360 killed in recent violence in Syria’s Sweida, says rights group

Syrian Defense Ministry military units are seen with military vehicles entering the city to control the situation after three days of clashes in Suwayda, Syria on July 15, 2025. [Hişam Hac Ömer – Anadolu Agency]

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday that the death toll from recent violence in Syria’s southern Sweida province has risen to 360.

The announcement came as Syrian authorities and Sheikh Youssef Jarboua, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, said they had reached a new ceasefire agreement. However, doubts remain over its durability after a local Druze commander rejected the deal.

According to media reports, the government in Damascus agreed to halt all military operations under the new ceasefire. A joint committee of government officials and Druze religious leaders is expected to oversee its implementation.

Following the outbreak of violence in Sweida, Syrian forces were deployed to the area. Meanwhile, Israel said it had intervened to protect the Druze minority.

The Observatory also reported that 15 personnel from Syria’s defence and interior ministries were killed in Israeli airstrikes.

READ: Israeli warplanes launch airstrikes in Syria’s Suwayda

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