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

BUSRA AL-HARIR, Syria — Israel's army said Monday it struck military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces and Bedouin tribes clashed with Druze militias in the latest escalation in the Middle East country struggling for stability after a 13-year civil war.

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 U.K.-based war monitor, reported at least 99 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.

Syrian 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.

Clashes fundamentally ‘not sectarian' in nature

Al-Baba told The Associated Press that the ''clashes are fundamentally not sectarian in nature.''

''The real conflict is between the state and bandits and criminals, not between the state and any Syrian community,'' he said. ''On the contrary, the state views the Druze community in Sweida as a partner in advancing the national unity project.''

Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the observatory, said the conflict started with the kidnapping and robbery of a Druze vegetable seller by members of a Bedouin tribe who set up a checkpoint, 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.''

U.N. 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.''

She said in a statement 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

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli military ''attacked targets in Syria as a message and a clear warning to the Syrian regime — we will not allow harm to the Druze in Syria.''

In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the armed forces.

While many Druze in Syria have said they do not want Israel to intervene on their behalf, factions from the Druze minority have also been suspicious of the new authorities 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 security forces from the new government or allied factions.

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 in the town of Sahnaya and the Druze-majority Damascus suburb of Jaramana.

Over half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.

A group led by Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, a Druze spiritual leader who has been opposed to the new government in Damascus, on Monday issued a statement calling for ''international protection'' and accused government forces and General Security agency of ''supporting takfiri gangs'' — using a term for extremist Sunni militants.

Syria's Foreign Ministry called for ''all countries and organizations to respect the authority of the Syrian Arab Republic and refrain from supporting any separatist rebel movements.'' In a statement, it called for Syrians to ''cease acts of violence, surrender illegal weapons and thwart those seeking to dismantle the Syrian social fabric and sow discord and division.''

‘Like unwrapping an onion'

The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. In Syria, they largely live in the southern Sweida province and some suburbs of Damascus, mainly in Jaramana and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to the south.

The Druze developed their own militias during the country's nearly 14-year civil war, during which they sometimes faced attacks by the Islamic State group and other militant groups.

Israel has taken an aggressive stance toward Syria's new leaders since Assad's fall, saying it does not want Islamic militants near its borders. Israeli forces earlier seized a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory along the border 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 government to move toward normalization with Israel. Syrian officials 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 told The Associated Press last week that he believes normalizing ties will happen ''like unwrapping an onion, slowly.''

___

Sewell reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.