Israel targets Syrian military in renewed cross-border strikes

{"text":[[{"start":0.5,"text":"Israel launched strikes on southern Syria for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as the Syrian government struggled to quell an outbreak of sectarian clashes that has killed dozens of people."}],[{"start":1,"text":"The Israel Defense Forces said it targeted Syrian government military vehicles, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers, in Sweida province, where Israel says it has been acting in defence of the minority Druze community."}],[{"start":1.5,"text":"The latest Israeli strikes came as the Syrian government said it had secured a ceasefire to end the violence, which began with clashes between Druze militant and Bedouin tribes and drew in state security forces."}],[{"start":2,"text":"Local health officials in Sweida said about 50 people have been killed in the clashes. Activists in the area described scenes of carnage in Sweida city as both government forces and Druze militias were accused of killings."}],[{"start":2.5,"text":"“The situation is catastrophic, more than you can imagine,” said Shadi Debabsi, a human-rights activist in Sweida. He compared the violence to the clashes between security forces and the minority Alawite sect loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad on Syria’s coast in March, in which scores of people, including many civilians, were killed."}],[{"start":3,"text":"“What happened on the coast is happening here,” Debabsi added."}],[{"start":3.5,"text":"The Israeli military intervention and bout of sectarian violence underscore the volatile situation in Syria’s south as President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s transitional government struggles to assert full control over the nation and unify the fragile state."}],[{"start":4,"text":"Turkish and Arab officials have criticised Israel’s military interventions, saying they undermine Sharaa’s efforts to stabilise the country, which is home to multiple sects, after almost 14 years of civil war."}],[{"start":4.5,"text":"The Syrian government on Tuesday condemned Israel’s air strikes, saying they killed a number of its armed forces and “several” civilians. It added Israel’s assault came at a “calculated moment . . . clearly aimed at undermining national security and striking at Syrian unity”."}],[{"start":39.842,"text":"Sharaa has repeatedly said he does not want conflict with Syria’s neighbours, including Israel. Before the latest eruption of violence, his government and Israel had been holding talks to ease tensions and work towards a non-belligerence pact."}],[{"start":40.342,"text":"Syrian defence minister Murhaf Abu Qasra on Tuesday said a ceasefire had been reached to end the clashes between the Druze militia and Bedouin tribes, who have a long history of animosity towards each other."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":40.842,"text":"But it was not immediately clear if the violence had ended, with one prominent Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, accusing the government of breaching the truce."}],[{"start":41.342,"text":"Hijri, one of the Druze leaders considered close to Israel, said his community had been coerced into accepting the ceasefire under pressure from Damascus."}],[{"start":41.842,"text":"The Syrian government said it sent forces to Sweida, the only province in Syria that has a Druze majority, to control the situation and protect civilians."}],[{"start":42.342,"text":"“Sweida neighbourhoods will be under the control of internal security forces as soon as combing operations are completed in order to control the chaos, secure return of residents to their houses,” Qasra was quoted as saying by the state news agency. “We ordered deployment of military forces to Sweida city to hold violators accountable.”"}],[{"start":42.842,"text":"The defence minister also said military police forces had been deployed in Sweida city “to control military behaviour”."}],[{"start":43.342,"text":"In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence minister Israel Katz said they had ordered the IDF to attack the Syrian government’s military convoy moving towards Sweida city on Tuesday, alleging it was to be used against the Druze."}],[{"start":43.842,"text":"After launching similar strikes on Monday, Katz said Israel was sending a warning to Damascus that it would not allow harm to the Druze."}],[{"start":44.342,"text":"An Israeli air strike targeted a gathering of security forces near the police headquarters in the centre of Sweida city, two hours after another gathering near another government building was struck, resulting in deaths and injuries, according to local news agency Sweida24."}],[{"start":44.842,"text":"Israel has sought to cultivate ties with Druze clans in Sweida as it tries to press Sharaa to accept the southern Syrian territory that borders Israel should be demilitarised."}],[{"start":45.342,"text":"“We have an obligation to maintain the southwestern region of Syria as a demilitarised zone,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday. “We will not allow a return to a situation where a second Lebanon is being established there, and we are also committed to protect the Druze residents. [But] I hope we will not have to operate any more.”"}],[{"start":45.842,"text":"Since Sharaa led a rebel offensive that ousted Assad in December, Israel has exploited the security vacuum to seize territory along the border and launch multiple air strikes inside Syria targeting military infrastructure."}],[{"start":46.342,"text":"In the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse, the dominant Syrian forces in Sweida have been Druze militias that have refused to heed Sharaa’s calls for them to integrate into his government’s national security forces."}],[{"start":35.76,"text":"Syrian minority groups are wary of Sharaa’s administration because it is dominated by members of his Islamist movement, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham."}],[{"start":39.842,"text":"Sharaa has repeatedly said his government would protect minority rights, and his efforts to rebuild the country have been backed by Arab and western states."}],[{"start":50.199,"text":"Druze concerns about the new government were exacerbated after deadly clashes between government forces and Druze militia in April. No government security forces had entered Sweida since then."}],[{"start":63.526,"text":"Additional reporting by Hussam Hammoud and Neri Zilber"}],[{"start":74.32,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftmailbox.cn/album/a_1752644766_9856.mp3"}