Damascus has deployed military in the province of Sweida since the bloody clashes broke out on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defense announced a ceasefire in the city of Sweida, after government forces entered there in the morning.
However, it does not seem to have contributed to calming the unrest.
The death toll had risen to over 200 by Tuesday evening, according to information from the British-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR).
92 of the dead belong to the Druze minority - of which 21 are civilians who are said to have been killed by government forces, according to SOHR. Locals who have spoken to AFP accuse government forces and their allies of cracking down hard on Druze residential areas.
In addition to the Druze, SOHR reports that there are 93 people belonging to security forces and 18 Bedouins among the dead.
Israel gets involved
Most of the spiritual leaders of the Druze population initially supported the government forces' intervention after the clashes with the Bedouins. The religious leader Hikmat al-Hijri, however, called for "resistance to this brutal campaign with all available means".
Neighboring country Israel, which also hosts a Druze minority, has presented itself as a protector of the group - while warning Syria against deploying military south of Damascus, i.e. closer to the border with Israel.
And shortly after the Syrian government forces entered Sweida on Tuesday morning, the Israeli air strikes against the city came.
American balancing act
The attacks are "a response to the regime's activity against the Druze population", writes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement. He adds that Syria's actions violate a "demilitarization policy" that would prevent forces and weapons in southern Syria "that could pose a threat to Israel".
Syria's government - which as recently as over the weekend sent a representative for a first meeting with an Israeli representative in Azerbaijan - condemns the "treacherous Israeli attack".
The US, which is a close ally of Israel and at the same time is working to restore its relationship with Syria after dictator Bashar al-Assad's fall, expresses itself cautiously about the violence. Washington is seeking "a peaceful, inclusive" solution "for the Druze, Bedouins, the Syrian government and the Israeli forces", says the US special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, in a statement.
The clashes in Sweida began on Sunday when armed Bedouins kidnapped a Druze vegetable seller, which led to kidnappings as revenge.
