Syria: Truce agreed between prominent clan, regime forces after Tafas clashes

A truce between a prominent clan in southern Syria and officers in the regime’s military was reached on Thursday following days of deadly clashes around the town of Tafas.

Media activist Yousef al-Mosleh told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that a meeting took place on Thursday between 'notables' of the Al-Zu’bi clan and head of the Syrian army’s military security branch, Louay al-Ali, where both reached an agreement to calm the situation.

It was not clear for how long the two parties had agreed to stop fighting.

Tafas, in the west of Daraa governorate, saw three days of intense clashes between regime forces and rebel groups.

The regime steadily brought reinforcements to the area through Tuesday and clashed with opposition fighters the day after. Several people including regime personnel and former opposition fighters were killed in Wednesday's clashes.

The killing of two regime soldiers on Monday was thought to have triggered the fighting.

Many residents were forced to flee with their families.

جانب من اشتباكات مدينة طفس pic.twitter.com/B2Ibq34GyP

— مجد (@majdalrfiai) July 6, 2023

A video shared online purportedly shows clashes around the town of Tafas.

Tafas has witnessed many confrontations since the regime retook Daraa governorate - the birthplace of Syria's 2011 uprising - from rebel fighters in 2018.

Insurgent activity remains high in Daraa, with assassinations of regime security personnel and reconciled opposition fighters ongoing. The Syrian regime and former opposition fighters have also fought the remnants of the Islamic State group in the region.

More than 500,000 people in Syria have died since civil war sparked by a brutal crackdown by Bashar al-Assad's forces on protesters began in 2011.