The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Monday that it carried out strikes against several Syrian tanks in southern Syria, in what military officials described as an effort to prevent unauthorized Syrian troop movements near the Israeli border.
The strikes targeted tanks advancing toward an area near Sweida, a predominantly Druze city close to the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, where violent clashes erupted early Monday between Druze residents and Bedouin fighters.
A military source told Walla News that the operation was intended to block the movement of Syrian military forces into a zone where the IDF does not permit their presence.
“It was indeed an unusual operation,” the source said, “but it reflects Israel’s priorities in maintaining control over what we will and will not allow to happen in this region.”
According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Syrian tanks had moved toward areas affected by sectarian violence between local Druze militias and Bedouin tribesmen. Syria’s interior ministry reported at least 30 people killed and over 100 injured in Sweida over the past 24 hours, making it one of the deadliest flare-ups in recent years.
Local media in Syria said six members of the country’s security forces were killed after deploying to quell the fighting. The clashes marked the first time sectarian violence has erupted inside Sweida itself, following months of rising tensions in the surrounding province.