Residents described friends and neighbours being shot at close range in their homes or in the streets. They said the killings were carried out by Syrian troops.

Nearly 600 killed in sectarian clashes in Syria’s Sweida as troops withdraw under pressure, Israeli strikes and US-led mediation avert wider escalation.

A deadly wave of clashes in Syria's Sweida region has spilled over into Israel, where the IDF is now striking targets, claiming to protect the Druze minority. Hundreds have gathered at the Golan Heights amid panic and demands for cross-border reunions.

On Monday and Wednesday, Israel launched waves of strikes on Damascus and Sweida, claiming to prevent the Druze minority from being harmed

After five days of hunkering down at his home in the southern city of Sweida, 33-year-old Hossam emerged on Thursday and drove around to survey the damage. Wherever he went, the smell of death lingered.

In Syria's Druze city of Sweida, sectarian violence has led to numerous deaths, with government forces clashing with Druze militia. The violence worsened after the government's arrival, deepening distrust of the Islamist-led government in Damascus.

Syrian Bedouin fighters launched a new offensive in Syria's Sweida province against Druze fighters, a Bedouin military commander told Reuters on Thursday, despite a truce that had been announced the previous evening to end days of bloody fighting.