The deal of al-Jolani and the Druze: a prisoner exchange deal in Sweida, Syria

The process of handing over and receiving the detainees and prisoners is carried out under the close supervision of the International Red Cross delegation. According to the plan, the meeting point was set at the government building in the town of A-Sura a-Sa’ira in the north of the district, and from there the freed will be transported directly to Sweida through the military checkpoint in Kfar al-Matouna.

In its official announcement, the Syrian Public Information Directorate tried to convey a return to normalcy and emphasized that the move was intended to “maintain security and public peace, and strengthen stability and mutual trust between the citizens and the government institutions.” The directorate even insisted on stating that all the detainees held by Damascus “were in continuous contact with their families”, and that the lists of names were published transparently in advance, a step they say was intended to “strengthen national cohesion and curb attempts to destabilize the district”.

The current deal is expected to include the release of 61 civilians from Sweida, who have been imprisoned in Adra prison in the Damascus area since the events of the summer of 2025, and in return 30 officers and soldiers of the Syrian ministries of defense and interior held captive in Sweida will be released. Now it remains to be seen whether the release of the prisoners will indeed lead to the long-awaited peace, or whether it is only a temporary lull in the turbulent Druze province.