Zürcher Nachrichten - Syrian forces accused of 'executions' in Druze area as Israel launches strikes

Damascus had deployed troops to the area after clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes killed more than 100 people.

Israel announced its strikes shortly after Syria's defence minister declared a ceasefire in Sweida city, which government forces entered in the morning.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that forces from the "defence and interior ministries carried out field executions of 12 civilians after storming the Radwan family guest house in the city of Sweida".

While most Druze religious leaders supported the government's deployment, at least one senior figure urged armed resistance, having previously called for "international protection".

Neighbouring Israel, which has its own Druze minority, has sought to portray itself as a defender of the community, while also warning the Syrian government against maintaining any military presence south of Damascus, which Israel considers a threat to its security.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have instructed the Israeli military to immediately strike regime forces and weaponry that were brought into the Sweida region... to carry out operations against the Druze," the pair said in a joint statement Tuesday.

"We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them and to ensure the demilitarisation of the area adjacent to our border with Syria."

In a statement shortly after, the Israeli military said it had begun hitting military vehicles in the area. Syrian state media also reported strikes.

On Monday, Israel said it had struck several tanks in southern Syria as "a clear warning" that it would "not allow harm to be done to the Druze".

Some analysts, however, have suggested Israel is using the group as a pretext for pursuing its own military goals.

The Islamist-led government, which on Saturday sent an emissary to Azerbaijan for a first face-to-face meeting with an Israeli official, did not immediately comment on the strikes.

- 'Complete ceasefire' -

Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra declared just before midday Tuesday "a complete ceasefire" in Sweida city after talks with local representatives.

"We will respond only to sources of fire and deal with any targeting by outlaw groups," he added in a post on X.

Druze representatives gathered at the residence of key leader Sheikh Youssef Jarbouh to discuss implementing the ceasefire, a source close to the participants said.

The sound of gunfire subsided after the announcement, and government troops were seen waving the Syrian flag atop a roundabout, AFP correspondents reported.

They had earlier reported clashes as government forces entered Sweida.

Though most Druze spiritual leaders had supported the deployment, the influential Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri called in a statement for "resisting this brutal campaign by all available means".

A curfew was to be imposed on the southern city in a bid to halt the violence, which erupted between Druze and Bedouin fighters at the weekend and has since spread across Sweida province.

The defence ministry urged people to "stay home and report any movements of outlaw groups".

Government forces said they intervened to separate the two sides, but they ended up taking control of several Druze areas around Sweida, an AFP correspondent reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights earlier reported 116 people killed since the fighting erupted on Sunday -- 64 Druze, 34 government loyalists and 18 Bedouin.

The defence ministry confirmed 18 deaths among the ranks of the armed forces.

- Druze-Bedouin feud -

The fighting underscores the challenges facing interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose Islamist forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of civil war.

Syria's pre-war Druze population was estimated at around 700,000, mostly concentrated in Sweida province.

Following deadly clashes between the Druze and government forces in April and May, community leaders reached an agreement with Damascus under which Druze fighters had been providing security in the province.

Amal, a 46-year-old resident, said she feared a repeat of massacres in Syria's northwest in March that saw more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians killed, allegedly by groups affiliated with the government.

"We are not against the state, but we are against surrendering our weapons without a state that treats everyone the same," she said.

The Observatory said members of Bedouin tribes, who are Sunni Muslims, had sided with security forces during earlier confrontations with the Druze.

Bedouin and Druze factions have a longstanding feud in Sweida, and violence occasionally erupts between the two sides.

G.Kuhn--NZN