Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to Suwayda to quell fighting between the Druze and Bedouin tribes, the Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson has said.
Israel has previously warned the Syrian government to withdraw from the south and its forces carried out an attack Friday on Syriaโs Palmyra-Homs highway, targeting a convoy of Bedouin fighters who were reportedly making their way towards restive Suwayda in the south of the country, according to Israelโs public broadcaster Kan News.
This comes just two days after Israel carried out heavy attacks on Damascus.
Bedouin fighters in Syria said they launched a new offensive against Druze fighters late on Thursday, despite the withdrawal of Syrian government forces from the southwestern province of Suwayda, and an attempt by the Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to draw a line under a recent eruption of deadly violence that killed hundreds.
A Bedouin military commander told the Reuters news agency that the truce only applied to government forces and not to them, adding that the fighters were seeking to free Bedouins whom Druze armed groups had detained in recent days.
Bedouin fighters have managed to reach the Suwayda area in the last few hours, the Kan report said, confirming earlier reports from Arabic-language news media.
Syriaโs leadership has condemned Israelโs attacks as a violation of its sovereignty amid attempts to cement a ceasefire between Bedouin and Druze fighters.
Israel has justified its latest bombing of Syria under the pretext that it is protecting the Druze minority. But the country has more self-serving reasons.
Israel has long attacked Syria, even before the latest outbreak of violence involving the Druze in Suwayda.
Since the removal of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad after a devastating 14-year war, Israel has struck Syria hundreds of times and invaded and occupied about 400sq km (155sq miles) of its territory, excluding the western Golan Heights, which it has occupied since 1967.
Leading analysts within Israel suggest that these latest attacks may not have been entirely motivated by concern for the welfare of the Druze, so much as the personal and political aims of the Israeli government and its embattled prime minister.
The latest reports of violence come despite a ceasefire agreed on Wednesday, after Israel had conducted its own attacks on Syria, striking the Ministry of Defence and near the presidential palace in Damascus.
Al-Sharaa said in a televised speech on Thursday that protecting the countryโs Druze citizens and their rights was a priority as he announced that local leaders would take control of security in Suwayda in a bid to end sectarian violence in the south and stop Israel from attacking.
Sheikh Hikmat Al Hijri, one of the spiritual leaders of the Syrian Druze community said, โ We are not sectarian, and we have never wanted to cause division. We hold full responsibility for anyone who tampers with security and stability. We affirm that whoever engages in sabotage or incitement represents only himself, and we reject that his actions be attributed to any sect or region.โ
Condemnation from Qatar, Turkiye; US โdid not support Israeli strikesโ
In the meantime, Qatarโs Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has condemned Israelโs days of attacks on Syria in a phone conversation with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The emir described Israelโs bombing of Syria as a โflagrant violationโ of the countryโs sovereignty, international law, the United Nations Charter, โand a threat to regional stabilityโ, according to a statement from Sheikh Tamimโs office on Friday.
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Turkiye would not allow Syria to be divided or its multicultural structure and territorial integrity harmed, after Israelโs actions sought to โsabotageโ a ceasefire in the country.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian leader al-Sharaa discussed Israelโs attacks on Damascus in a phone call on Thursday, the presidency said, adding Erdogan had voiced support for Damascus.
Turkiye played a crucial role in securing a ceasefire in Syria following Israeli air attacks on Damascus. Turkish intelligence officials held talks with Syriaโs Druze leader, a Turkish security source said on Thursday.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce has said the United States condemns violence in Syria and called on the Syrian government to lead the path forward.
โWe are engaging diplomatically with Israel and Syria at the highest levels, both to address the present crisis and reach a lasting agreement between the two sovereign states,โ she said on Thursday.
Bruce continued that โregarding Israelโsย intervention and activityโ in Syria, the US โdid not support recent Israeli strikesโ.
It was unclear if Bruceโs comments referred to just US logistical support for the Israeli militaryโs attacks against Syria.
