File image.
Unrest reached the southern Syrian governorate of al-Suwayda on December 6, with local Druze armed factions attacking the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
The factions first announced the formation of a joint operations room then attacked several key government buildings in al-Suwayda, including the Ba’ath Party office, the police headquarters, and the central prison. The SAA and security fighters evacuated without putting on much of a fight.
In the northern al-Suwayda countryside, the fighters also took over the key Shahba checkpoint which controls the highway leading to the capital, Damascus.
The Druze factions also moved in the southern countryside of al-Suwayda, capturing the Political Security Branch in the town of al-Ghariyah near the border with Jordan.
According to al-Suwayda 24, a local news blog, the clashes have so far claimed the lives of four people and left at least 16 others wounded.
Al-Suwayda have been witnessing anti-government protests for over a year now. The attack by Druze factions there conceded with others by militants in the nearby governorate of Daraa, where the SAA lost vast areas including several key bases.
The uprising in southern Syria came amid a large-scale offensive by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies in the country’s northern and central region. So far, the militants have captured more than 800 square kilometers, including all of Idlib governorate in addition to the cities of Aleppo and Hama.
The Druze factions in the al-Suwayda appear to be coordinating with the militants in Daraa. However, it is unclear yet if they are both allied to HTS.
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