Israel strikes military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces clash with Druze militias

BUSRA AL-HARIR Syria AP Israel s army disclosed Monday it has struck military tanks in southern Syria where regime 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 Establishment safeguard forces that were sent to restore order Monday also clashed with local armed groups Syria s Interior Ministry has commented more than people have died and nearly others have been injured The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights a U K -based war monitor informed at least dead including two children two women and members of the assurance forces The clashes in Syria initially broke out between armed groups from the Druze and Sunni Bedouin clans the observatory noted with several members of the authorities assurance forces actively participating in advocacy of the Bedouins Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba commented authorities forces entered Sweida in the early morning to restore order Various clashes occurred with outlawed armed groups but our forces are doing their best to prevent any civilian casualties he narrated the state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV The observatory reported 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 who heads the observatory revealed the conflict started with the kidnapping and robbery of a Druze vegetable seller leading to tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings Syria s defense and interior ministries were deploying personnel to the area to attempt to restore order 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 defense situation and the inability of the local society to contain the situation despite repeated calls for calm U N Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi expressed deep concern over the violence and urged the ruling body and local groups to take immediate actions to protect civilians restore calm and prevent incitement She noted in a announcement the clashes underscored the urgent need for genuine inclusion trust-building and meaningful dialogue to advance a credible and inclusive political transition in Syria Israel sees Druze as a loyal minority Israel has previously intervened in Syria in defense of the Druze religious minority In May Israeli forces struck a site near the presidential palace in Damascus in what was seen as a warning to Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa The strike came after dozens were killed in fighting between pro-government gunmen and Druze fighters earlier this year in the town of Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz stated in a announcement at the time that Israel will not allow the deployment of Syrian ruling body forces south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze neighborhood Over half of the roughly million Druze worldwide live in Syria Majority of other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel including in the Golan Heights which Israel captured from Syria in the Mideast War and annexed in In Israel Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the armed forces While various Druze in Syria have mentioned they do not want Israel to intervene on their behalf factions from the Druze minority have also been suspicious of the new functionaries in Damascus after former President Bashar Assad fled the country in December during a rebel offensive led by Sunni Islamist insurgent groups On several occasions Druze groups have clashed with safety forces from the new executive or allied factions A group led by Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri a Druze spiritual leader who has been opposed to the new regime in Damascus on Monday issued a declaration calling for international protection and accused cabinet forces and General Prevention agency of supporting takfiri gangs using a term for extremist Sunni militants Like unwrapping an onion The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a th-century offshoot of Ismailism a branch of Shiite Islam In Syria they largely live in the southern Sweida province and certain suburbs of Damascus mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south The Druze developed their own militias during the country s nearly -year civil war during which they sometimes faced attacks by the Islamic State and other Islamist militant groups Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria s new leaders since Assad s fall saying it does not want Islamist militants near its borders Israeli forces earlier seized a U N -patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the confines with the Golan Heights and have launched hundreds of airstrikes on military sites in Syria The Trump administration has been pushing for the new Syrian governing body to move toward normalization with Israel Syrian personnel have acknowledged holding indirect talks with Israel to attempt to defuse tensions but have not responded to reports that the two sides have also held direct talks U S envoy to Syria Tom Barrack recounted The Associated Press last week that he believes normalizing ties will happen like unwrapping an onion slowly