The Syrian city of Sweida is grappling with a deepening humanitarian crisis as violent clashes, external military strikes, and limited humanitarian access have left its main hospital overwhelmed and critically under-resourced. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus raised the alarm on Wednesday during a press briefing in Geneva.

"The situation in Syria is also extremely troubling. Access to Sweida remains severely constrained, further hampering the delivery of life-saving assistance. The main hospital is overwhelmed, facing critical shortages of staff, electricity, and supplies," Tedros said, stressing the urgent need for humanitarian support in the area.

Recent footage reportedly filmed inside the Sweida hospital circulated on social media last week, showing armed men laughing while filming dozens of bodies, further fueling international concern. In response to questions from a RIA Novosti journalist, Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, acknowledged the severity of the reports.

"The reports coming out of Syria are very disturbing. We have had them as well and seen those images. Our colleagues are in the process at the moment of verifying these reports and getting the details. As you know, we have a very robust process to confirm attacks on healthcare, and that process is ongoing, so we should have details over the next few days," Ihekweazu stated.

Southern turmoil

Fierce clashes erupted on Sunday, July 13, between armed members of the Druze community and forces affiliated with Syria's ministries of defense and interior, alongside allied Bedouin tribes. The fighting led to high casualties on both sides, as well as among civilians, amid reports of field executions, human rights violations, and Israeli airstrikes targeting Syrian military sites.

The violence has displaced over 2,000 families to neighboring Daraa province, with varying reports on the death toll. Syria TV cited 558 fatalities and 783 injuries, while the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed more than 1,300 people had died.

Under the guise of protecting the Druze population, "Israel" launched airstrikes on key Syrian government and military sites, including the General Staff building, the presidential palace in Damascus, and army positions in Sweida. 

Read more: Israeli forces raid Al-Halabi village in Quneitra countryside, Syria

A Syrian security source later told reporters that all unauthorized armed groups had withdrawn from the city. On July 19, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa declared a full ceasefire across Syria’s southern region and urged all involved parties to respect the agreement.

As the ceasefire takes hold, humanitarian agencies remain on alert, and the WHO continues efforts to verify attacks on medical infrastructure. The situation in Sweida underscores the fragile intersection of local instability, external military involvement, and a collapsing healthcare system.