TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Health of Syria on Wednesday said that dozens of civilians and security personnel were found dead inside the Suwayda National Hospital, or Sweida Hospital, after armed groups described as "outlaws" withdrew from the facility.
"Dozens of bodies were found in Suwayda National Hospital after the withdrawal of groups operating outside the law," the ministry said in a statement as reported by Anadolu.
"Examination of the bodies revealed they belonged to members of the security forces and civilians inside the hospital," the ministry added.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense previously stated that "armed outlaw groups" had taken positions inside the hospital and placed snipers on the building's rooftops, where they targeted military forces.
Syrian Health Minister Musab al-Ali told the government news agency SANA that Israeli aircraft prevented the convoy sent by the ministry from entering Suwayda, emphasizing that the airstrike targeted any moving vehicles.
He said the convoy consisted of 15 ambulances managed by medical teams, 10 surgeons of various specializations, and two trucks containing medicines and medical supplies.
The Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed a new ceasefire agreement on Wednesday in Suwayda, which included the full reintegration of the province under the central government's authority, according to SANA.
This agreement was announced amid Israeli attacks targeting Damascus, Suwayda, and Daraa in southwestern Syria. The Israeli army claimed that the operation aimed to protect the Druze minority.
Clashes erupted between armed Druze militias and Bedouin groups in Suwayda after both sides reportedly seized vehicles from each other. However, there is also information that the clashes occurred after a vegetable vendor from the Druze community was kidnapped.
The Syrian Interior Ministry stated that more than 30 people were killed and nearly 100 were injured in the violence.
Differing accounts were given by Druze residents in the city of Sweida. They said they had been living in terror since the arrival of the Syrian government forces, which eyewitnesses and war monitors described as brief executions.
"Many of my friends were killed, including a doctor who was being treated at the hospital," said Osama, 32, over the phone on Wednesday, adding that he was in the city center to the south.
"There were brief executions in the streets," he said, as reported by France24 while crying, refusing to give his last name.
"If they come here, I will die," he said, adding, "I am afraid of a similar massacre to what happened on the coast."
In early March, hundreds of civilians, mostly from the Alawi Shia minority in Syria, were slaughtered in the heart of that coastal community following an attack on security forces. Security personnel, allied armed groups, and foreign militias were accused of committing the atrocities.
Paramedic Munzer, 43, said he was trapped at home in Sweida and unable to respond to calls for help.
"The whole family has been destroyed. I know of a family of four who were killed in their home," he said.
"The bombing did not stop all night," said Munzer, who also refused to give his last name.
"We have nothing left to eat in the refrigerator, just a few dry biscuits, and some fruits and vegetables that have rotted because the electricity has been out for 48 hours," he said.
"I have four children, but I don't know how to protect them."
'Disaster Situation'
But the hardest thing, according to Munzer, is his inability to do his job as a paramedic.
He said he received more than 50 calls for help and worried about the "disaster situation" at the main hospital in the city where he usually works.
A correspondent in the city saw a number of men in Syrian Ministry of Defense uniforms, some of whom covered their faces, launching mortars and shouting "Allahu Akbar" near the bodies of two Druze fighters. Meanwhile, other soldiers searched house to house.
Another correspondent on Wednesday saw about 30 bodies lying on the ground, including government forces and fighters in civilian clothing whose affiliation was unclear.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 300 people have been killed since the fighting broke out on Sunday between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, triggering the Syrian government intervention and Israeli airstrikes claimed to be in support of the Druze.
Most of the casualties were militia members, but they also included 40 civilians, 27 of whom were executed by security forces personnel, according to the UK-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria.
The Syrian presidency on Wednesday condemned the "heinous acts" and promised to punish those responsible.
A committee assigned to investigate the coastal massacre in March was supposed to issue its findings earlier this month but no report has been announced.
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