Israel strikes in Damascus as clashes in Syria rage on

West Australian

5 days ago

Clashes have raged in the southern Syrian city of Sweida after a ceasefire between government forces and Druze armed groups collapsed and as Israel threatens to escalate its involvement, saying it's in support of the Druze religious minority.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it struck near the entrance to the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus.
Israel has launched air strikes on convoys of government forces in southern Syria since the clashes erupted and has beefed up forces on the border.
Syria's defence ministry had earlier blamed militias in Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached on Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire and continue military operations in the Druze-majority province.
"Military forces continue to respond to the source of fire inside the city of Sweida, while adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes," the statement said.
A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war.
Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control over the territory.
The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities.
The fears of minorities increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiralled into sectarian revenge attacks in which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed.
The latest escalation in Syria began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions in the southern province, a centre of the Druze community.
Government forces that intervened to restore order have also clashed with the Druze, while reports have surfaced of members of the security forces carrying out extrajudicial killings, looting and burning civilian homes.
No official casualty figures have been released since Monday, when the Syrian interior ministry said 30 people had been killed.
The UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 250 people had been killed as of Wednesday morning, including four children, five women and 138 soldiers and security forces.
The observatory said at least 21 people were killed in "field executions".
The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shi'ite Islam.
More than half the roughly one million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.
In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the military.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday night that Israel has "a commitment to preserve the southwestern region of Syria as a demilitarised area on Israel's border" and has "an obligation to safeguard the Druze locals".
Israel has taken an aggressive stance towards Syria's new leaders since Assad's fall, saying it does not want Islamist militants near its borders.