Daraa Governorate () is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the south-west of the country and covers an area of 2594 km2. It is bordered by Jordan to the south, Quneitra Governorate and Golan Heights to the west, Rif Dimashq Governorate to the north and Suwayda Governorate to the east. The capital is the city of Daraa.

The governorate had a population of 843,478 in the 2004 census. Several clashes have occurred within the governorate throughout the Syrian civil war.

History Civil War (2011–2024)

Protests and subsequent clashes (2011–2012)

Civilians in Daraa began protesting against the Assad government's authoritarian practices, which later prompted similar protests across the country. The Syrian government responded by besieging the city, which prompted some protesters to arm themselves. The escalating tensions eventually lead to the creation of the Free Syrian Army on 29 July 2011 by defectors from the Syrian army. Several smaller rebel groups were also created by protesters, which operated under the umbrella of the larger Free Syrian Army.

Daraa contested by Syrian government and rebels (2012–2018) The Syrian government would begin an intense shelling of Daraa on 16 February 2012 in response to the Free Syrian Army aiding protesters. The Syrian army would later attack parts of the city with anti-aircraft guns in response to the Free Syrian Army reportedly controlling one district of Daraa, bordering Jordan. By February 2014, the strongest opposition faction fighting in the Daraa governorate would be the Southern Front, which is a loose series of military alliances.

Various offensives between 2013–2015 would see the Syrian rebels gain territory until 25 June 2015, where the Syrian army would wage their first successful offensive against the rebels. This was shortly thereafter followed by a second successful offensive, capturing the city of Ash-Shaykh Maskin. This would later be followed by a successful offensive by rebel forces, recapturing parts of Daraa. After several ceasefires and minor offensives, the Syrian army launched a successful offensive to retake most of the rebel-controlled territory in Daraa. This was followed by a major insurgency between 23 November 2018 and 5 September 2021, with a minor insurgency following it. Due to the weakened state of rebel forces, several groups accepted reconciliation talks with the Syrian government.

ISIL Presence in Southern Daraa (2016–present)

An offensive by two groups allegedly associated with the Islamic State (ISIS) would see a cell established around the settlement of Nahj, roughly 9 km away from the capital of Daraa. The Free Syrian Army would later recapture most of the lost territory, with ISIS-affiliated forces remaining in the Yarmouk Valley on the border with Jordan. On 20 February 2017, ISIS launched a successful offensive to capture Tasil. ISIS would remain there until the Syrian army launched an offensive to retake territory from both ISIS and other rebels. As of today, ISIS presence in Daraa is weak, with it only executing sporadic attacks.

Lesser fighting and sporadic reconciliation efforts (2018–2024) After the offensive which put most of southern Syria back into the Syrian army's control, several rebel forces would accept reconciliation talks. However, these reconciliation talks would restart several times due to clashes between rebel forces and the Syrian army. The March 2020 Daraa clashes resulted in a return to the status quo, with the 2021 Daraa offensive resulting in the Syrian government recapturing Daraa city.

Rebel resurgence (2024)

The Southern Front launched an offensive on 29 November 2024 to capture the entire Daraa governorate. On the 6 December 2024, the Southern Front announced a military alliance with various Druze rebel groups, creating the Southern Operations Room. As of the 8 December 2024, the Southern Operations Room fully controlled Daraa Governorate.

Continued hostilities (2024-present)

Israeli invasion (2024-present)

On 8 December 2024, Israeli soldiers crossed into the UN-buffer zone in violation of the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria, invading the Quneitra and Daraa governorates. Israeli Army Radio cited a need to strengthen its border with Syria as justification for the invasion, and claiming that the agreement reached under the Assad regime was no longer in affect. On 23 February 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demand the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Daraa, Quneitra and Suweyda, and the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Syrian territory south of Damascus.

Clashes with Assad Loyalists (2025) Clashes broke out on 4 March 2025 between the then-newly-appointed Syrian caretaker government and Assad loyalists in the city of As-Sanamayn. Clashes had died down by 6 March with the victory of the caretaker government.

Governance

Districts

The governorate is divided into three districts (manatiq). The districts are further divided into 17 sub-districts (nawahi):

Daraa District (8 sub-districts) Daraa Subdistrict Bosra Subdistrict Khirbet Ghazaleh Subdistrict Al-Shajara Subdistrict Da'el Subdistrict Muzayrib Subdistrict Al-Jiza Subdistrict Al-Musayfirah Subdistrict

Izraa District (6 sub-districts) Izraa Subdistrict Jasim Subdistrict Al-Hirak Subdistrict Nawa Subdistrict Ash-Shaykh Miskin Subdistrict Tasil Subdistrict As-Sanamayn District (3 sub-districts) As-Sanamayn Subdistrict Al-Masmiyah Subdistrict Ghabaghib Subdistrict

Cities, towns and villages This list includes all cities, towns and villages with more than 5,000 inhabitants. The population figures are given according to the 2004 official census:

English namePopulationDistrictDaraa97,969Daraa DistrictNawa47,066Izraa DistrictTafas32,236Daraa DistrictJasim31,683Izraa DistrictInkhil31,258As-Sanamayn DistrictDa'el29,408Daraa DistrictAs-Sanamayn26,268As-Sanamayn DistrictAsh-Shaykh Miskin24,057Izraa DistrictAl-Hirak20,760Izraa DistrictBosra19,683Daraa DistrictIzraa19,158Izraa DistrictAl-Harra17,172As-Sanamayn DistrictKhirbet Ghazaleh16,240Daraa DistrictTasil15,985Izraa DistrictAl-Jiza14,700Daraa DistrictAbtaa14,283Daraa DistrictBuser al-Harir13,315Izraa DistrictMuzayrib12,640Daraa DistrictKafr Shams12,435As-Sanamayn DistrictAl-Ghariyah ash-Sharqiyah11,945Daraa DistrictGhabaghib11,802As-Sanamayn DistrictSaida11,215Daraa DistrictAl-Karak10,510Daraa DistrictAl-Musayfirah10,466Daraa DistrictMahajjah9,982Izraa DistrictAl-Ghariyah al-Gharbiyah9,784Daraa DistrictTell Shihab9,430Daraa DistrictMaaraba8,988Daraa DistrictAl-Yadudah8,967Daraa DistrictAtaman8,929Daraa DistrictAl-Taybah7,969Daraa DistrictNimer7,941Izraa DistrictNahtah7,789Izraa DistrictJabab7,699As-Sanamayn DistrictUmm Walad7,547Daraa DistrictAl-Naimah7,472Daraa DistrictAl-Qenniyah7,256As-Sanamayn DistrictSaham al-Jawlan6,572Daraa DistrictAl-Shajara6,567Daraa DistrictAlma6,297Daraa DistrictNasib5,780Daraa DistrictAl-Mlaihah al-Gharbiyah5,454Izraa DistrictDeir al-Bukht5,381As-Sanamayn District

See also Christians in Syria Daraa Governorate campaign

References

External links