More than a month after the Syrian transitional government launched a military operation in Suwayda province on 14 July 2025, approximately 450 individuals — including women and children — remain missing. The campaign, carried out by government forces and allied armed groups, has displaced around 170,000 people and resulted in 1,677 deaths, according to United Nations and local reports.
The independent outlet Suwayda 24 reported that around 450 people have been unaccounted for since the onset of the conflict, which has seen clashes between Druze and Bedouin factions. A legal committee established by the Druze spiritual leadership documented 230 missing individuals, including 17 women and eight children — one of them a three-month-old infant. Some have since been released, while others have been confirmed as either detained or deceased, although comprehensive data remains elusive.
The forensic department in Suwayda has recorded 170 individuals as missing and presumed dead, with unidentified bodies presented to families for possible identification. Cross-referenced figures suggest at least 450 people remain missing, including 60 women and 20 children, with over half yet to be located. Among them is 20-year-old Yara Adham Arar, abducted in Daraa along with 12 others.
Bodies continue to be recovered from villages in the north and west of Suwayda and delivered to the city’s hospital by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. On 19 August, Daraa 24 reported the arrival of three bodies at Izraa Hospital, two of which were identified as Muhammad Khaled al-Sabbah al-Miqdad and his son Luay — civilians from Bosra al-Sham who had been residing in Ateel village in Suwayda. The third body remains unidentified.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported 1,677 deaths between 13 July and the ceasefire declared on 20 July. These included 452 civilians who were executed. Of the total casualties, 725 were Suwayda residents — primarily Druze — among them 167 civilians, 21 children, and 57 women. Additionally, 477 personnel from the Ministries of Defence and Interior, including 40 Bedouin, were killed, alongside 15 individuals who died in Israeli airstrikes.
SOHR also documented 452 executions, the majority of them Druze, including 43 women and 14 children. Among the executed were 20 members of medical staff. Druze fighters were also reported to have executed three Bedouin, including a woman and a child.
A new wave of abductions targeting Druze civilians in Daraa has further heightened anxiety across the region. The continuing siege of Suwayda has blocked humanitarian aid, exacerbating shortages of essential supplies. The crisis has underscored the urgent need for accountability as the province grapples with the consequences of sustained violence and displacement.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
