Accounts conflicted over the release of three captives from the “National Guard” prison, the force controlling Suwayda city (southern Syria), as the group denied any liberation or exchange operation, while other media outlets, including official ones, circulated reports that they had been freed.
Government: Detainees Secured
The commander of Internal Security in Suwayda Governorate, Brig. Gen. Hussam al-Tahan, said in a statement received by Enab Baladi that the operation to free the detainees was not the first, stressing that it would not be the last.
Today, Friday, June 6, he stressed that “Internal Security” is seeking to free all abductees by all means, as he put it.
He added, “We will spare no effort to achieve security and stability and ensure everyone returns safely to their families.”
The statement came after local bodies circulated information about a secret exchange operation that led to their release in return for the women who were freed two days earlier and had been held in Homs Governorate (central Syria).
On May 25, the governorate witnessed the abduction of members of a family from Suwayda and the taxi driver transporting them while they were heading to Damascus to obtain passports.
For its part, the official “al-Ikhbariya” channel quoted an unnamed security source as saying that government-affiliated Internal Security forces in Suwayda Governorate had secured three people who had been held by what it called “outlaw groups,” referring to the National Guard.
This followed what it described as a “precise” security operation that led to their transfer to a safe place.
“al-Ikhbariya” also published a video recording showing three young men it said were detainees secured by Internal Security forces from the “outlaw groups.”
National Guard Says They Escaped
The leadership of the “National Guard” in Suwayda issued a statement denying circulating accounts about an exchange or liberation operation, saying what happened was an “escape operation” carried out as a result of what it called the “collusion” of members inside the headquarters, whom it described as “traitorous elements.”
It said investigations and a review of surveillance camera footage led to the identification of several people involved.
The “Guard” forces added that they arrested two people suspected of involvement in facilitating the escape, while security and military operations continue to pursue the rest of those involved and complete the investigations.
The “Guard” said it would present the findings of the investigations and confessions to the public once they are completed, calling on residents to remain calm and wait for official results.
Meanwhile, the governorate witnessed tension and gunfire around headquarters “15” of the “National Guard,” leading to the arrest of people said to be connected to the captives’ release, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent.
Local sources also circulated news of the dismissal of Brig. Gen. Jihad al-Ghoutani, commander of the “National Guard,” from all his duties, and the temporary handover to Brig. Gen. Fadel Abu Assaf, commander of the western sector. Enab Baladi, however, could not verify the news from an independent source.
The “Guard” had also not announced any change in its leadership ranks by the time this article was prepared.
Suwayda Events
The events in Suwayda began on July 12, 2025, after reciprocal kidnappings between residents of al-Maqous neighborhood in Suwayda, which has a Bedouin majority, and members of the Druze community, developing the next day into mutual clashes.
The Syrian government intervened on July 14 to resolve the dispute, but its intervention was accompanied by violations against Druze civilians, prompting local factions to respond, including those that had been cooperating with the Ministries of Defense and Interior.
On July 16, government forces left Suwayda after coming under Israeli strikes. This was followed by violations and acts of revenge against Bedouin residents in the governorate, leading to the dispatch of military convoys in the form of “tribal mobilizations” in support of them.
After that, the Syrian government and Israel reached a US-mediated agreement stipulating a halt to military operations.
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