British News Agency

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa sent troops to the south of the country to stop bloody clashes between the Druze and Bedouin tribes that began on Sunday and have killed about 600 people.

Shortly before Sharaa’s announcement, Israel said it had granted permission for Syrian government forces to enter the Sweida region for two days to protect civilians, calling the step necessary due to “ongoing instability.”

Israel continued its demands for the full disarmament of southern Syria and launched airstrikes this week on Sweida and the capital Damascus to protect the Druze minority from Syrian government attacks. Israel and Syria reached a ceasefire agreement yesterday.

Violence against the Druze and other Syrian minorities has escalated since Sharaa and the Islamist HTS movement overthrew Bashar al-Assad last year.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said this week that many Druze were summarily executed in Sweida and that regime security forces also took part in the executions.

Ahmed al-Sharaa blamed “exiled groups” for the wave of violence and pledged to hold those responsible accountable. In a speech on Thursday, he said protecting Druze in Syria would be a priority.