Civil defence teams evacuated over 350 civilians from Syria’s Suwayda to Daraa

Syria’s civil defence teams evacuated 366 more civilians from Suwayda to the Daraa countryside in southern Syria following security unrest in the area, the service said on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

The Civil Defense said the evacuees, the majority of them women and children, were transferred to temporary shelters in Daraa via the Busra al-Sham crossing on Saturday night.

According to the agency, 3,227 people have so far been evacuated from Suwayda, in addition 20 injured people and 34 bodies.

On July 13, clashes broke out between Bedouin Arab tribes and armed Druze groups in Suwayda. Violence escalated, and Israeli airstrikes followed, targeting Syrian military positions and infrastructure, including in Damascus.

While Israel cited the “protection of Druze communities” as a pretext for its attacks, most Druze leaders in Syria have publicly rejected any foreign interference and reaffirmed their commitment to a unified Syrian state.

The new Syrian government has been working to reestablish order nationwide since the ouster of former regime leader Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024.