ISRAEL’S army said torday that it had bombed military tanks in southern Syria, where government forces and Bedouin tribes have clashed with Druze militias.

Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting between local militias and clans in Syria’s Sweida province. Government security forces that were sent to restore order today also clashed with local armed groups.

The Interior Ministry has said more than 30 people have died and nearly 100 have been wounded. 

British-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 89 dead, including two children, two women and 14 members of the security forces.

The clashes in Syria initially broke out between armed Druze groups and Sunni Bedouin clans, the observatory said, with some members of the government security forces “actively participating” in support of the Bedouins.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba said government forces had entered Sweida in the early morning to restore order.

“Some clashes occurred with outlawed armed groups, but our forces are doing their best to prevent any civilian casualties,” he told al-Ikhbariya TV.

The observatory said the clashes had started after a series of kidnappings between both groups, which began when members of a Bedouin tribe in the area set up a checkpoint where they attacked and robbed a young Druze man.

Observatory head Rami Abdurrahman said the conflict had started with the kidnapping and robbery of a Druze vegetable seller, leading to tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings.

Syria’s defence and interior ministries responded by deploying personnel to the area.

Israel has regularly bombed Syria since the beginning of the country’s civil war, illegally occupies the Golan Heights and has expanded its military presence since the fall of the Assad government. In May, Israeli forces struck a site near the presidential palace in Damascus, in what was seen as a warning to Syria’s jihadist interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. 

In Israel, Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the armed forces.