Protests in Southern Syria Call for 'Civil Disobedience'

Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Protests in Southern Syria Call for 'Civil Disobedience'

Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Protests erupt in the city of As-Suwayda, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Protesters in As-Suwayda governorate, southern Syria, blocked a pivotal street in the provincial capital at the Al-Mashnaqa roundabout, and set tires ablaze as they carried out a demonstration against worsening living conditions.

They raised slogans calling for the trial of the corrupt and urged civil disobedience to fight deteriorating conditions across Syria.

The group of protesters delivered a statement in which they said they will use civil disobedience in As-Suwayda until their legitimate demands are achieved.

Their demands included the removal of security services that protect drug dealers in the governorate, the exit of Iranian militias and Hezbollah from As-Suwayda, and the improvement of living and economic conditions in the region.

In their statement, they accused the Syrian authorities of carrying out a siege on As-Suwayda.

Journalist Suleiman Fakhr, director of the local Al-Rased network in As-Suwayda, revealed that the local community had conflicting opinions regarding the demands of protesters.

According to Fakhr, the number of protesters was not large.

Demonstrators did not find popular support as their demands went beyond service matters to talk about expelling security services and accusing the regime of being behind the spread of drugs in the province, Fakhr explained to Asharq Al-Awsat.

These protesters have intentions to escalate and are different from the protesters who carried out a silent protest earlier this week.

On Monday, a group of demonstrators raised political, social, and economic slogans and announced their decision to hold a silent sit-in every Monday.

Fakhr added that the protests came in the context of a major economic crisis that the Syrian country is experiencing.

The crisis has led to the deterioration of living conditions in As-Suwayda and the whole of Syria.

Features of the crisis include fuel shortages, complete paralysis of services in As-Suwayda, and a significant decline in the value of wages and salaries.

As-Suwayda governorate has been embroiled in continuous protests calling for improvement in economic, living, and political conditions. Demonstrators often blame the Syrian government for the deterioration of the situation in Syria.

Meanwhile, dozens of protesters gathered in the main square in the center of Jassem city in the northern countryside of Daraa governorate, demanding the release of the detainees.

Demonstrators urged the people to endorse demands for releasing the detainees in Daraa, saying that the file has not been dealt with seriously even after the settlement agreement and the intervention of the Russian side.



UK Foreign Secretary Visits Syria, Renewing Ties After 14 Years of Conflict

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
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UK Foreign Secretary Visits Syria, Renewing Ties After 14 Years of Conflict

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met in Damascus on Saturday with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the restoration of relations after 14 years of tension during Syria's conflict and Assad family rule.

Syria has been improving relations with Western countries following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December in an offensive led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.

Al-Sharaa’s office said Lammy and the president discussed mutual relations and ways of boosting cooperation and the latest regional and international developments. Lammy later met his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani, state media reported.

A statement issued by Britain's foreign office said the visit showed London's commitment to support Syria as the new government seeks to rebuild the country's economy, deliver an inclusive political transition and forge a path to justice for the victims of the Assad government.

It added that there will be new UK funding to assist with the removal of Assad-era chemical weapons and provide urgent humanitarian assistance in Syria, to bolster UK and Middle East security and tackle irregular migration. The statement said the British government wants to ensure that the ISIS group's territorial defeat “endures, and they can never resurge.”

ISIS once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, where it planned attacks worldwide. It was defeated in Syria in March 2019 when the extremists lost the last sliver of land they once controlled.

The statement said Britain's support for Syria is set to continue, with the additional 94.5 million pounds ($129 million) package announced Saturday. It will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syrians, support Syria’s longer-term recovery through education and livelihoods, and support countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region.

This handout photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office on July 5, 2025 shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) receiving British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the presidential palace in Baabda. (Lebanese Presidency / AFP)

In April, the British government lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, to help the country rebuild after Assad's ouster. Weeks earlier, the UK had dropped sanctions against two dozen Syrian businesses, mostly banks and oil companies.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending many American economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to al-Sharaa.

Syria’s new leaders have been struggling to rebuild the country’s decimated economy and infrastructure after nearly 14 years of civil war that has killed half a million people. In recent months, al-Sharaa visited oil-rich regional countries and France in May in his first visit to the Europe Union.

Also on Saturday, Lammy met in Beirut with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and they discussed the situation along the Lebanon-Israel border following the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

A statement issued by Aoun's office, quoted the Lebanese leader as telling Lammy that Beirut plans to raise the number of Lebanese troops along the border with Israel to 10,000. Aoun added that the only armed sides on the Lebanese side of the border will be Lebanon's national army and UN peacekeepers.