Top Turkish, Syrian diplomats discuss situation in Syria: Reports
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Turkish FM Fidan holds talks with Syria and the US on enforcing the Sweida ceasefire after deadly Druze-Bedouin clashes and Israeli strikes.
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Bedouin fighters, right, gather as Syrian government security forces, left, block them from entering Sweida province, in Busra al-Harir village, southern Syria, Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held urgent phone discussions with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani, and US Ambassador and Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, to address the deteriorating situation in southern Syria, a Turkish diplomatic source confirmed to RIA Novosti on Sunday.
“During the talks, the situation in Syria was discussed, and an assessment was made of the meetings in Amman regarding the situation in the south of the country,” the source said.
The conversations follow a high-level meeting in Amman on Saturday, where Barrack met with Syrian and Jordanian officials to coordinate efforts to enforce a recently agreed-upon ceasefire in Syria’s southern Sweida province, which has seen a dramatic rise in violence in recent weeks.
Over 1,000 killed in Sweida
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has reported a staggering death toll of more than 1,000 people in Sweida province over the past seven days, following a wave of intense and deadly clashes. Among the dead are 194 civilians who were summarily executed, as violence escalates and humanitarian conditions deteriorate rapidly.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Observatory called for the formation of an independent UN investigation committee to probe what it described as a "catastrophic toll" and to hold those responsible for the bloodshed accountable under international law.
Sweida province, predominantly home to the Druze community, has been reeling from a sharp escalation in violence, leaving the region on the brink of collapse. The province is suffering from a near-total lack of drinking water, electricity, and essential food and medical supplies, with many of the wounded unable to access proper treatment.
Humanitarian collapse worsens in Sweida
Sweida’s National Hospital is reportedly overwhelmed, with morgue facilities overflowing and corpses decomposing in various parts of the facility, creating dire sanitary conditions. Due to the lack of medical supplies and ongoing violence, many families have been unable to bury their dead.
Amid the crisis, local and international media outlets, including those affiliated with the interim Syrian government, launched a widespread media campaign alleging massacres targeting women and children from Bedouin tribes at the hands of armed Druze militants. However, verification efforts revealed that only one such video was authentic, showing the killing of a woman, a man, and a child from Bedouin backgrounds. The rest of the footage was either unrelated to the current events, depicted violence against Druze civilians, or came from unrelated contexts elsewhere in Syria or abroad.
This media narrative sparked a mobilization among Arab tribes, culminating in renewed clashes across several areas of Sweida in recent days. Armed tribal fighters reportedly raided Druze homes and properties in various villages, exacerbating the violence and causing additional casualties.
