Druze and Bedouin Arabs clashed again after the ceasefire. Israeli aircraft targeted Bedouin groups overnight, while Arab tribes from the country advanced from various areas toward Sweida on Friday morning and began clashing with the Druze. As Syrian security forces mobilized, Israel issued a"48-hour" statement. Forces loyal to Druze leader Hejri advanced up to 4 kilometers against Bedouin Arabs and tribal forces. Here are the latest developments...

After clashes, a ceasefire, and the deaths of more than 600 people last Sunday, Syria was once again in turmoil. Israeli aircraft struck Bedouin groups after clashes between Druze and Bedouin Arab groups escalated again.

The clashes intensified as Arab tribes from across the country flocked to Sweida to support the Bedouin group. Fighters from both sides confirmed the clashes, and AFP reporters reported hearing gunfire.

THEY ADVANCED 4 KILOMETRES

According to the latest information from the region, forces loyal to the Druze leader Hecri advanced 4 kilometers in two directions against Bedouin Arabs and tribal forces in the city center of Suwayda.

TRIBES TOOK THE FIELD

Sources from the Saudi Arabia-based Arabic-language Al Hadath newspaper announced that Syrian tribes have declared a general mobilization following the developments and the treatment of Bedouin groups. The first images have begun to emerge of Arab tribes arriving on the ground and engaging in clashes. Syrian government forces withdrew from Sweida province on Thursday following intense Israeli bombardment.

More than 50,000 fighters from Aleppo and its surrounding countryside in eastern Syria reportedly went to Sweida, a predominantly Druze region. Arab tribes have begun active clashes with the Druze.

THEY SPILLED THE ARABIC COFFEE AND OATHED

Local sources indicated that armed groups have recently carried out revenge executions against Bedouin tribal families. This unprecedented escalation of violence is further deepening the chaos and division in southern Syria. Due to the conflict, many Bedouin families have been forced to flee Sweida for safer areas. The Bedouin Arab Council shared a post with their weapons, saying,"They swore they would not drink a single cup of Arabic coffee until all of Sweida was liberated." and spilled the coffee in their coffee pots.

The general mobilization came after Syrian Arab tribes declared a general mobilization on Thursday, which they said was"aimed at aiding Bedouin tribes in the southern province."

This is how the bodies from the clashes in Sweida were viewed before the clashes resumed. AFP

In a statement obtained and published by the German News Agency (dpa), the tribes said:"We, as members of Syrian tribes, are following with great concern the massacres and genocide crimes committed against Bedouin tribes in the Sweida province. These attacks have led to the displacement and migration of innocent civilians."

The statement stated that, due to moral and tribal responsibility, the Syrian government should not block or interfere with fighters coming from outside the region to defend their fellow Bedouin tribes.

The tribes also emphasized that"defending the oppressed and repelling attacks against women, children and the elderly is a legitimate right."

• WHO ARE THE BEDOUINS? Bedouins are nomadic Arab communities, called"el-bedu" in Arabic and meaning "living in the desert." Bedouins have historically lived in the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt (especially Sinai), Palestine, and various regions of North Africa. They are a tribal society, living a nomadic or semi-nomadic life and subsisting on animal husbandry (especially camels and sheep).

In the coming hours, attention is focused on the unfolding of the ongoing conflict in the western countryside of Sweida and the ability of political and civilian actors to defuse the crisis. Meanwhile, calls for restraint and demands for investigations into violations committed against the Bedouin civilian population are growing, both locally and from the United Nations.

48-HOUR STATEMENT FROM ISRAEL!

Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to the predominantly Druze-populated city of Sweida to quell clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes, according to a statement by a Syrian Interior Ministry spokesman.

This development came just a day or so after security forces withdrew from the area.

Israeli media, citing Israeli officials, reported that"Israel granted temporary 48-hour permission for Syrian security forces to enter Suwayda."

NEW AIR ATTACK FROM ISRAEL

Meanwhile, while numerous Israeli drones conducted reconnaissance and surveillance in the Syrian skies yesterday evening, warplanes launched an airstrike on the village of Mezraa, which has fallen under Bedouin Arab control, at 8:40 PM Turkish time. Syrian security forces, who were not involved in the clashes and left Suwayda yesterday evening, are trying to prevent further escalation on the Daraa-Suwayda road.

STATEMENT ON ISRAEL FROM SHARA

Meanwhile, Syrian state news agency SANA reported the first Israeli attack on the area around Sweida after the withdrawal of government forces.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Presidency accused Druze fighters in Sweida of violating the ceasefire, claiming that the ceasefire had been disrupted by the withdrawal of government troops.

The presidency, in a statement, argued that"illegal forces" had violated the agreement by committing "horrific violence" against civilians. It also warned that"Israel's continued open interference in Syria's internal affairs will only lead to further chaos, destruction, and further complication of the regional situation."

Israel, which struck the Syrian Ministry of Defense building and the area near the Presidential Palace in Damascus on Wednesday, presents itself as a defender of the Druze community within its territory. According to some analysts who spoke to AFP, this is essentially a pretext for Israel's military objective of keeping Syrian government forces away from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.