DAMASCUS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Despite a fragile ceasefire between local Druze factions and Syrian authorities' forces in Syria's southern Sweida province, daily violations and renewed armed clashes are raising fears of further escalations in the region, a local security official said on Friday.
Suleiman Abdel-Baqi, head of the Interior Security Directorate in Sweida city, told state media that security forces have faced "repeated attacks" in recent days by Druze armed factions, with no casualties reported.
The predominantly Druze province saw bloody sectarian-driven violence in July, when clashes between Druze factions and Bedouin armed groups escalated sharply, drawing Syrian authorities into the fighting.
A ceasefire announced in July brought a measure of calm and reopened roads between Sweida and Damascus, but violations have persisted.
"Every violation is fully documented," Abdel-Baqi said, noting that the interior security authority has instructed forces to absorb tensions and open channels for dialogue.
"The chaos in Sweida cannot be resolved without the presence of state institutions," he said, warning that "external projects and illusions being promoted in the province are harming the community."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, reported a similar deterioration, saying the province has seen "worrying escalation" in recent weeks with daily violations and exchanges of fire across multiple front lines.
The monitor said the surge in violence highlights the fragility of the ceasefire reached in July, adding that it documented around 18 field violations by both sides in the first half of November alone.
Sweida experienced one of the worst crises in its recent history in mid-July, when sectarian clashes and Israeli airstrikes battered the region, disrupting aid supplies and triggering displacement. ■
