Heavy clashes broke out on Friday between Bedouin tribal fighters and armed Druze groups near the western entrance of the southern Syrian city of Sweida, marking a significant escalation in the region’s ongoing unrest.

Field sources reported that the fighting followed mutual displacement efforts and rising tensions, prompting Syria’s Interior Ministry to prepare security forces for possible deployment to the city in an effort to restore order.

Witnesses said that Druze fighters withdrew from the outskirts of Sweida and repositioned inside residential areas, while Syrian army units continue to control access roads to the city without directly engaging in the conflict so far.