Over 50 killed in Syrian sectarian clashes as Israel strikes government tanks in 'clear warning'

Sectarian fighting between the Druze and Bedouins in southern Syria has killed over 50 people, with Israel intervening with airstrikes to prevent government soldiers from gathering in the south.

Syria once again risks descending back into sectarian strife, this time in the majority Druze south. According to the Russian open-source intelligence channel Rybar, the conflict was sparked when pro-government Bedouin militants beat up a Druze youth after stopping him on the Damascus-Suwayda highway. A series of tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks escalated into an all-out battle between the two, involving armored vehicles and shelling.