Israel launched attacks against Syrian government forces in southwestern Syria for the second day on Tuesday, vowing to maintain the area demilitarised and to defend the Druze minority as deadly battles raged near the Israeli border.
According to reports, gunshots were heard, and three bodies were discovered on the ground.
Since Sunday, fighting in the region has claimed the lives of dozens of individuals.
The increase in violence highlights the difficulties facing interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has failed to establish control over the area near the Israeli border after deposing Bashar al-Assad in December.
While Sharaa has been boosted by quickly improving relations with US President Donald Trump’s administration, the violence has underlined lingering sectarian divisions and distrust among minority groups in his Islamist-led regime, which was exacerbated by mass killings of Alawites in March.
Syria’s foreign ministry claimed Israel was totally accountable for the strike and its aftermath, and it promised to safeguard all civilians, especially the Druze.
It said the attacks killed a number of Syrian troops and civilians, without providing a count.
Syria’s presidency said the country would take legal action against “anyone proven to have committed violations or abuses, regardless of their rank or position”.
US Syria envoy Tom Barrack said the United States was in contact with all sides “to navigate towards calm and integration”.
Axios reported, citing a US official, that the Trump administration has asked Israel to stop its strikes on Syrian military forces. Israel said it would cease the attacks on Tuesday evening, the official said.
Israel, which has struck Syria several times in the name of protecting the Druze, carried out its latest strikes after influential Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri issued a statement accusing government troops of breaching a ceasefire and urging fighters to confront what he described as a barbaric attack.
After al-Hajri appeared in a recorded statement, Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra declared that a complete ceasefire was in place, and said government forces would only open fire if fired upon.
Abu Qasra also said that military police had been ordered to deploy in Sweida to “control military behaviour and hold violators accountable”, according to state news agency.
The Druze are a minority group whose faith is an offshoot of Islam and have followers in Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said they had ordered Israel’s military to strike “regime forces” and weaponry brought to Sweida to be used against the Druze.
In a statement, they said the deployment of government forces was in violation of a demilitarisation policy that had called on Damascus to refrain from bringing forces and weapons that pose a threat to Israel into southern Syria.
The latest violence in southwestern Syria began on Sunday with clashes between armed Druze groups and Bedouin fighters in Sweida province, which displaced thousands of people.
The Druze spiritual leadership said in a written statement on Tuesday morning that it would allow Syrian forces to enter Sweida city to stop the bloodshed, calling on armed groups to surrender their weapons and co-operate with incoming troops.
Convoys of Syrian army tanks, trucks and motorcycles entered parts of Sweida city by mid-morning and were continuing to fire on neighbourhoods there, reports say.
Israel’s military on Monday said it had carried out several strikes on tanks approaching Sweida “to prevent their arrival to the area” because they could pose a threat to Israel.
