Following violence that left dozens dead, the Syrian government has announced a ceasefire. "We will only respond to bombings and deal with attacks by banned groups," said Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra. Since Sunday, violence has erupted in the south of the country. The Syrian Observatory reported that more than 100 people were killed and another 200 were injured. Among them are children.
Government troops have advanced in the south of the country after members of the Druze minority and Sunni Bedouin clans clashed. Meanwhile, according to residents, the situation is again "relatively calm." They had reported gunfire. Government troops would treat them with respect, people said. Only the fighters would be pursued. They had withdrawn from the city in vehicles. Israel attacked government forces. However, activists reported that Israeli forces had attacked a Syrian government tank.
The Israeli military said it would investigate. There were initially no reports of casualties. The Druze, who participated in the fighting in Syria, are a religious minority and live in Jordan and Lebanon, among other places. In Israel, many of them serve voluntarily in the army, and the Jewish state sees them as allies. Israeli soldiers repeatedly attack targets in Syria.
On Monday alone, there were attacks on Syrian tanks in the province. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke of a "message and warning" to the leaders of the neighboring country. No suffering of the Druze will be accepted, it was said.
