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Deadly Clashes Between Pro-Regime Forces, Moscow-Backed Factions in Syria's Sweida

Destruction in Sweida. Getty
Destruction in Sweida. Getty
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Deadly Clashes Between Pro-Regime Forces, Moscow-Backed Factions in Syria's Sweida

Destruction in Sweida. Getty
Destruction in Sweida. Getty

Pro-Syrian regime forces and Russian-backed factions sent on Tuesday large military reinforcements to southern Syria after fierce clashes erupted between them in the city of Sweida.

Sources from the Southern Front, a Syrian opposition alliance consisting of factions affiliated with the Free Syrian Army, said that national defense forces pushed military reinforcements in the province of Sweida after several of its members were killed in confrontations with the Russian-backed 5th Corps in Al-Quraya and surrounding areas, near the administrative border with the eastern countryside of Daraa.

The sources told the German news agency that members of the national defense launched an attack on the 8th Corps positions located between the city of Basra al-Sham and al-Quraya. They said the Russian-backed factions pounded the Syrian-backed forces in al-Quraya and the villages of Barad and Mujaymer.

Residents in the countryside of Sweida fear additional tension between the two sides.

For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six pro-Syrian fighters of local factions were killed and seven others were injured in clashes and an attack on their post with a missile fired by the Russian-backed 5thCorps in Al-Mujaymer village in the south-western countryside of Sweida.

The Observatory said it documented fierce clashes between the 5th Corps and local gunmen from Sweida in the surrounding areas and outskirts of Al-Quraya in the western countryside of Sweida, near the administrative border with the eastern countryside of Daraa, amid confirmed reports of casualties among the 5th Corps.

The area experienced similar tension a few months ago, the Observatory said.

Meanwhile, fighters from Bosr Al-Harir in the eastern countryside of Daraa hijacked a bus carrying regime soldiers from Sweida and took them to an unknown location.

The kidnappers explained that this operation came as a response to the kidnapping of a person from Bosr Al-Harir town by fighters from Sweida a day earlier.

Separately, the Observatory said a new massacre took place in Hama as nine civilians were killed on Tuesday by Iranian-backed armed militias.

The civilians were killed while shepherding near the village of Fasdeh, east of Salamiyah in the eastern countryside of Hama.

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Arab World

Expert to Asharq Al-Awsat: Zelenskyy Offered Syria Phosphate-for-Wheat, Drones Deal

A handout photo made available by Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 05 April 2026. (EPA/Presidential Press Service)
A handout photo made available by Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 05 April 2026. (EPA/Presidential Press Service)
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Expert to Asharq Al-Awsat: Zelenskyy Offered Syria Phosphate-for-Wheat, Drones Deal

A handout photo made available by Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 05 April 2026. (EPA/Presidential Press Service)
A handout photo made available by Presidential Press Service shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 05 April 2026. (EPA/Presidential Press Service)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first visit to Damascus might have passed as routine, aimed at strengthening ties, but its timing amid regional tensions and Türkiye’s presence gave it added weight.

Analysts saw multiple messages in the trip, including signals to Russia as regional power balances shift. A military expert instead framed it as part of Zelenskyy’s regional push to promote Ukrainian drones, curb sales of stolen Ukrainian grain, and secure Syrian phosphate.

Retired colonel Imad Shahoud told Asharq Al-Awsat that Türkiye is keen to keep relations between Damascus and Kyiv balanced, in line with Ankara’s cautious approach to Syria. Turkish participation, he said, was meant to keep talks on track and avoid politically sensitive positions during the ongoing war.

He placed the visit within Zelenskyy’s broader outreach, which included defense agreements with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as security talks in Istanbul.

Shahoud said Ukraine is seeking to market its drones in exchange for French Mirage jets from Gulf states, while also pressing Gulf states for help to prevent Egypt from buying Ukrainian grain that Russia is selling at lower prices.

On Syria, he said Ukraine is offering wheat in exchange for phosphate at a low cost. A Russian company controls about 70 percent of Syria’s phosphate output and sells it to Europe.

He added that Western countries want to pull Syria away from Russia, but Damascus is maintaining a balanced relationship based on accepting “current realities”.

Many agreements remain in place and are under review, especially oil and gas deals granted to Russian firms as wartime compensation. Any misstep could affect those talks.

Abdulwahhab Assi, head of studies at Jusoor Center, said Syria is seeking to use current regional conditions to build a deterrence system. Israel has repeatedly opposed Turkish plans to deploy air defenses in southern and central Syria and has also objected to potential US provision of Patriot systems.

Assi told Asharq Al-Awsat that Syria’s options are limited between Ukraine and Russia. Kyiv offers lighter technologies that may avoid political and military complications with Syria or Israel, while Moscow appears weaker but remains in play.

He said Damascus needs leverage in talks with Russia over rebuilding military assets damaged during the war, particularly after Israel’s Operation Arrow of Bashan in December 2024.

Talks with Moscow have yet to deliver what Syria hopes for, he said, making engagement with Ukraine a potential pressure tool.

Still, he stressed Ukraine is not a strategic alternative to Russia, but a technical partner that could help reduce threats from Iranian missiles and drones, and assist in repairing military equipment through its officers and advisers.

Assi said Russia is likely to factor this into ongoing negotiations, as Syria, with Turkish backing, has secured a technical alternative that could strengthen its political position.

Abdulhamid Tawfiq, head of the Renaissance Center for Research and Studies, said the growing Ukrainian presence in Syria following Russia’s declining role was central to Zelenskyy’s visit.

