At least 248 people killed in Syria in clashes between minority Druze and government forces

# At least 248 people have been killed in southern Syria’s Sweida province following several days of clashes that triggered the deployment of government forces. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights the toll includes 92 members of the Druze minority, 28 of them civilians, with 21 killed in summary executions by government forces. At least 138 Syrian security personnel were killed, along with 18 allied Bedouin fighters. Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz called on Syria to leave the Druze alone and promised no let-up in Israeli military attacks until that happened.