37 ceasefire violations in southern Syria within a month 

As-Suwayda, in southern Syria, is witnessing a state of security tension and military escalation following the outbreak of bloody clashes on July 13 between transitional government forces and affiliated militants on the one hand, and local Druze military forces on the other. Clashes resulted in the deaths of 1,677 people, including 452 who were executed in the field, according to the latest statistics. The clashes ended with a ceasefire agreement on July 19 between the two parties under international auspices.

Form of the Agreement

On July 18, a ceasefire agreement was announced in southern Syria between Israel and the transitional government, under regional sponsorship. This followed bloody days of clashes between transitional government forces and affiliated militants, as well as local Druze military forces, and Israeli airstrikes against the former.

The agreement was sponsored and endorsed by the United States and several neighboring countries, as a step aimed at containing the increasing escalation in southern Syria following days of violent clashes and intensive military operations, particularly in As-Suwayda and Damascus.

Provisions of the Agreement

The provisions of the agreement, as revealed by the Spiritual Presidency of the Druze Unitarian Community, are:

"Provisions of the international agreement between the guarantor states:

1. Deployment of Public Security:

Public Security checkpoints will be deployed outside the administrative borders of Suwayda Governorate, with the aim of controlling clashes and preventing any groups from infiltrating into the governorate.

2. Border Villages:

No party is permitted to enter the border villages for 48 hours from the time of the agreement. This is to allow the deployment of security forces from the other side, to avoid any surprise attacks.

3. Bedouin Tribes:

Tribal members remaining in the governorate's areas are allowed to leave safely and securely, accompanied by security personnel from the factions operating on the ground, without any objection or abuse from any party.

4. Humanitarian Exit Crossings:

Safe exit crossings for emergency and humanitarian cases are designated via:

• Busra al-Harir.

• Busra al-Sham.

5. Controlling the Movement of Civilian Groups:

We call on all civil groups to refrain from leaving the administrative borders of As-Suwayda Governorate and to avoid any provocations or combat movements.

6. Responsibility for Violating the Agreement:

Any party acting unilaterally or outside the framework of this agreement bears full responsibility for the collapse of the concluded understandings.

7. An Appeal to the Youth of the Province:

We address our appeal to our youth, the protectors of our land and honor, to work with high coordination and utmost responsibility to end this ordeal that has befallen our peaceful people.

The Fragile Agreement and Daily Violations

However, the agreement remains fragile due to daily violations on the front lines between the two parties, "the transitional government forces and their affiliated militants," on the one hand, and the local Druze military forces, on the other.

Despite the Prime Minister of the transitional government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, announcing a ceasefire and claiming that his so-called "tribal forces" had responded to the truce, clashes continued, with random gunfire, mortar shelling, and the targeting of As-Suwayda countryside.

A month after the agreement came into effect on July 19, our agency monitored 37 ceasefire violations by the transitional government forces and their affiliated militants, who continue to besiege the city and its countryside from several axes.

According to monitoring, most ceasefire violations occurred in the western and northern countryside of Suwayda, specifically near the city of al-Shahba, the village of al-Urayqah, the town of Umm al-Zaytoun, the village of Rima Hazem, the road to Majadil opposite the mills, the town of Walgha, the town of Ara, the towns of Dhibin and al-Tha'la, the town of Atil, the town of al-Majdal, the village of Najran, the town of Kanaker, the village of al-Kharba, the village of Jib, the village of al-Kharsa, and the village of al-Samid.

On August 12, a civilian convoy transporting relief supplies from the city of Jaramana to Suwayda was attacked by armed men in the eastern countryside of Daraa, within areas controlled by the transitional government forces. This attack resulted in the kidnapping of seven volunteers and the seizure of vehicles loaded with food parcels.

Civil society sources reported that three of the volunteers were released, while four remain detained. They are: Abed Abu Fakhr, Fidaa Azzam, Yamen Mamdouh al-Sahnawi, and Radwan Zaid al-Sahnawi, all from Jaramana. On August 17, two civilian buses carrying passengers from As-Suwayda, to Jaramana were fired upon by transitional government forces as they crossed from Daraa. The attack resulted in a number of injuries, including serious injuries, as well as injuries to children and women.

The attacks are recurring in the region, with no official response, increasing panic among residents, especially in light of the recent escalation in the targeting of residential areas.

ANHA