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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani on Tuesday announced a plan backed by Jordan and the United States to stabilize Sweida province after deadly sectarian clashes in July left more than 2,000 people dead.
Sweida, home to Syria’s Druze minority, has observed a fragile ceasefire since July 19 following a week of fighting between Druze groups, Bedouin tribes and government forces, compounded by Israeli airstrikes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the violence killed at least 2,000 people, including 789 Druze civilians, it alleged were “summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel.”
The announcement came after a trilateral meeting in Damascus that brought together Shaibani, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and U.S. envoy to Syria and ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack, state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya reported.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry confirmed the talks in a post on X, saying Safadi met Shaibani and Barrack to advance earlier discussions hosted in Amman in July and August on consolidating a ceasefire and seeking a political resolution in Sweida.
“The Syrian government has laid out a clear roadmap for action... that supports justice and builds trust,” Shaibani told reporters. He said the plan includes holding accountable those responsible for attacks on civilians, compensating affected families and launching “a process of internal reconciliation.” He added that implementation would be monitored by a United Nations investigation.
Safadi said a “joint Syrian-Jordanian-American mechanism” would oversee the plan’s rollout. Barrack hailed the steps as “historic,” calling the announcement a “major milestone” toward regional stability.
The bloodshed erupted on July 13 when clashes broke out between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin. Fighting quickly escalated as government troops and tribal fighters from elsewhere in Syria intervened.
Syrian officials said the army stepped in to halt the violence, but Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses. The observatory also reported that 516 Druze, including 103 women, had been abducted since the violence began.
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Earlier Tuesday, Syrian authorities said they had appointed a Druze official as the new internal security chief in Sweida city. Separately, a Syrian military source told Agence-France Presse (AFP) that government forces have withdrawn heavy weapons from southern Syria over the past two months in line with Israeli demands for a demilitarized zone.
Israel, which has its own Druze community, carried out airstrikes during the Sweida violence, saying it was acting to defend the minority and enforce demilitarization in the south.
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