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U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack urged rival sides in Syria’s southern Suwayda province to pull back from renewed tensions and return to dialogue, warning that a lack of governance could leave room for armed groups to take over.
The latest escalation began over the weekend, when clashes resumed between Syrian government forces and Druze armed groups in and around Suwayda.
Fighting was reported from the western outskirts of the city and nearby areas, with exchanges of gunfire and shelling continuing into Monday. The violence killed at least one Druze National Guard fighter and wounded several security personnel, according to reports.
"We are dismayed by the renewed escalation in Suwayda," Barrack wrote on X on Saturday, saying the tensions had prompted concern over the situation in the province.
Barrack noted that a trilateral roadmap for peace was signed nearly a year ago with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
The plan sought "the dignified reintegration of the province into Syria, with the full rights and the full obligations of citizenship for its Druze community."
"That path remains the only one that leads anywhere but back to grief," he said.
Barrack described Syria’s Druze community as "a people of noble and ancient history" but warned that a lack of governance could allow armed groups to fill the vacuum.
"Where governance is absent, gangs fill the void," he said, citing Atef Hunaidi, whom he said had been "arbitrarily detained and driven from his home."
His team was in contact with Hunaidi and others affected by "intracommunal violence," Barrack added.
He urged continued cooperation between Druze communities, Arab tribes and neighboring countries, saying relations should be based on "tolerance and understanding."
"The Syrian government has begun to confront the grave crimes committed by its forces last July and to hold those responsible to account before its courts," Barrack said. "That is the direction of hope, and it must continue."
A ceasefire has been in place in Suwayda since July 2025, after fighting between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters left hundreds dead and wounded.
Groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri have been accused of repeatedly violating the arrangement, while Damascus has maintained the ceasefire and facilitated evacuations and humanitarian assistance.
Barrack said the way forward was “dialogue that delivers accountability, restores security, and opens the road for the displaced to return and for what was destroyed to be rebuilt.”
"This is a sensitive hour," he said, urging "restraint in action, and communication in earnest."
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, authorities have sought to restore security and extend state authority nationwide, while several armed groups have continued to operate independently.
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