Syria, Jordan and the United States on Sept. 16 jointly announced [12] a "roadmap" to resolve the ongoing crisis in the southern Syrian province of as-Suwayda, where July clashes between Druze and Bedouin forces escalated to sectarian killings and mass displacement. The plan seeks to strengthen a fragile ceasefire [13], let UN investigators look into the July events while holding perpetrators accountable under Syrian law, allow aid deliveries, and facilitate the return of some 160,000 people [14] who remain displaced. However, some Druze leaders have rejected the plan. Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri [15] ruled out negotiations with the government, adding: "I thanked Israel because it defended us and provided us with protection." His followers have announced the creation of a "National Guard" for as-Suwayda region, which according to regional media reports has received thousands of light arms from Israel. (TNH [17], TNA [18], YNet [19])
Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Syria, and are accussed of carrying out a range of abuses against residents, including forced displacements. Human Rights Watch said in a new report that Israeli forces have seized and demolished homes, blocked residents from their property and livelihoods, and arbitrarily detained residents and transferred them to Israel.
Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has pushed deep into the UN-monitored "buffer zone" separating the Golan Heights—Syrian territory which Israel has held since 1967—from the part of Quneitra province that remained under Syrian control. It has rapidly established nine military posts stretching from Mount Hermon through Quneitra city to parts of western Daraa. In the supposed interest [20] of protecting the Druze, Israel is proposing an expanded "demilitarized zone" beyond the buffer zone that has been patroled by Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF [21]) since 1973. The expanded zone, from which Syrian government aircraft and artillery would be barred, would cover all of as-Suwayda province. (HRW [22], ISW [23])
The tentative deal for as-Suwayda comes at a key moment in Syria's transition process [24], with the first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad dictatorship to be held early next month. However, rather than a popular vote, lawmakers will be chosen in a controlled process by appointed regional bodies, and many seats are to be directly chosen by transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa. "The reality in Syria does not permit the holding of traditional elections, given the presence of millions of internally and externally displaced persons, the absence of official documents [and] the fragility of the legal structure," the government said in a statement explaining the indirect election model. Critics say the process gives the president too much control, while leaving religious minorities under-represented. (PRI [25], DW [26])
