Local armed groups seize police HQ in Syria's Sweida

Local armed groups in Syria's southern city of Sweida took control of the city's police headquarters and several other security compounds on Friday evening without a direct armed confrontation, reported Xinhua.

The groups, which claimed they aim to protect government and security facilities, were heavily deployed in central Sweida, including around the main state hospital, a Xinhua correspondent witnessed. Videos posted online show police officers vacating their stations peacefully.

Despite the absence of large-scale clashes inside the city, intermittent gunfire echoed through Sweida's streets, prompting a curfew and the shuttering of shops.

A member of one of the armed groups, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the security situation remained fragile.

At least two fighters from the Men of Dignity movement, one of the largest armed groups in Sweida, were reportedly killed in an exchange of fire near a military post, and four others were wounded, the source told Xinhua.

Saudi-funded Al Arabiya TV cited a source as saying that the armed groups in Sweida now control 70 percent of the city.