“To all units operating within the city of Sweida, we declare a complete ceasefire after an agreement with the city’s notables and dignitaries,” Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra posted on X.
Syrian government forces entered the city of Sweida on Tuesday, the interior ministry announced, aiming to end clashes that have killed nearly 100 people.
Druze leaders have urged local fighters in Sweida to resist incoming Syrian government forces.
The southern city had been under the control of armed factions from the Druze minority, whose religious leaders stressed they had approved the deployment of Damascus’ troops and called on fighters to hand over their weapons.
A curfew was to be imposed on the southern city in a bid to halt the violence, which erupted at the weekend and has since spread across Sweida governorate.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported 99 people killed since the fighting erupted on Sunday — 60 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms.
The defense ministry reported 18 deaths among the ranks of the armed forces.
