Syria's foreign minister accuses Israel of arming and funding militias in Suwayda to pursue an "agenda of chaos"

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani accused Israel on Tuesday of supporting armed militias operating outside state authority in the southern province of Suwayda.

"Israel supports outlaw armed militias in the city of Suwayda and provides them with weapons and money to carry out an agenda of chaos in the region," al-Shaibani said at a news conference in Damascus.

He also accused Israel of seeking to destabilize Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024 through attacks on infrastructure and the occupation of additional Syrian territory.

Al-Shaibani called on Israel to engage seriously in U.S.-sponsored negotiations and return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.

Suwayda has faced recurring security tensions since July 2025 following clashes involving local armed groups and Bedouin tribes, alongside Israeli strikes in southern Syria.