Daraa Governorate مُحافظة درعا | |
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 Map of Syria with Daraa highlighted | |
| Coordinates (Daraa):32°54′N36°12′E / 32.9°N 36.2°E /32.9; 36.2 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Capital | Daraa |
| Manatiq (Districts) | 3 |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Anwar al-Zoubi |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,730 km2 (1,440 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,027,000 |
| • Density | 275/km2 (713/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | SY-DR |
| Main language(s) | Arabic |
Daraa Governorate (Arabic:مُحافظة درعا /ALA-LC:Muḥāfaẓat Dar‘ā) is one of the fourteengovernorates (provinces) ofSyria. It is situated in the south-west of the country and covers an area of 2594 km2. It is bordered byJordan to the south,Quneitra Governorate andGolan Heights to the west,Rif Dimashq Governorate to the north andAs-Suwayda Governorate to the east. The capital is the city ofDaraa.
The governorate had a population of 843,478 in the 2004 census.[1]
Several clashes have occurred within the governorate throughout theSyrian civil war.
Civilians in Daraa began protesting against the government's authoritarian practices, which later promptedsimilar protests across the country.[2][3] The Syrian government responded bybesieging the city, which prompted some protesters to arm themselves.[3][4] The escalating tensions eventually lead to the creation of theFree Syrian Army on 29 July 2011 by defectors from the Syrian army.[5] Several smaller rebel groups were also created by protesters, which operated under the umbrella of the larger Free Syrian Army.[4]
The Syrian government would begin an intense shelling of Daraa on 16 February 2012 in response to the Free Syrian Army aiding protesters.[6] 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.[7] By February 2014, the strongest opposition faction fighting in the Daraa governorate would be theSouthern Front, which is a loose series of military alliances.[3]
Various offensives between 2013–2015 would see the Syrian rebels gain territory until 25 June 2015, where the Syrian army would wage their firstsuccessful offensive against the rebels. This was shortly thereafter followed by a secondsuccessful offensive, capturing the city ofAl-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 asuccessful offensive to retake most of the rebel-controlled territory in Daraa. This was followed by amajor 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.[8]
An offensive by two groups allegedly associated with theIslamic State (ISIL) would see a cell established around the settlement of Nahj, roughly 9 km away from the capital of Daraa.[9] The Free Syrian Army would later recapture most of the lost territory, with ISIL-affiliated forces remaining in the Yarmouk Valley on the border with Jordan.[10] On 20 February 2017, ISIL launched asuccessful offensive to captureTasil. ISIL would remain there until the Syrian army launchedan offensive to retake territory from both ISIL and other rebels. As of today, ISIL presence in Daraa is weak, with it only executing sporadic attacks.[11]
After the offensive which put most of southern Syria back into the Syrian army's control, several rebel forces would accept reconciliation talks.[8] However, these reconciliation talks would restart several times due to clashes between rebel forces and the Syrian army. TheMarch 2020 Daraa clashes resulted in a return to the status quo, with the2021 Daraa offensive resulting in the Syrian government recapturing Daraa city.[12]
The Southern Front launched anoffensive on 29 November 2024 to capture the entire Daraa governorate. On the 6 December 2024, the Southern Front announced a military alliance with variousDruze rebel groups, creating theSouthern Operations Room.[13][14] As of the 8 December 2024, the Southern Operations Room fully controlled Daraa Governorate.[15]
On 23 February 2025, Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu demanded the complete demilitarization of southern Syria in the provinces of Daraa,Quneitra andSuweyda,[16] and the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Syrian territory south of Damascus.[17]
Clashes broke out[clarification needed] in the city in March 2025.[18]
The governorate is divided into threedistricts (manatiq). The districts are further divided into 17 sub-districts (nawahi):
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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:[19][20]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Places adjacent to Daraa Governorate | |
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Capital:Daraa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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