Overnight and into the early Sunday hours, fresh clashes erupted in Syria in two flashpoint areas – one in the north and another in the south, the latter which saw a fragile truce break down between government troops under the Al-Qaeda linked government of HTS’ Jolani and local Druze militias.

The northern fighting centered in Aleppo province, where government-aligned forces and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who dominate much of the region and are backed by US forces – exchanged gunfire and artillery attacks.

Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS/former Nusrah/AQ) government has vowed (at least publicly) to uphold a shaky ceasefire in Sweida following violent clashes with Druze factions last month, which left hundreds dead.

But as horrific images of persecution and torture of minority groups emerged earlier this summer, it became clear that the jihadist troops under the government have been targeting Druze based on their non-Sunni identity, in ethno-religious genocide. Churches in this southern area have also been burned and destroyed.

This has brought Damascus under greater international scrutinty and spotlight, though Washington has tended to overlook the atrocities carried out also against Christians and Alawites. However, the US did oversee the initial truce which now appears in shambles due to this latest fighting.

The southern Syria region is poised to unravel, also as Israel appears engaged in more land-grab activity:

A security source told the outlet the armed groups had violated a ceasefire agreed in the predominantly Druze region, which has seen more than 1,000 killed in fighting over the past month.

Violence in Sweida erupted on 13 July between Bedouin fighters, Druze factions and government forces. Israel also carried out strikes on Syrian cities, claiming they were coming to the assistance of the Druze.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based anti-Assad monitoring group, the Sweida clashes left one Druze fighter dead and at least nine others wounded. The violence occurred at the Tal al-Hadeed heights, a strategic area overlooking neighboring Daraa province, the latter long being a hotbed of unrest.

In the north, the HTS-run Syrian Defense Ministry claimed that SDF rocket attacks injured three civilians and four soldiers. But this narrative was rejected by SDF officials.

Pentagon troops still occupy portions of northeast Syria, while Western intelligence agencies set the stage for Jolani’s (President Sharaa) rise…

Video from last night shows #CIA-backed Al-Julani militias launch rockets towards #Pentagon-backed Kurdish SDF militias positions in Deir Hafir, east of Aleppo, #Syria. pic.twitter.com/RqZEv7USUm

— Southern Africa Eye (@eye_southern) August 3, 2025

Meanwhile, in Quneitra province near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Israeli military conducted another raid and there are reports of IDF convoys now situated a mere 11km from Damascus.