Clashes resume in Syria's Sweida city

DAMASCUS — Clashes between Syrian government troops and local Druze fighters resumed in the southern Druze city of Sweida early on Wednesday, wrecking a ceasefire announced just hours earlier that aimed to put an end to days of deadly sectarian bloodshed.

The outbreak of violence in the Druze-majority province of Sweida in southern Syria has highlighted frictions among Syria's diverse communities, with minorities feeling deep distrust toward the Islamist-led interim government.

Syrian troops were dispatched to the province on Monday to quell fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin armed men, but ended up clashing with the Druze militias. The fighting drew in Israel, which carried out airstrikes on government forces for the past three days on the pretext of protecting the Druze.

A ceasefire announced by Syria's defense authorities on Tuesday night was short-lived.

Local news outlet Sweida 24 said the city of Sweida and nearby villages were coming under heavy artillery and mortar fire early on Wednesday. Syria's defense authorities, in a statement carried by state news agency SANA, blamed outlaw groups in Sweida for breaching the truce.

At least 248 people have been killed in Sweida Province following several days of clashes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

The toll includes 92 members of the Druze minority, 28 of them civilians, the monitor said. At least 138 Syrian security personnel were killed, along with 18 allied Bedouin fighters, it said.

Bombing of Damascus

Israel, which had previously said it would protect the Druze in Syria, said it bombed Syrian army headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday.

Security sources from within the headquarters told Reuters that at least two drone strikes had hit the building and that officers were taking cover in the basement.

Syrian state television reported that two people were wounded in central Damascus, without giving a more precise location.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Syrian interim government to "leave the Druze in Sweida alone" and that the military would continue to strike Syrian troops until they pulled back.

On Tuesday, Middle Eastern countries condemned Israel's military intervention in the clashes.

"We condemn Israel's use of military force to intervene in the recent developments in the south of Syria and emphasize that these attacks must cease immediately," Turkiye's Foreign Ministry said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry expressed grave concern over the deadly clashes in Syria.

Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei pointed to Israel's continued military "aggressions" against Syria's territorial integrity and its "occupation" of a major part of the Syrian territory.

Earlier on Tuesday, Syria's foreign affairs authorities condemned Israeli airstrikes targeting Syrian forces in Sweida, calling the attacks "a blatant act of aggression".

Agencies - Xinhua