At least 30 people were killed and around 100 were injured in sectarian violence that exploded in Syria’s southernmost As-Suwayda Governorate, the Middle Eastern country’s Ministry of Interior said Monday morning.
The ministry said the violence had erupted in “recent hours” and the casualty toll was based on preliminary estimates.
“These unfortunate armed clashes broke out between local armed groups and tribes in the Al-Maqous neighborhood of As-Suwayda city, stemming from accumulated tensions in previous periods,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the death toll at 37.
The violence is the latest between tribes and other minority groups since the former dictator government of President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December, and rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was named interim president.
The ministry said it confirmed the that Ministry of Defense forces will begin “a direct intervention in the region to end the conflict, stop clashes, restore security and pursue those responsible for the events and bring them to justice.”
It blamed the escalation in violence on the absence of local institutions, which has led to a breakdown in security and in the local community’s ability to contain the situation.
“We stress that the continuation of this conflict only serves chaos and increases the suffering of our civilian population,” the Ministry of the Interior said.
