Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has ordered the withdrawal of government forces from the southern province of Sweida in a dramatic bid to quell intensifying unrest following days of deadly sectarian clashes and a sharp escalation in Israeli airstrikes. The decision, announced in a televised address early Thursday morning, comes amid a deepening crisis that threatens to pull Syria back into widespread conflict only eight months after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad.
In his national address, Sharaa issued a stark warning to Israel, accusing it of deliberately sowing “endless chaos” in southern Syria. He claimed the country was forced to choose between engaging in “open war with the Israeli entity” or ceding local control of Sweida’s security to factions from the Druze minority. “We are not those who fear war,” Sharaa declared, “However, we prioritised the interests of Syrians over chaos and destruction.” He emphasized that the withdrawal was made “to protect the unity of our homeland and the safety of its people,” insisting that it was based on the “supreme national interest.”
The withdrawal began overnight, according to residents and sources familiar with the president’s decisions, and follows a series of Israeli strikes that shook the Syrian capital. In a notable escalation, Israeli warplanes bombed the Ministry of Defence in central Damascus and targeted an area near the presidential palace, killing at least three people, Syrian officials confirmed. These attacks came just days after violence erupted in Sweida, where fighting broke out between Druze militias and Bedouin tribal forces. Syrian government troops, sent to stabilize the province, were soon drawn into the conflict, prompting Israel to launch its intervention.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the Israeli actions, saying they were necessary to protect the Druze community — an ethnic and religious minority that Israel has increasingly sought to court — and to ensure that southern Syria remains demilitarized. “We will not allow Syrian army forces to enter the region south of Damascus, and will not allow any harm to the Druze,” Netanyahu stated on Thursday.
Amid this turmoil, the Syrian government announced a renewed ceasefire in Sweida on Wednesday, following the collapse of a previous truce. The new agreement, at least for now, appeared to be holding. In an effort to reduce tensions and gain the trust of local communities, Sharaa announced that his government had delegated security responsibilities in Sweida to local Druze factions and religious leaders. “Protecting your rights and freedom is one of our priorities,” he told the Druze community directly, underscoring the administration’s shift away from centralized control in the restive province.
Despite this outreach, the conflict has laid bare the deep divisions within Syria’s post-Assad landscape. Druze militias, who have held sway over Sweida for years, have refused to integrate into the newly formed national security forces established by Sharaa’s government. The ongoing violence has fueled accusations of atrocities committed by both government troops and militia fighters, with human rights activists reporting scenes of carnage and summary killings across the province.
Israel has used the instability to expand its influence in southern Syria, seizing territory amid the vacuum of authority and launching repeated strikes against Syrian military infrastructure. These actions have drawn condemnation from Arab and Turkish leaders, who argue that the strikes threaten to derail the fragile rebuilding process in Syria after over a decade of civil war.
The United States, which recently recognized Sharaa’s government and lifted long-standing sanctions imposed during the Assad era, has intervened diplomatically in an effort to defuse the crisis. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington was “very concerned” about the escalating violence. He confirmed that the Biden administration has been in direct contact with all parties involved, including Syria and Israel, and that an agreement had been reached to de-escalate the situation. “We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight,” Rubio wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do.”
President Sharaa’s move to withdraw troops from Sweida may offer a temporary reprieve, but it also highlights the precariousness of his government’s authority and the immense challenges facing a nation still emerging from the shadow of war. With the threat of further Israeli attacks looming and domestic militias unwilling to cede power, Syria remains at a critical juncture — one where the choices made in the coming days could determine whether the fragile peace can be salvaged or whether the country will descend once again into conflict.
