surrounding areas. He also claimed that an Israeli helicopter had delivered large quantities of weapons and ammunition to the province.
Damascus views these Israeli activities, along with the continued presence of Israeli forces inside Syrian territory, as a blatant violation of national sovereignty. It considers these moves an attempt to inflame the security situation in southern Syria.
The tensions trace back to fierce clashes that broke out last July between the Syrian army and tribal forces on one side, and Druze groups organized under the name “Suwayda Military Council” on the other. After the Syrian army took control of Suwayda city on July 15, Druze groups in Israel pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene.
This was followed by a military escalation, with Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites, including the General Staff headquarters in Damascus. A ceasefire agreement was later reached through U.S. mediation, providing for the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Suwayda and an end to the reciprocal military operations.
In a related development, Netanyahu said in mid-October that he had held a “brief and sharp” phone conversation with President al-Sharaa more than a year earlier. The call reportedly followed Israeli strikes on Syria’s Defense Ministry and areas near the presidential palace in Damascus in July 2025. Speaking at a Likud Party conference, Netanyahu said the conversation helped bring an end to operations targeting Druze communities in Syria.
Damascus and Tel Aviv are currently engaged in complex security negotiations. Syria is insisting that Israeli forces withdraw from the border buffer zone they have controlled since the fall of the Assad regime, while Israel rejects the demand. As a result, efforts to secure stability in southern Syria remain at an impasse.
