Israel’s military said it struck on Monday several tanks in the Suweida province of southern Syria, where dozens have been killed in clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters.

The military struck “several tanks a short while ago in the area of Sami village (in the Suweida region) in southern Syria. To be continued”, the military’s Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.

The announcement comes after reports that six members of Syria’s security forces deployed to halt deadly sectarian clashes were killed in the predominantly Druze city of Suweida, a security source told Reuters.

Sunday’s fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribal fighters was the first time that sectarian violence erupted inside the city of Suweida itself, following months of tensions in the province.

The death toll from the ongoing clashes has risen to 89, according to one Syrian monitor but The New Arab could not verify the figure.