Syria evacuates Bedouins from clashes-hit Suwayda as shaky ceasefire holds

Bedouin families leave Druze-majority city after truce in southern province halts bloody clashes between communities.

The Syrian government is evacuating hundreds of Bedouin families trapped inside the southern city of Suwayda, where a fragile ceasefire is holding after Druze and Bedouin fighters fought for a week.

The first Bedouin families left on Monday on buses and trucks accompanied by Syrian Arab Red Crescent vehicles and ambulances. They were taken to nearby Daraa as the government plans to evacuate 1,500 people.

“At least 500 people have already left on 10 buses this morning, and more are expected to exit Suwayda in the next few hours,” Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall said about noon (09:00 GMT) on Monday in a report from the capital, Damascus.

The clashes between the Druze minority and Bedouin clans, which began on July 13, killed nearly 260 people and threatened to unravel Syria’s post-war transition. The violence also displaced 128,571 people, according to the United Nations International Organisation for Migration.

Israel intervened and launched air attacks on Syria’s Ministry of Defence buildings in the heart of Damascus. Israeli forces also hit Syrian government forces in Suwayda province, claiming it was protecting the Druze, whom it calls its “brothers”.