Syria: Flash Update on the Situation in As-Sweida #2 - 18 July 2025

Overview

On 16 July, the UN Secretary General expressed alarm over the escalation and condemned violence against civilians on all sides. He called for an immediate de-escalation, respect for Syria’s sovereignty, and humanitarian access to aid the displaced and injured.

At late night on 16 July, Syrian security forces reportedly started withdrawing from As-Sweida as part of a ceasefire agreement negotiated with Druze leaders and religious figures. However, in the afternoon of 17 July, renewed clashes between local factions reportedly erupted in Walgha and Shahba towns of As-Sweida as Bedouins were trying to move forward towards Sweida city. On 18 July, armed clashes reportedly occurred in Walgha, approximately 7 kilometer away from the UNHCR Field Office in As-Sweida.

According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, hundreds have been killed since 12 July. The precarious security environment has impeded humanitarian access for UNHCR and its partners as well as other UN agencies.

Reports indicate that power outages have disrupted water supply and telecommunication in As-Sweida, and the closure of the highway connecting Damascus and As-Sweida has hampered the transportation of food and other vital supplies, such as fuel, leading to heightened food insecurity. The health system in As-Sweida reportedly remains critically strained with severe shortage of medical supplies and electricity, and hospitals in Dar’a Governorate, the neighbouring governorate, are also overwhelmed.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk calls for “a new Syria that works for all its people, equal in dignity and without discrimination”. UNHCR also calls on all parties to the hostilities to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians, and to enable civilians who wish to flee to do so in safety and dignity as well as to ensure immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to affected populations to deliver life-saving assistance and protection services without delay or obstruction.

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