The IDF recently attacked several tanks in southern Syria to prevent their arrival in the area between al-Mazra'ah and Sami', advancing towards As Suwayda, the military confirmed on Monday.
The presence of these tanks may pose a threat to Israel, the IDF said, adding that it will continue monitoring the developments in the area.
According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, tanks advanced towards the site where violent clashes broke out on Monday morning, in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, not far from the Israeli border.
A military source told Walla that the purpose of the Israeli strike was to prevent the movement of tanks into an area that the IDF does not allow Syrian military forces to enter. The source added that it was indeed an unusual operation, but it was part of the effort to establish priorities on the ground regarding what Israel will and will not allow to happen in the region.
This comes after there were exchanges of gunfire between Druze from Sweida and Bedouins in the past 24 hours. More than 89 people were killed and at least 100 were wounded, according to an update by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday, in the latest bout of sectarian clashes. The deaths include 50 from Sweida, including two children and two women, 18 Bedouins, 14 members from the country's Defense Ministry, and seven other unidentified men.
Six members of Syria's security forces had also been killed in the city, one security source told Reuters, after they deployed to halt deadly sectarian clashes that local media reported had resumed on Monday.
Sunday's fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribal fighters was the first time that sectarian violence erupted inside Sweida itself, following months of tensions in the broader province.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that the IDF struck targets in Syria in a new message to the new Syrian government, stating, "We will not allow harm to the Druze in Syria. Israel will not stand by it."
Israeli-Syrian normalization on its way?
About a week ago, it was reported that Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said, "Such opportunities in the Middle East come once in a century, but this window won't always be open. Let's make use of it and not miss this, because I want Israeli, Syrian, Saudi, Palestinian, and Jordanian children to grow up with hope," referring to the diplomatic talks taking place between the two countries for the first time in many years.
Walla quoted diplomatic sources in Damascus on Saturday, stating that Syrian and Israeli representatives are expected to meet in Azerbaijan. The meeting will take place during the visit of Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara to Baku, but he himself will not participate in the meeting, but is still expected to address Israel's presence in Syria, which remains the key point of contention in the normalization talks between the sides.
Azerbaijan, which has close ties with Israel, has recently served as a platform for behind-the-scenes talks, including between Israeli and Turkish officials, in an effort to reduce regional tensions surrounding Syria's new government.
In late April, Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a joint statement saying, "Israel will not allow harm to come to the Druze community in Syria, out of a deep commitment to our Druze brothers in Israel, who are tied by family and historical bonds to their Druze brothers in Syria.”
Their joint statement came following an IDF strike on a Syrian extremist group that was planning to attack the Druze community in Sweida.
Israel expects the Syrian government to prevent harm to the Druze community, the statement said.