Syria’s local factions to secure Sweida

THE Syrian government announced yesterday that local leaders would assume control over security in the city of Sweida in an attempt to end violence that has claimed hundreds of lives and prompted Israel's military intervention in support of the Druze minority.

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Syrian forces had deployed to Sweida with the stated aim of overseeing a truce, following days of deadly clashes between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes that a war monitor said left more than 350 people dead.

But witnesses said government forces had joined the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians.

Israel responded by carrying out strikes on Syrian forces, including its army headquarters in Damascus, and said it would intensify its attacks if they did not withdraw from the south.

Syria said its army was withdrawing from Sweida and the US - a close ally of Israel that has been trying to reboot its relationship with Syria - said an agreement had been reached to restore calm in the area, urging “all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made”.

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a televised address yesterday that “responsibility” for security in Sweida would be handed to religious elders and some local factions “based on the supreme national interest’.