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As-Suwayda, also spelled Sweida or Swaida, is a mainly Druze city located in southwestern Syria, close to the border with Jordan.
As-Suwayda or Al-Suwayda Governorate is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is the southernmost governorate and has an area of 5,550 km² and forms part of the historic Hawran region. Its capital and major city is al-Suwayda.
The Syrian Civil War is an intensely sectarian war. After the early years of cross-sectarian opposition to the rule of Bashar al-Assad, the civil war has largely transformed into a conflict between ruling minority Alawite government and allied Shi'a governments such as Iran; pitted against the country's Sunni Muslim majority who are aligned with the Syrian opposition and its Turkish and Persian Gulf state backers. Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and many hold high governmental positions, while Alawites and members of almost every minority have also been active on the rebel side. Despite this, Sunni recruits face systematic discrimination in the armed forces and ninety percentage of the officer corps are dominated by Alawite members vetted by the regime; based on their sectarian loyalty to Assad dynasty. SAA also pursues a truculant anti-religious policy within its ranks; marked by animosity towards Sunni religious expressions such as regular observance of salah (prayers), Hijab (headcoverings), abstinence from alcoholic drinks, etc.
The National Defence Forces (NDF) is a pro-government militia, that was formed on 1 November 2012 and organized by the Syrian government during the Syrian Civil War as a part-time volunteer reserve component of the Syrian Armed Forces.
Issam Jad'aan Zahreddine, also transliterated as Issam Zaher Eldin or Issam Zaher al-Deen, was a major general of the Syrian Republican Guard who played a major role in the Syrian Civil War, leading Syrian government forces on several fronts. His most prominent role was the leadership of the surrounded Syrian forces during the over three-year long Siege of Deir ez-Zor. On 18 October 2017, Zahreddine was killed by a land mine explosion during operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Saqr island in Deir ez-Zor.
The Jaysh al-Muwahhideen or Jaysh Abu Ibrahim is a Druze militia group in Syria. Their name means "Army of Monotheists" or "Army of Unitarians". The group mainly operates in the Suwayda, Deraa, Damascus and other regions where the Druze are concentrated and announced their formation in the beginning of 2013. The leadership describes the group as Unitarian Druze engaging in defensive war, but has also been described as supporters of Bashar al-Assad and his government. It operates largely in Jabal al-Arab or Mountain of the Arabs, also known as Jabal ad-Druze, a mountainous area of Suwayda governorate as well as the Jabal al-Sheikh area in Damascus governorate, areas primarily inhabited by Druze. The group was set up in response to attacks on Druze civilians. The group commemorates anti-colonial figures such as Sultan al-Atrash, who was a prominent Druze chieftain.
The Daraa and As-Suwayda offensive was launched in eastern Daraa Governorate during the Syrian Civil War, by the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army and allied Islamic Front rebel group against government positions in and around the 52nd Mechanized Brigade base, which housed an infantry unit, an artillery battalion and a T-72 tank battalion. The offensive moved directly onto nearby al-Thula airbase in western As-Suwayda Governorate after the swift capture of Brigade 52. However, after initially managing to capture parts of the airbase, the rebels were forced to withdraw.
The Quneitra offensive was launched by Syrian rebel forces, during the Syrian Civil War, in order to capture the last government-held positions in Quneitra Governorate: Hader, Madinat al-Baath, Khan Arnabah and the strategic hill of Tell Krum. The other objective was connecting southern rebel-held parts of Syria with Western Ghouta.
The Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes, also known as the Tribal Army and the Tribal Fighters, is a multi-tribal militia affiliated with the Syrian Military Intelligence Directorate that takes part in the Syrian Civil War. Led by Turki al Buhamad, the Fighters of the Tribes played a vital role in the Assad government's efforts to retake central and eastern Syria. The militia is affiliated with the pro-Ba'athist branch of the Arab Socialist Movement, and is closely allied with Russia.
The 2018 Southern Syria offensive, code-named Operation Basalt, was a military operation launched by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies against the rebels and ISIL in Southern Syria. The fighting began with a surprise attack on rebel-held areas in the eastern part of the Daraa Governorate in an attempt to fracture rebel-held lines and weaken morale, ahead of their offensive in the greater Southern Syria region.
The 2018 As-Suwayda attacks were a string of suicide bombings and gun attacks that took place in and around As-Suwayda, Syria on 25 July, killing at least 258 people and injuring 180 others. The attacks were committed by the Islamic State and largely targeted Syria's Druze minority.
The As-Suwayda offensive began on 6 August 2018, in rural areas of the Suwayda Governorate in southeast Syria after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) members committed a string of suicide bombings and gun attacks.
The March 2020 Daraa clashes was an armed conflict between rebel fighters aligned with the Free Syrian Army and Syrian government forces in the Daraa Governorate. Clashes began after the start of a government security operation against FSA insurgent cells in Al-Sanamayn and other areas in the Daraa governorate that have been active since 2018 after the defeat of rebel forces in the province. This crackdown led to actions of retaliation by rebels across the province that lead to levels of fighting unseen on such a scale since the government offensive in 2018. The fighters involved in the attack are believed to be former rebel fighters that surrendered to the government in 2018, as well as former rebels that defected to the government, and had been working against the government from within.
The Sheikh al-Karama Forces is an armed group based in the As-Suwayda Governorate in southern eastern Syria, composed of Druze locals, the group is led by two brothers who are the sons of the founder of another Druze militia group called the Men of Dignity in 2012 and led his group until his death in 2015. The group has clashed with Syrian government forces and Hezbollah on numerous occasions, though the group has fought with Syrian government forces and allied paramilitaries it is not part of the nationwide Free Syrian Army or general Syrian Opposition. Members of the Druze community and the group have been targeted by the Syrian government, the group claims that several members of the Druze community in the Suwayda governorate have been arrested and tortured under terrorism charges.
The Daraa insurgency is an ongoing conflict being waged against the Syrian government and allies by various anti-government forces in Daraa Governorate as part of the on-going Syrian civil war. Insurgent activity began in late 2018, but drastically increased the following year. Over 1,200 attacks have occurred in the year after June 2019, when the insurgency intensified. Tensions between reconciled rebels and the Syrian government would lead to heavy armed clashes between the two sides in 2020 and 2021.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2020. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian civil war.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2021. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian civil war.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2022. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found in Casualties of the Syrian civil war.
The 2022 Jabal al-Bishrī clashes were a set of clashes that took place in the Jabal al-Bishrī highland area on the border of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Raqqa Governorate and Homs Governorates between forces of the Syrian Government and the Islamic State.
References
- ↑ "Syrian Druze call for the end of the Assad regime". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ↑ "Syria: Protesters Describe Beatings, Arrests". Human Rights Watch. 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ↑ "Violence on rise in Syria's Suwayda - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ↑ "Calls for Renewed Protests in Syria's As Suwayda". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ↑ "Damascus silent as military security-linked 'Falhout group' is uprooted in Suwayda". Syria Direct. 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- 1 2 "At least 17 dead in rare clashes in Syria's Sweida". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ↑ Maarouf, Rayan (July 27, 2022). "At least 17 dead in rare clashes in Syria's Sweida". Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
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