Syria declares ceasefire in Druze city after clashes

Syria's defence minister declared a ceasefire Tuesday in the Druze-majority city of Sweida, following clashes with Druze fighters.

Fighting erupted earlier in the day as troops advanced into the southern city, which had been under the control of various Druze factions.

The escalation came after contradictory statements from Druze religious leaders, most of whom urged fighters to lay down their arms.

"To all units operating within the city of Sweida, we declare a complete ceasefire after an agreement with the city's notables and dignitaries," Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra posted on X.

"We will respond only to sources of fire and deal with any targeting by outlaw groups," he added.

An AFP correspondent at the city's edge reported that gunfire had since subsided. Earlier, the correspondent described intense clashes as government forces fought their way in.

People carry a man wounded during clashes between Bedouin tribes and Druze fighers in an area between Mazraa and Walga near the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on Monday. AFP

"We will begin handing over neighbourhoods in Sweida city to the Internal Security Forces as soon as the combing operations are completed," Abu Qasra said.

Authorities had initially announced a curfew in the city to contain the unrest.

Syrian state-run news agency SANA later reported Israeli air strikes on Sweida as government forces were advancing.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had warned Damascus against targeting the Druze on Monday.

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

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said members of Bedouin tribes, who are Sunni Muslims, had sided with security forces during earlier confrontations with the Druze.

It reported 102 people killed in the fighting -- 61 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 16 security personnel, and seven unidentified people in military uniforms.

Agence France-Presse