Syrian president announces new ceasefire in Sweida after US intervention | Will Israel-Syria war stop and ceasefire hold?

Syria on Saturday (July 19) announced an "immediate ceasefire" in Sweida amid raging violence in the region between the Druze community and the Bedouin tribe. The announcement by the Syrian presidency comes after the United States announced that Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire. This is a second ceasefire announcement - earlier, Turkey's US ambassador, Tom Barrack, announced that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire on Friday. He said the truce was supported by neighbours, including Turkey and Jordan.

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said in a televised message that he “received international calls to intervene in what is happening in Sweida and restore security to the country." In the statement, the Syrian Presidency said that it is being enacted “to spare Syrian blood, preserve the unity of Syrian territory, and the safety of its people”. Ahmed al-Sharaa also blamed Israeli intervention for the bloodshed in the region. He said that Israel has “reignited tensions." He thanked the Donald Trump-led US for its support.

Syrian government forces were being redeployed to Sweida to halt renewed fighting. Convoys of security forces were seen on the highway between Damascus and Daraa in the south, waiting for instructions. “The internal security forces are gathering to enter Sweida province to prevail security and safety, and to settle the dispute between the Arab tribes and outlaws, to protect the state’s institutions and protect civilians and innocent children and to protect all sects,” said security officer Yousef Al Ahmad.

Earlier on July 17, Ahmed al-Sharaa warned against external intervention and said that it is his duty to protect the minorities of his country. “Protecting your rights is our priority, and we reject any attempt to drag you into the hands of an external party. The Syrian state is everyone's state.. and unity is Syria's weapon, and we need everyone to build the country. The Druze are part of the nation's fabric, and their protection is a priority," Ahmed al-Sharaa said. He also added, “We were faced with the choice of war with Israel or allowing Druze leaders to reach an agreement, so we chose to protect the homeland….We will not allow Syria to be dragged into new wars,” he said.

How did the current clashes begin?

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said the clashes started after members of a Bedouin tribe in Sweida province set up a checkpoint where they attacked and robbed a Druze man, leading to tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings between the tribes and Druze armed groups. Government security forces deployed to restore order, but were seen as taking the side of the Bedouin tribes against Druze factions. The Syrian military entered the Druze strongholds, triggering fears of attack on minorities and prompting Israeli strikes.

The Syrian government's demand for disarmament is being met with scepticism by the Druze community, as they have not completely forgotten Ahmed al-Sharaa's past involvement with al-Qaeda. Syria’s religious and ethnic communities are worried about their place in Syria’s new system. Moreover, the Druze in Sweida province have not forgotten the past traumas when as many as 200 members of the community were attacked by the Islamic State group in 2018, and more than two dozen were taken hostage.

Why did Israel intervene in the matter?

Israel does not want militants near the country’s northern border. Since Assad’s fall, Israeli forces have seized control of a UN-patrolled buffer zone in Syria near the border with the Israel-annexed Golan and have carried out hundreds of airstrikes on military sites. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel is “committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.” The Israeli government had also unilaterally declared a demilitarisation zone in Syria that “prohibits the introduction of forces and weapons into southern Syria." Israel, wary of extremist groups along its borders, has adopted a confrontational stance toward al-Sharaa, despite efforts by the Trump administration to foster Syrian-Israeli reconciliation and expansion of the Abraham Accords. Moreover, after the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has occupied more territories in Syria.