DAMASCUS: Heavy clashes broke out between Druze fighters and the interim government-aligned Bedouin tribal forces in the countryside of Sweida, southern Syria, further threatening a fragile ceasefire in the region, activists reported.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said large reinforcements from tribal fighters gathered in the villages of Bustan, Dama, and Najran, amid signs of preparations to storm neighboring Druze-populated areas, Xinhua news agency reported.
Fierce fighting erupted in the towns of Areeqa and Umm al-Zeitoun along the Damascus-Sweida highway, during which tribal gunmen reportedly burned homes and looted properties. The violence led to the closure of two key roads, further escalating tensions in the already volatile area.