Druze – Syria: Explosive-laden drone attacks on Internal Security posts in Suwayda

Armed groups attacked Internal Security posts in the western countryside of Suwayda, in southern Syria, with explosive-laden drones on Monday, October 20. The attacks were announced in the evening by Syrian state television Al-Ikhbariya, citing a security source, which attributes them to “illegal groups”. The Internal Security posts in the western countryside lie on the line of contact between state forces and local armed groups, which control the city of Suwayda and much of the province.

Suwayda, with a Druze majority, has been at the centre of tension between the Damascus government and local armed groups since the summer of 2025, groups that refuse to hand control to state forces. The bloody clashes of July 2025 between Druze, Bedouin tribal fighters and government forces led to Israeli strikes on Damascus, with Israel saying it was protecting the Druze. Since then much of the province has been controlled by local armed groups, while the government holds positions in the western and northern countryside. The Damascus–Suwayda road and the passage of humanitarian aid remain among the points of friction between the two sides, with the UN calling for unhindered access for the civilian population.

The attacks came a day after the governor of Suwayda, Mustafa al-Bakour, proposed dialogue and denied that the province is under siege, according to the state news agency SANA. Damascus accuses local groups of obstructing the return of state institutions, while Druze leaders accuse government forces of violations and a blockade.

The Israeli dimension

Suwayda is also at the centre of the Israel–Turkey confrontation over Syria. Benjamin Netanyahu recently revealed a “very short and very blunt” phone call with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa about the Druze, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused “Zionist Israel” of doing everything it can to destabilise Syria. At the UN Security Council, Greece has called for the protection of Syria’s communities, among them Orthodox Christians. The use of explosive drones shows that local groups now have means that let them strike state-force positions from a distance.