718 Killed in Ongoing Clashes in Syria’s Suwayda As Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The death toll in Syria’s southern province of Suwayda has climbed to 718 amid fierce clashes between armed tribal factions and militant groups linked to the Jolani government, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The situation in the city of Suwayda has rapidly deteriorated, with reports of massacres, looting, and a total collapse of essential services.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that hostilities remain intense in Suwayda city, with the scale of fighting expanding as reinforcements arrive from tribal militias.
Armed tribal groups have reportedly opened a new front from the Talaa al-Safa area in southeastern Syria and advanced towards the al-Omran roundabout at the western entrance of Suwayda.
Heavy casualties have been reported on both sides during the latest confrontations.
Meanwhile, sporadic clashes were also recorded in the Jaramana region on the outskirts of Damascus, accompanied by gunfire from the al-Mleha and Kashkoul districts. These skirmishes reportedly lasted for more than an hour.
SOHR confirmed that the humanitarian situation in Suwayda is rapidly deteriorating. All phone and internet connections have been severed, and hospitals are out of service due to relentless bombardment and fighting.
Widespread looting and theft have worsened the plight of civilians, while access to medical and food supplies remains completely cut off.
According to the same source, 19 civilians — including women — were slaughtered in the village of Sahwat al-Blata in rural Suwayda after militants affiliated with the Jolani government stormed the area.
This massacre brought the total death toll since the outbreak of violence to 718.
According to SOHR, since Sunday, July 4, a total of 226 residents of Suwayda province have been killed, including 80 civilians—among them 4 children and 4 women.
Additionally, 305 fighters affiliated with the so-called Jolani government have died, including 18 members of Bedouin tribes.
Israeli airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of 15 Jolani-linked militants.
Furthermore, three individuals, including a woman and two unidentified persons, were killed in the Israeli bombing of the ministry of defense building.
One journalist also lost his life while reporting on the clashes in Suwayda.
The Observatory also revealed that Jolani-affiliated forces have executed 165 people, including 26 women, 6 children, and an elderly man, in field executions described as war crimes.
These developments unfold amid continued Zionist airstrikes, which further compound the crisis and highlight the growing threat of foreign intervention in Syria’s internal affairs.
