(MENAFN) Outlaw groups in Syria’s southern Suwayda province continued disrupting stability and breaching the ceasefire for the third day in a row, according to reports on Saturday.

A security official told state outlets that “outlaw groups in Suwayda are violating the ceasefire agreement and targeting Internal Security Forces positions along the Walgha axis in the province’s countryside.”

Another security source, speaking to a government-affiliated television channel, said armed factions also struck security posts in the village of Al-Majdal in the western countryside. No additional information was provided regarding casualties or the identity of those behind the attacks.

On Friday, Suleiman Abdel-Baqi, who heads Suwayda’s Internal Security Directorate, told the same outlet that no personnel were injured during the most recent escalation. He explained that efforts were underway to ease tensions and maintain open dialogue, noting that the area had previously faced unrest. He added that many locals were now appealing to authorities to restore order peacefully and prevent bloodshed.

According to the channel, Abdel-Baqi also said that “Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, bears responsibility for dragging Suwayda toward bloodshed.”

Earlier on Saturday, another security source reported that “rebel gangs in Suwayda targeted service facilities in the Mazraa area of the provincial countryside.”

Thursday saw additional violations, with armed groups firing mortar shells and heavy machine guns at several towns—including Walgha, Tel al-Aqra’, Tel Hadid, and Mazraa—across Suwayda’s rural districts.

The province has been under a ceasefire since July 19, following a week of violent confrontations between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes that resulted in hundreds of casualties.

Since the removal of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Syria’s transitional leadership has introduced measures aimed at restoring security, initiating political and economic reforms, and promoting social stability while seeking stronger regional and international partnerships.

Assad, who governed the country for nearly a quarter century, fled to Russia last December, marking the end of the Baath Party’s rule that began in 1963. A transitional government led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was subsequently established in January.

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