sectarian clashes rage
DAMASCUS
Syrian government forces were advancing towards the southern city of Sweida on Monday amid clashes in the region between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes that have killed nearly 100 people, according to a war monitor.
As the violence escalated, Israel — which had previously warned that it would intervene in Syria to protect the Druze — said it struck “several tanks” in the area, citing security concerns.
The fighting underscores the challenges facing interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose Islamist forces ousted president Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of civil war.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor raised its death toll to 99 killed since fighting erupted Sunday, including 60 Druze, four of them civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms.
Syrian forces on Monday took control of the Druze village of Al-Mazraa, where Bedouin fighters were also located, an AFP correspondent said.
A commander, Ezzeddine al-Shamayer, told AFP the forces “are heading toward Sweida” city.
