A war monitor said that more than 350 people have been killed since the weekend in violent clashes in Syria’s southern Sweida province, updating an earlier toll.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that since clashes erupted on Sunday, 79 Druze fighters were killed along with 55 civilians, while 189 defence and interior ministry personnel and 18 Bedouin fighters were also killed.
Earlier, the monitor had said the death toll was 300.
The Britain-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, additionally reported 15 defence and interior ministry personnel were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Syria.
Syrians wave flags during a demonstration against Israeli intervention in Syria
It comes as Israel launched powerful airstrikes in Damascus, blowing up part of the defence ministry and hitting near the presidential palace as it vowed to destroy government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw.
The attacks marked a significant Israeli escalation against the Islamist-led administration of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
They came despite his warming ties with the US and his administration’s evolving security contacts with Israel.
Describing Syria’s new rulers as barely disguised jihadists, Israel has said it will not let them move forces into southern Syria and vowed to shield the area’s Druze community from attack, encouraged by calls from Israel’s own Druze minority.
The US said the fighting would stop soon.
Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian Ministry Of Defence and a site near the presidential palace in Damascus
“We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria. We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media.
The United Nations Security Council will meet to address the conflict, diplomats said.
“The council must condemn the barbaric crimes committed against innocent civilians on Syrian soil,” said Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.
“Israel will continue to act resolutely against any terrorist threat on its borders, anywhere and at any time,” he added.
Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the group, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible.
Mr Sharaa faces challenges to stitch Syria back together in the face of deep misgivings from groups that fear Islamist rule. In March, mass killings of members of the Alawite minority exacerbated the mistrust.
Diplomats said the United Nations Security Council will meet to address the conflict
On Monday, Syrian government troops were dispatched to the Sweida region to quell fighting between Druze fighters and Bedouin armed men. The troops ended up clashing with the Druze militias.
New clashes broke out in the city, according to a Reuters witness, after the Syrian interior ministry and a Druze leader, Sheikh Yousef Jarbou, said a ceasefire had been reached.
Druze, followers of a religion that is an offshoot of Islam, are spread between Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
Following calls in Israel to help Druze in Syria, scores of Israeli Druze broke through the border fence, linking up with Druze on the Syrian side, a Reuters witness said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military was working to save the Druze and urged Israeli Druze citizens not to cross the border.
The Israeli military said it was working to safely return civilians who had crossed.
A Syrian government statement said those responsible for lawlessness in Sweida would be held accountable. It said the government was committed to protecting the rights of the people in Sweida.
Mr Sharaa has repeatedly promised to protect minorities.
