Syrian groups again threatened by sectarian violence

The [Druze] community is divided along religious, military, and tribal lines,

Omer Ozkizilcik, a non-resident fellow for the Syria Strategy Project at the Atlantic Council, wrote earlier this month

In the past few days there was a kind of siege, no exit or entry, ... We were just sitting at home, afraid."

Mohammed Shobak, who lives in Sahnaya, told DW

It was bad during the clashes,

Shobak continued

Benjamin Netanyahuprime Minister

Israel struck last night near the presidential palace in Damascus,

Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz

We reject partition, separation, or disengagement,

the spokesperson added

The government (should) protect its people,

he said

This is a clear message to the Syrian regime,

the Israeli statement said

We call for a representative future government that protects and integrates all of Syria’s communities, including ethnic and religious minorities,

Ms Bruce said in a statement

This collective killing is systematic, clear, visible, and documented,

read al-Hijri’s statement

Israel Katzdefense Minister

Should the attacks on the Druze resume and the Syrian regime fail to prevent them, Israel will respond with significant force.”

In a later statement, Katz said

We have the right to keep our weapons to protect ourselves from these random factions,

said Loubna Baset, a Druse activist in Sweida, who said attacks were continuing on Thursday in villages in the Sweida countryside including al-Sawara

We used water hoses connected to homes and municipal taps installed along the streets,

Ahmad Ibrahim, a resident of Abu Ghosh village, told AFP

It's just very sad because we knew the weather, we kind of knew that would happen, and still we feel like they weren't ready enough with the big planes that can drop large amounts of water,

evacuee Yuval Aharoni, 40, told AFP on Wednesday

A lot of police arrived, a lot of firefighters, but it didn't really help. The fire had already completely taken over the whole area here,

student Yosef Aaron said from the side of a highway, flames visible in the distance

There are only hotspots left... all teams remain deployed across the affected areas,

he told AFP, warning that

All routes have been reopened to traffic,

they said in a statement,

Any call for foreign intervention – under any pretext or slogan – only leads to further deterioration and division,

the ministry said in a statement

Everyone must... stay away from calls for revenge and retaliation, and allow justice to take its course,

Rifai said regarding the “recent events,” in Sahnaya, in a statement on Wednesday as cited by SANA

On this Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers, as we honor the Druze community’s contribution to Israel’s security, we stress our commitment to protect their brethren in Syria,

the joint statement added

The reports of civilian casualties, and casualties among security personnel, are deeply alarming. Immediate steps must be taken to protect civilians, de-escalate tensions, and prevent any further incitement of communal conflict."

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in statement