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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

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon Included in Ceasefire Deal

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih. dpa
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih. dpa
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon Included in Ceasefire Deal

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih. dpa
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih. dpa

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that the US-Iran-Israel deal to reach a ceasefire also covered the fighting in Lebanon.

He said, however, that Israel did not abide by the two-week ceasefire, in violation of the agreement.

Berri said the deal clearly includes Lebanon, and that this is what should be happening.

He revealed that he had contacted Pakistan, a key mediator, to inform it of Tel Aviv’s failure to comply with the ceasefire, and asked it to communicate with the US to pressure Israel.

Berri added in his remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat that he had contacted more than one party and received confirmations that Lebanon was part of the agreement.

 

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the village of Arnoun in southern Lebanon as seen from nearby Marjayoun on April 7, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

However, the speaker did not rule out that Israel may attempt “to undermine the deal, given that it is the party most adversely affected.”

Israel said early Wednesday that the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel’s military said later that fighting and ground operations continue.

Arab World

Nawaf Salam to Asharq Al-Awsat: No One but the State Negotiates for Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a government meeting. (Lebanese government)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a government meeting. (Lebanese government)
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Nawaf Salam to Asharq Al-Awsat: No One but the State Negotiates for Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a government meeting. (Lebanese government)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chairs a government meeting. (Lebanese government)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday that “no one negotiates for Lebanon except for the Lebanese state” - in his first comments since the two-week ceasefire was reached between the US and Israel over Iran.

Addressing the debate over whether Lebanon was included in the ceasefire, the PM refused to go into details about ongoing contacts.

Instead, he stressed that the Lebanese state was performing its duties in this regard and is mobilizing all efforts to help the country out of the crisis it was dragged into against its will.

Arab World

Hemedti Says Ready to Cooperate with UN Envoy to End Sudan War

RSF commander receives the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy Pekka Haavisto in Nairobi. (Rapid Support Forces)
RSF commander receives the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy Pekka Haavisto in Nairobi. (Rapid Support Forces)
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Hemedti Says Ready to Cooperate with UN Envoy to End Sudan War

RSF commander receives the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy Pekka Haavisto in Nairobi. (Rapid Support Forces)
RSF commander receives the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy Pekka Haavisto in Nairobi. (Rapid Support Forces)

Commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said he is ready to “stop the war and cooperate to deliver humanitarian aid to all areas affected by the conflict in the country,” in talks with the United Nations secretary-general’s personal envoy, Pekka Haavisto.

Dagalo, who heads a parallel government, met Haavisto late Monday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

In a statement on Facebook, Hemedti said he discussed with Haavisto “political and security developments, as well as the humanitarian situation and efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability.”

He added that his government, based in the Darfur city of Nyala, is “fully prepared to cooperate with the United Nations and work to provide the necessary assistance to help alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.”

Hemedti briefed the UN envoy on “the causes of the war ignited by the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies within the Sudanese army,” reiterating his government’s commitment to “the unity of the country to block attempts aimed at fragmenting Sudan and dismantling its social fabric.”

The RSF leader stressed “the importance of conducting a transparent and fair investigation into the violations suffered by Sudanese civilians, foremost among them the use of chemical weapons,” describing this as “a fundamental step toward ending the war and achieving peace in the country — a demand that is non-negotiable under any circumstances.”

Hemedti renewed his call for the United Nations to open offices in areas under the control of his government, known as Tasis, in the Darfur and Kordofan regions to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians there.

For his part, Haavisto affirmed the UN’s efforts to end the war and achieve peace in Sudan.

He welcomed the RSF leader’s response to the meeting, during which they exchanged views on the overall situation in Sudan, noting that he has listened to a number of Sudanese parties as part of efforts to identify the most effective paths toward resolving the crisis.

Dujarric said the meeting between the UN envoy and the RSF commander provided a constructive opportunity to exchange views and explore practical ways to de-escalate and ensure the continued protection of civilians.

In a press briefing, he added that all Sudanese parties the envoy met in Nairobi expressed readiness to cooperate with the United Nations. He pointed in this regard to Haavisto’s meeting last week in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, with army commander and Sovereign Council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, during which they discussed international efforts to end the war.

The UN spokesman renewed the organization’s call on the parties to the conflict in Sudan to “immediately cease hostilities, protect civilians and infrastructure, and ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”

He also stressed the need for additional funding for humanitarian assistance in Sudan, estimating that $2.9 billion is required to reach more than 20 million people across the country.