Attacks on Syrian security forces sent to quell sectarian fighting leave 18 dead
Intense clashes resumed in Sweida on Monday, local news reported. Israel said it struck tanks in a town in the same province on the same day
At least 18 members of Syria’s security forces have been killed in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, the Defence Ministry said, after they deployed to quell deadly sectarian clashes that had resumed on Monday, while Israel said it struck tanks in a town in the same province on the same day.
Sunday’s fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribal fighters was the first time that sectarian violence erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, following months of tensions in the broader province.
Defence Ministry spokesman Hassan Abdel-Ghani said in statements reported by Syrian state news agency SANA that a number of troops were also injured during attacks on military points by “outlawed groups”.
Earlier, the ministry said in a statement to Reuters that these groups, who it did not identify further, had attacked a number of its units at dawn.
It said its forces responded to the attacks and had pursued the groups that refused to halt hostilities and continued to target security forces.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it attacked several tanks in a town in Sweida. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes were a “clear warning to the Syrian regime”, adding that Israel would not allow harm to the Druze living in Syria.