DOHA, October 23. /TASS/. Damascus sent additional troops to positions in Syria’s southernmost governorate of Suwayda amid the mobilization of a Druze militia supported by Israel, The National reported, citing sources.
"Israel has been raising the capabilities of the National Guard (a militarized unit of the Druze militia in the Suwayda Governorate - TASS), so the Syrian army has to factor in the possibility of a Druze offensive," a source told the newspaper. He added that Damascus "cannot appear to be standing still."
According to the sources, about 1,000 Syrian soldiers have arrived in the western districts of the Suwayda Governorate over the past two weeks, bringing the total number of government forces in the region to 3,000. The sources also noted that Israel is moving military equipment deeper into the region, likely in preparation for establishing a base there. In addition, the National Guard has taken control of ten hilltops around the governorate’s administrative center. However, according to unnamed officials, neither side wants to escalate the situation.
In September, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Hussein Safadi, and US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack signed an agreement on the Suwayda Governorate, outlining a roadmap for a settlement supported by Jordan and the US. In July 2025, a conflict broke out between Arab militias and the Druze mountain tribes living in Suwayda. According to the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, more than 1,600 people were killed in the clashes, and the hostilities led to disruptions in water and electricity supplies to southern regions, as well as shortages of food, medicine, and fuel in the cities.