Israel strikes tanks in Syria as govt forces clash with militias
Busra al-Harir: Israel’s army said Monday it has struck military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces and Bedouin tribes clashed with Druze militias.
Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting between local militias and clans in Syria’s Sweida province.
Government security forces that were sent to restore order Monday also clashed with local armed groups.Syria’s Interior Ministry has said more than 30 people have died and nearly 100 others have been injured. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported at least 89 dead, including two children, two women and 14 members of the security forces.
The clashes in Syria initially broke out between armed groups from the Druze and Sunni
Bedouin clans, the observatory said,
with some members of the government security forces “actively participating” in support of the Bedouins.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba said government forces entered Sweida in the early morning to restore order.
“Some clashes occurred with outlawed armed groups, but our forces are doing their best to prevent any civilian casualties,” he told the state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV.
The observatory said the clashes started after a series of kidnappings
between both groups, which began when members of a Bedouin tribe in the area set up a checkpoint where they attacked and robbed a young Druze man.
Rami Abdurrahman said the conflict started with the kidnapping and robbery of a Druze vegetable seller, leading to tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings.
The Interior Ministry described the situation as a dangerous escalation that “comes in the absence of the relevant official institutions, which has
led to an exacerbation of the state of chaos,
the deterioration of the security situation, and the inability of the local community to contain the situation despite repeated calls for calm.”
UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi expressed “deep concern” over the violence and urged the government and local groups to “take immediate steps to protect civilians, restore calm, and prevent
incitement.”
