Communication blackout in Syria’s Daraa, Suwayda due to cable disruption

ISTANBUL

Telecommunications and internet services in Syria’s southern provinces of Daraa and Suwayda were disrupted on Sunday due to a break in the fiber optic cable linking them to the capital Damascus, according to officials.

"This incident is the result of repeated attacks on telecommunications infrastructure, which have led to the severing of the critical fiber optic cable connecting the two provinces to the main communication centers,” Ahmed Hariri, head of Daraa’s telecommunications department, told the state news agency SANA.

“Repair teams from the Syrian Telecommunications Authority are working around the clock to restore service as quickly as possible,” he said, warning that such incidents harm citizens and disrupt essential services.

Hariri called for protecting telecommunications infrastructure “to ensure the continuous and effective provision of communication and internet services."

In recent days, the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus have seen heightened security tensions amid coordinated attacks by loyalists of the former Assad regime. These attacks – described as the most severe since the regime’s fall in December – targeted security patrols, checkpoints, and hospitals, resulting in deaths and injuries.

In response, security and military forces launched sweeping operations to track down the attackers. The operations have led to fierce clashes, as government officials assert that the situation is moving toward full stability.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led anti-regime forces to oust Assad, was declared president for a transitional period on Jan. 29.