Syria's Suwayda: Local factions seize strategic area
Local Druze factions captured Tel Hadeed, a strategic hill west of Suwayda, after intense clashes with Syrian government forces and allied tribal groups, a military source revealed on Sunday.
The source told Shafaq News that government forces shelled the city overnight with mortars and opened fire on residential areas and faction positions, killing one fighter and damaging civilian homes.
In response, local factions launched a rapid attack on a government site used in the shelling. The source clarified that the hilltop position was seized after several soldiers were killed and others fled, along with allied tribal fighters.
A Syrian government source, meanwhile, accused the factions of breaching the truce by targeting Internal Security Forces and shelling villages in western Suwayda. The clashes at Tel Hadeed and Tel Al-Aqra' reportedly left several government personnel dead or wounded.
The source added that the attacks 'undermined ongoing efforts to restore calm and services to the province.'
Despite a US- and Western-backed ceasefire, Suwayda continues to witness sporadic fighting. Government forces have retreated to the city's outskirts, while the province faces worsening humanitarian conditions under a three-week siege, though some international aid convoys have recently entered.
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