More than 350 people have been killed in four days of fighting between the Druze minority and Bedouin Sunni militias backed by Syria’s Islamist-led government in the southern province of Sweida, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The violence, sparked by the kidnapping of a Druze trader, quickly escalated into artillery exchanges that drew in government troops deployed from Damascus. Israel deepened the crisis on 16 July by launching a wave of airstrikes reaching the Syrian capital, hitting sites near the Defence Ministry and the Presidential Palace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation was intended to protect Syria’s Druze community and prevent a hostile military build-up near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Local monitoring groups reported about 160 earlier Israeli sorties around Sweida itself. Under mounting regional pressure, President Ahmed al-Sharaa on 17 July ordered government forces to pull back from Sweida and transferred security responsibilities to local Druze factions. A cease-fire negotiated with the help of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took effect the same evening, though both Damascus and Jerusalem warned they would resume military action if the truce collapses. The Druze, an Arabic-speaking religious community that emerged in the 11th century, number roughly one million across Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. About 150,000 live in Israel, where military service is mandatory for men and many serve in the Israel Defense Forces, giving their plight in Syria unusual resonance in Israeli politics. Analysts say the combination of kinship ties and Israel’s security concerns along the Golan Heights makes a durable settlement in Sweida critical to preventing a wider regional flare-up.