Mortar and machine gun fire targets Sweida in new truce violation

The city of Sweida and its western countryside witnessed a new escalation in fighting following ceasefire violations, including mortar shelling and heavy machine gun fire, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory reported that factions of the Syrian Interim Government, based in the western Sweida countryside, targeted several areas in and around the city, launching dozens of mortar rounds and firing indiscriminately with heavy machine guns.

According to the Observatory, the shelling targeted the western axis of Sweida city from the direction of Tell Hadid-Kanaker. Elements stationed in the town of Rima Hazem also fired heavy machine guns at the towns of Atil and Salim, while the town of Ariqa in the western countryside was subjected to similar shelling.

The Observatory explained that the pace of violations escalated after midnight between Friday and Saturday and continued into the morning hours, with mortar shells falling on civilian homes within the city. Reports indicate that approximately 23 shells landed in residential neighborhoods.

The Observatory also reported that the towns of Salim and Atil in the Sweida countryside were subjected to several mortar shells fired from the areas of Rima Hazem, Mansoura village, and the Majabil region, coinciding with the escalation of tensions in the area.

In response, sources indicated that the National Guard forces in Sweida returned fire on the sources of the shelling from various directions, in an attempt to contain the escalation and prevent the shelling from reaching residential areas.

Sh-S

ANHA