Syrian authorities evacuate Druze residents from Sweida under security escort

Syrian authorities have evacuated a group of Druze residents from the southern city of Sweida under government coordination and security escort.

"Under government facilitation and security protection, a group of Druze citizens who wished to leave Sweida have been evacuated," the Sweida Governorate said in a statement on Tuesday.

The evacuation was carried out via the Busra al-Sham humanitarian crossing in Daraa province using a convoy of five buses.

Officials did not disclose the group's final destination, though Daraa has previously hosted displaced residents from Sweida in temporary shelters.

Deadly clashes across the city

The evacuation comes amid a tense calm following a July 19 ceasefire in Sweida, after more than a week of intense intercommunal fighting between armed Druze groups and Bedouin tribes.

The Syrian government has announced four ceasefire deals since the violence erupted.

The latest agreement, reached on July 19, has largely held, though earlier truces collapsed after groups loyal to Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a senior Druze religious leader, expelled Bedouin tribes people and reportedly committed abuses against them.

Syria’s transitional government has pledged to restore stability nationwide and defuse local conflicts through negotiated settlements.

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Source: TRT