The trip reflects wider regional and international shifts, with Ukraine now at the forefront of confrontation with Russia alongside NATO, the United States, and the West, which views Syria as strategically important, Tawfiq told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He said Ukraine’s emergence in Syria sends a direct message to Russia that new balances can be shaped in the country and the region.

Syria, he added, could turn to Ukraine for support across sectors, including the economy, agriculture, and civilian and military industry, helping drive development.

Arab World

Israel Backs Trump's 2-week Pause on Iran Strikes, Says Lebanon Excluded

FILE PHOTO: An Israeli artillery unit fires towards Lebanon, on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An Israeli artillery unit fires towards Lebanon, on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
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Israel Backs Trump's 2-week Pause on Iran Strikes, Says Lebanon Excluded

FILE PHOTO: An Israeli artillery unit fires towards Lebanon, on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An Israeli artillery unit fires towards Lebanon, on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo

Israel supports US President Donald Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday.

The premier's office said Israel backed the US move provided Tehran immediately opened the strait and stopped attacks against the United States, Israel and countries in the region.

The remarks came after Washington announced a two-week suspension of attacks ⁠against Iran as ⁠part of efforts to de-escalate the conflict and open a window for negotiations.

Israel also said it supported US efforts to ensure Iran no longer posed a nuclear, missile or "terror" threat to the US, Israel and Iran's Arab neighbors, ⁠adding that Washington had told Israel it was committed to achieving their shared goals in upcoming negotiations. Iran said on Wednesday negotiations with the US would begin on Friday, April 10 in Islamabad.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the United States and its allies had agreed to a ceasefire "everywhere including Lebanon", suggesting Israel had agreed to halt its invasion of its northern neighbor.”

Lebanon was drawn into the war after Iran-backed group Hezbollah launched rocket fire on Israel.

That attack sparked an Israeli invasion and air raids across Lebanon that have killed more than 1,500 people, according to authorities.

Arab World

Israeli Threats Shut Masnaa Crossing, Partly Isolate Lebanon from Syria

The Masnaa border crossing with Syria in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, 05 April 2026, following an Israeli warning to target the M30 highway between Lebanon and Syria. (EPA)
The Masnaa border crossing with Syria in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, 05 April 2026, following an Israeli warning to target the M30 highway between Lebanon and Syria. (EPA)
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Israeli Threats Shut Masnaa Crossing, Partly Isolate Lebanon from Syria

The Masnaa border crossing with Syria in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, 05 April 2026, following an Israeli warning to target the M30 highway between Lebanon and Syria. (EPA)
The Masnaa border crossing with Syria in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon, 05 April 2026, following an Israeli warning to target the M30 highway between Lebanon and Syria. (EPA)

Israel has partially severed Beirut from Damascus after shutting the main border crossings between the two countries, following a warning that it would strike the Masnaa crossing.

The move has disrupted trade and travel, funneling movement through a single crossing in Lebanon’s far northeast, far from both capitals.

Syrian and Lebanese diplomatic contacts helped avert an Israeli strike on Masnaa, but failed to reopen it. The crossing remains fully closed. Major General Hassan Choucair, head of Lebanon’s General Security, said protecting personnel and equipment at the crossing was the top priority.

He stressed the crossing was legal and could not be used for arms smuggling, noting all trucks and vehicles undergo strict inspections, and dismissed reports of smuggling as false.

Security measures

A Lebanese security source flatly rejected Israeli claims that the crossings are used to smuggle weapons, saying traffic in both directions is subject to strict inspections by Lebanese and Syrian authorities, making any such operations impossible.

The source told Asharq Al-Awsat the allegations were baseless and carried political and security motives beyond counter-smuggling.

The Israeli escalation over the crossings forms part of broader pressure linked to the war on Lebanon, the source said, and may pave the way for a land blockade along the Lebanese-Syrian border to redraw the rules of engagement with Hezbollah.

The source warned the developments could signal a new security reality on the border ahead of any future confrontation.

Undeclared blockade

Border crossings are no longer mere transit points; they have become a focal point where economic strain meets security and political tensions. With movement paralyzed, losses mounting, and tensions rising, Lebanon appears to be entering a phase of compounded pressure, widely seen as an undeclared blockade.

MP Sajih Attieh, head of parliament’s public works committee, said conditions at the crossings are steadily deteriorating. Of five crossings with Syria, only one remains effectively open, Jousieh in the Qaa area.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that three crossings in Akkar, Aboudieh, Arida, and Al-Buqiaa remain shut, while efforts to reopen Aboudieh are being hindered by Syrian hesitation due to limited security capacity.

Masnaa, the main artery between Lebanon and Syria in the Bekaa Valley, has been paralyzed since Sunday night after the Israeli warning. Activity has shifted to Jousieh, where trucks loaded with goods are backed up on both sides, along with civilian traffic.

Attieh said the closures have nearly halted land transit and cross-border trade, hitting key facilities, notably the port of Tripoli, which is losing about $100,000 a day due to the suspension of overland transit goods.

State revenues fall

The closures have also choked Lebanese exports, especially fruit, vegetables and local industries, which have lost their main overland route to Arab markets, adding pressure on productive sectors.

Attieh said the impact extends beyond exports. Maritime imports have dropped by up to 70%, affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a sharp fall in state revenues.

Monthly revenues from customs, imports and value-added tax have fallen from about $450 million to roughly $125 million, he said, adding that the government has frozen implementation of the 2026 budget.

Public spending had been set based on revenues nearing $6 billion, making the freeze unavoidable amid a roughly 70% drop in imports, he said, warning that the risk of a deeper economic crisis will become clearer once the war ends.