The tenuous cease-fire announced earlier on Wednesday between Damascus and Druze representatives in Suwayda is already under severe strain after fresh Israeli air-strikes and an eleventh-hour rejection of the deal by the community’s most influential cleric.
New Israeli strikes in the south
On Wednesday evening, two Israeli fighter-bombers carried out successive raids on the Syrian Army’s Jabab Regiment north of Daraa, hit the outskirts of the nearby town of Ghabagheb, and struck positions around Muthabin and the city of al-Kiswah in the Damascus countryside, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed “Our aircraft launched raids on military targets in southern Syria,” an IDF communiqué said, adding that the sorties were part of the 160 targets attacked since Tuesday to “protect our Druze brethren” in Suwayda.
Rising casualties in Damascus
Syria’s Health Ministry said the death toll from earlier Israeli strikes on the General Staff compound in central Damascus had risen to three dead and 34 wounded, most of them civilians Security sources told state media that five members of the interim security establishment were also killed in a separate raid on a nearby barracks Suwayda cease-fire wobbles
Only hours after the government and the Druze Religious Council unveiled a 14-point plan that would end fighting, reintegrate the province into the Syrian state and withdraw heavy weapons , Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the paramount Druze spiritual leader, publicly rejected the accord. In an audio message circulated to loyal fighters, al-Hijri urged “continued resistance” and ordered his followers to target any group “that has chosen to side with the regime”
The agreement had already paused four days of clashes that left at least 169 dead and 200 wounded, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights . Its collapse would leave Suwayda the last region still outside undisputed state control 14 years into the civil war.
U.S. shuttle diplomacy
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “communicating with both the Israeli and Syrian sides, and I believe we are moving toward de-escalation” Earlier in the day, Channel 12 reported that the White House had privately asked Israel to halt its Syria operations and open a line to Damascus .
Earlier Developments: Cease-fire terms
According to the joint communiqué issued by Damascus and the Druze community’s Religious Council, the agreement halts “all military operations immediately,” deploys mixed army-police checkpoints manned largely by local Druze officers, commits the government to reopen all civil institutions, and creates a fact-finding panel to probe recent abuses and compensate victims. Heavy weapons held by local factions are to be handed over under Interior and Defence Ministry supervision.
The deal also obliges the state to secure the Damascus–Suwayda highway, restore electricity, water and fuel supplies, release detainees seized during this week’s fighting, and allow a joint committee of clerics and officials to monitor compliance.
Human toll
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said 169 people – including five children, six women and medical staff – were killed and more than 200 wounded in Suwayda between 13 and 16 July. The watchdog warned the figure was likely to rise as investigators verify scores of other casualties.
Israeli escalation
Hours before the truce was announced, the Israeli Air Force conducted three consecutive raids on the Syrian General Staff building in central Damascus, killing one person and injuring at least 18, Syria’s Health Ministry reported. Additional Israeli missiles struck army positions in Suwayda and the neighbouring province of Daraa.
IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said the strikes were “a message to the regime over events in Suwayda,” claiming the Israel Defense Forces had attacked some 160 Syrian targets since Tuesday “to protect our Druze brethren.” He added that the army was sending extra intelligence, surveillance and combat units to its northern front but had no plans to deploy ground troops inside Syria.
Regional and international reaction
The raids drew swift condemnation. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres voiced “deep concern,” urging respect for Syrian sovereignty, while Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt and France denounced what they called Israeli violations of international law.
Lebanon’ presidency stated that the strikes were “a flagrant breach of an Arab nation’s sovereignty,” pledging Beirut’s “full solidarity” with Damascus. Turkish Vice-President Cevdet Yılmaz warned the attacks threatened “the stability of the entire region.”
In Washington, the U.S. State Department said it was “deeply worried” and was “talking to all parties to end the fighting.” Israeli Channel 12 reported that President Donald Trump’s administration had privately asked Israel to halt its Syria operations and open dialogue with Damascus.
Inside Israel, police units briefly crossed the border to escort dozens of Israeli-Druze who had entered Syria back to the Golan Heights, Israeli media said.
Background to the unrest
Syrian troops and Interior Ministry forces moved into Suwayda on Sunday to “re-establish state authority” after seven months of what Damascus called a security vacuum. While some Druze elders initially welcomed the deployment, senior cleric Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri later urged resistance, triggering fierce street battles with local armed groups and Bedouin militias.
Israeli officials accuse Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen of “slaughtering Druze civilians,” a charge Damascus rejects. The IDF says regime troops now control roughly 70 percent of Suwayda city, reversing earlier Druze gains.
Looking ahead
If fully implemented, Wednesday’s accord would restore government control over Syria’s last province to escape direct rule during the civil war, while granting local Druze a measure of administrative influence and security oversight. Yet analysts note that Israeli airstrikes – and Jerusalem’s vow to keep targeting Syrian forces until they leave Suwayda – risk unraveling the fragile calm.
For now, checkpoints are going up, artillery has fallen silent, and negotiators are racing to release detainees and reopen public services before renewed violence makes the ink on the deal run dry.
Photo: Syria Tv