89 killed as Syria sectarian clashes rage on in Sweida

ISRAEL SAYS IT STRUCK 'SEVERAL TANKS' TO PROTECT DRUZE COMMUNITY

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At least 89 people were killed in the southern Syrian province of Sweida as clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters raged for a second day yesterday, a monitor said.

As the violence escalated, Israel — which had earlier warned that it would intervene in Syria to protect the Druze — said it struck “several tanks” in Sweida, without providing details.

The fighting underscores the challenges facing interim leader Ahmad Al Sharaa, whose Islamist forces ousted president Bashar Al Assad in December, in a country reeling from 14 years of war.

The Syrian military and interior ministries announced troop deployments, safe corridors for civilians and a pledge to end the fighting “quickly and decisively”.

Started with an abduction

The violence began Sunday when Bedouin gunmen abducted a Druze vegetable vendor on the highway to Damascus, prompting retaliatory kidnappings.

Though hostages were later released, the fighting carried on yesterday outside Sweida city, with mortar fire hitting villages and dozens wounded, said the Suwayda 24 news outlet.