Türkiye Played Key Role in Securing Sweida Ceasefire, Say Diplomatic Sources
Türkiye Played Crucial Role in Brokering Sweida Ceasefire, Say Security Sources
Türkiye was instrumental in securing the recent ceasefire in Syria’s southern Sweida province, where escalating clashes between Bedouin Arab tribes and Druze factions threatened to engulf one of Syria’s few remaining stable regions, Turkish security sources revealed Thursday.
According to the sources, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalin led a targeted diplomatic push that successfully brought opposing sides to the negotiating table. The duo coordinated closely on high-level outreach with regional and international actors to help de-escalate the violence.
“Minister Fidan and Director Kalin conducted field-level diplomacy that was decisive in stopping the bloodshed,” one official said. “Türkiye made every effort to eliminate threats to Syria’s territorial integrity and national unity.”
Over two days of intense fighting, government-backed forces joined the clashes in Sweida, a Druze-majority province that had largely remained on the sidelines of Syria’s wider civil war. The unrest risked destabilizing a relatively calm zone and triggering broader sectarian fallout.
Kalin reportedly engaged directly with Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Tom Barrack (who also serves as Washington’s special envoy on Syria), and Israeli and Lebanese interlocutors — including veteran Druze leader Walid Jumblatt — to defuse tensions.
Simultaneously, Fidan coordinated with his counterparts in Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Both he and Kalin kept President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan fully informed of Türkiye’s evolving mediation efforts.
Syrian President al Sharaa is said to have acknowledged Türkiye’s vital role, noting, “Without the effective mediation of Turkish, American, and Arab actors, the outcome could have been catastrophic.”
The development highlights Türkiye’s growing regional diplomacy and its ambition to position itself as a stabilizing actor in Syria — even in areas nominally controlled by the Damascus government.
