BEIRUT - By TV channel Sky News Arabia At least 356 people are killed in armed clashes between transitional government forces and the Druse Mountain Self-Defence Forces in the Syrian province of Suwayda.
The channel says the dead include 55 civilians and 79 self-defence fighters. Special forces from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defence sent from Damascus to restore stability suffered 189 casualties, while pro-government Arab tribal militias lost 18 fighters. A further 15 internal security personnel were killed in Israeli air strikes on Damascus on 16 July.
Earlier, the Syrian ministry of defence announced the withdrawal of all military forces from the city of Suwayda, where the majority of the population are Druze, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement reached.
The statement says that "soldiers leave Suwayda after completing operations to clear the city of illegal armed groups, with police forces taking control".
Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Yousef Jarbou welcomed the agreement. "We have contacted the government in Damascus and reaffirmed our commitment to national sovereignty," said the Sheikh to X. "The activities of state institutions will be resumed in all areas of Suwayda in accordance with Syrian laws and regulations."
Clashes between Arab militias and Druze self-defence units occurred in Suwayda province on 13 July. Shortly afterwards, Israel launched attacks on Syrian army convoys on the grounds that it was necessary to protect the Druse population.
The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethnic and religious group living in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Syria is home to 700,000 Druse, who are the third largest ethnic and religious minority in the country after the Kurds and Alawites.
TASS/gnews.cz - GH
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