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.

The Israeli army struck near the entrance to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in Damascus. It targeted the same site several hours later with a larger strike, saying it is supporting the Druze religious minority.

The official said the past 48 hours could seriously undermine progress toward a new security agreement between Israel and Syria as a first step toward normalization. Those discuss

A series of airstrikes has hit the Syrian capital Damascus, with Syrian state media blaming Israel. One video from a Syrian television channel shows the Ministry of Defense building being hit live on air, forcing the anchor to take cover. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz shared the footage, saying “the painful blows have begun.”

Syria completely reopened its airspace on June 24, its civil air authority said. Damascus Airport's two runways were damaged during the civil war but have since been repaired. The airport was also looted during the chaos of Assad's fall.

Deadly clashes threaten Syria’s fragile peace - Fighting erupted in the Druze-majority Sweida city in southern Syria in recent days

The development of Syria’s energy sector is crucial for the Syrian government as it is witnessing a major transformation in light of international diplomatic and economic openness that has resulted in various agreements, with the aim of modernizing the infrastructure and achieving energy security.

This matters because if ISIS is on the rise in parts of Syria, then it will require coordination between Damascus and the SDF. The SDF controls a third of Syria.