Attacks on Syria forces amid sectarian clashes kills 16
Sunday's fighting between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribal fighters was the first time that sectarian violence erupted inside the city of Sweida itself, following months of tensions in the broader province.
In a statement to Reuters, the defence ministry said "outlawed groups," which it did not identify further, had attacked a number of its units at dawn.
It said its forces responded to the attack and had pursued those groups that refused to halt hostilities and continued to target security forces.
The fighting on Sunday left 30 people dead and prompted Syria's security forces to deploy units to the city to restore calm and guarantee safe passage for civilians looking to leave, the defence ministry said in an earlier statement.
But intense clashes broke out again on Monday, local news outlet Sweida24 reported.
Another security source said that Syrian troops would aim to exert state control over the whole province to prevent any more violence but that this could take several days.
It marked the latest episode of sectarian bloodshed in Syria, where fears among minority groups have surged since jihadist-led rebels toppled president Bashar al-Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.
Sunni Muslim Arab rebel groups which fought Assad during the war agreed in December to dissolve into the defence ministry but efforts to integrate armed factions from minority groups - including Druze and Kurds - have largely stalled.
In southern Syria, efforts have been further complicated by Israel's stated policy that it would not allow Syria's new army to deploy south of Damascus and that Sweida and neighbouring provinces should make up a demilitarised zone.
Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said in a written statement carried on state media that the "absence of state institutions, especially military and security institutions, is a major cause of the ongoing tensions in Sweida and its countryside".
Sunday's violence erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida, witnesses said.
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