"Damaged residential buildings and shattered storefronts were seen across Ateel town on Tuesday after clashes broke out between the transitional government forces and the National Guard Forces in the north-west of Suwayda city, leaving dead and injured from both sides.  The National Guard Forces claimed that the government troops "targeted the town with multiple mortars," resulting in two deaths and eight injuries. Meanwhile, state media reported that insurgent militias attacked internal security checkpoints and civilian homes in the western countryside of the governorate. "We are civilians, have no weapons, and we don't assault others. However, they assaulted us and breached the ceasefire," said a local following the incident.   "We heard gunfire and were shocked and confused, unsure of its source or who was shooting. We were alarmed to learn it was happening in our own neighbourhood. Fear kept us from even opening our doors to see what was happening. We are peaceful, defenceless people, without any means to protect ourselves," added another one. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that clashes northwest of Suwayda city left three members of transitional government forces and their allies dead, with three others seriously injured. Two members of the National Guard Forces were also killed, and seven more were injured in the fighting. This comes in the wake of last summer's violent clashes in As-Suwayda between Bedouin tribes and local Druze groups, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,895 individuals from various sides, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In December 2024, Syria's transitional government took power in Damascus, with Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed as transitional president, pledging to form an inclusive national administration.  According to media reports, civilians from Alawite, Druze, and Christian communities have since faced attack, with the majority-Druze Suwayda governorate issuing renewed calls for autonomy. Meanwhile, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces had yet to be successfully integrated into the new Syrian army at the time of publication, despite a pending deadline set by al-Sharaa."