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Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced a cease-fire in the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Tuesday after government forces entered the city to end deadly clashes with Bedouin tribes.
"To all units operating within the city of Sweida, we declare a complete cease-fire after an agreement with the city's notables and dignitaries," Qasra posted on X.
Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes targeting Syrian forces in southern Syria's Sweida governorate Tuesday, despite Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announcing a full cease-fire following deadly clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin Arab tribes.
Syria's state news agency SANA reported multiple strikes by the Israeli army in the Druze-majority area but did not provide details about casualties. Israel's Army Radio also reported a strike on a Syrian tank after entering Sweida city.
According to information obtained by an AA correspondent from local sources, Israel launched airstrikes on the entrance to the northwest of Sweida province. According to local sources, Syrian anti-aircraft guns (ZU23) responded to Israeli aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in its airspace.
The Israeli army launched an airstrike near the police headquarters in Sweida city center at around 4:25 p.m. local time.
Syrian government forces entered the majority Druze city of Sweida on Tuesday, the interior ministry said, aiming to end clashes with Bedouin tribes that have killed nearly 100 people.
The southern city had been under the control of armed factions from the Druze minority, whose religious leaders said they had approved the deployment of Damascus's troops and called on fighters to hand over their weapons.
Ahmed al-Dalati, head of internal security in Sweida, announced a curfew in the governorate effective from Tuesday morning "until further notice," according to the Syrian News Agency SANA.
The curfew is intended to ensure public safety, said Dalati.
He confirmed that Interior and Defense Ministry forces have begun entering Sweida city center to protect civilians and restore order after the violent confrontations. In its latest statement, the Druze spiritual leadership expressed support for the deployment of security forces aimed at regaining control over military and security centers in Sweida and stabilizing the region.
The leadership urged all armed groups "not to resist" the government forces' presence and called for an "open dialogue with the government to address the repercussions of recent events."
A military statement said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the army to strike Syrian forces and military vehicles in Sweida.
"Under the guidance of the political echelon, the Israeli army began a short time ago to strike military assets of the Syrian regime forces in Sweida, southern Syria. This follows the detection, starting yesterday (Monday) evening, of convoys that included armored personnel carriers and tanks of the Syrian regime moving toward Sweida in southern Syria," the Israeli army said in a statement published on X.
"Subsequently, the Israeli army attacked several armored vehicles, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, and rocket launchers, as well as access routes, to disrupt their arrival in the area," the statement read.
According to SANA, the Syrian army has begun withdrawing heavy military equipment from Sweida, preparing for the handover of the city's neighborhoods to internal security forces responsible for maintaining law and order.
On Monday, more than 30 people were killed and nearly 100 others injured in clashes between armed Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in Sweida, the Syrian Interior Ministry said.
The conflict began two days ago when Druze groups seized vehicles belonging to Bedouin Arab tribes, sparking small-scale armed clashes in the southern Syrian province. The situation escalated as both sides kidnapped and detained civilians, with at least 30 people killed and 100 wounded in the fighting.
In response to the violence, units from the Defense and Interior Ministries deployed numerous soldiers and military reinforcements to the region to halt the clashes.
Attacks on government convoys resulted in 18 soldiers killed and nine soldiers taken hostage, according to reports.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz justified attacks on southern Syria with the statement: "We will not allow harm to come to the Druze, Israel will not stand aside."
Following this declaration, Israel conducted five airstrikes near convoys of Defense and Interior Ministry units stationed around Sweida province.
The Israeli military said it began striking Syrian regime military assets in Sweida "under the guidance of the political echelon" after detecting convoys with armored personnel carriers and tanks moving toward the area.
"Subsequently, the Israeli army attacked several armored vehicles, including tanks, armored personnel carriers, and rocket launchers, as well as access routes, to disrupt their arrival in the area," the Israeli military statement read.
An Israeli security official told N12 News: "This is an exceptionally large-scale attack against regime forces in the Jabal al-Druze region. Israel views this as a test of its policy to demilitarize southern Syria and of its commitment to the Druze community."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with military officials regarding the Israeli strikes on Syria and the events in Sweida, according to Channel 12 television.
The Israeli government had promised military and political support to the Druze minority against the Damascus administration, disrupting the Druze region's integration efforts with the country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.
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