• Cautious calm returns to Sweida after clashes killed over 1,100.
• Bedouin families are evacuated from the Druze-majority city under a U.S.-backed truce.
• Initial evacuations of Bedouin civilians begin as humanitarian efforts continue.
• Ceasefire aims to facilitate stability and health access for affected civilians.
• Syria's new leadership faces significant challenges amidst renewed sectarian tensions.

Syria's Interior Ministry reported that cautious calm has returned to the southern province of Sweida following a week of intense sectarian violence that left over 1,100 dead. The recent clashes between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes escalated into a wider conflict that involved government forces and Israeli airstrikes, raising serious questions about stability in the region, according to India Times and Dawn.

On Monday, hundreds of Bedouin civilians were evacuated from Sweida as part of an agreement aimed at stabilizing the situation. This evacuation follows the establishment of a ceasefire on Sunday, which allowed for the release of hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid into the city, as reported by Africanews and Reuters.

The violence, which began on July 13, involved a series of tit-for-tat attacks that resulted in significant casualties among both communities. The U.N. estimated that 128,571 people were displaced during the fighting, underscoring the humanitarian crisis resulting from the sectarian strife, with the majority of the displaced having fled to neighboring Daraa province, according to HuffPost and Reuters.

U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack emphasized the need for peace and dialogue, highlighting the critical importance of de-escalating tensions following a tumultuous week that tested the new interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s authority amid chaos. “All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance,” Barrack said, as reported by AA and Los Angeles Times.

As evacuations proceed and humanitarian assistance efforts are ramped up, the newly formed government faces mounting challenges in restoring order and addressing the deep-rooted sectarian divisions exacerbated by the recent violence, according to South China Morning Post and AA.