The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor, said the clashes started after members of a Bedouin tribe in Sweida province set up a checkpoint where they attacked and robbed a Druze man, leading to tit-for-tat attacks and kidnappings between the tribes and Druze armed groups.

Sharaa's hopes of stitching Syria back together under the rule of his Islamist-led government are complicated by the country's mix of sectarian and ethnic groups. Syria is majority Sunni Muslim, and its religious minorities include Alawites,

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian government officials and leaders in the Druze religious minority announced Wednesday a renewed ceasefire after days of clashes that have threatened to unravel the country’s postwar political transition and have drawn intervention by Syria’s powerful neighbor, Israel.

Israel said it bombed the headquarters of Syria’s army in the capital Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the Druze minority alone in its Sweida heartland, where a monitor says sectarian clashes have killed nearly 250 people.

Syrian government officials and leaders of the Druze religious minority have announced a renewed ceasefire after days of clashes that have threatened to unravel the country’s post-war political transition.

An Israeli military official said, "we are reinforcing forces in the Golan Heights and along the border, ready for a multitude of scenarios."

The Trump administration has asked Israelx to halt its strikes on Syrian government targets and to open direct talks with Damascus, a senior U.S. official told Axios on Wednesday. Why it matters: U.S.

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A rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted Syria's longtime despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. Since then, the country's new rulers have struggled to consolidate control.