The conflict had drawn airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel in defense of the Druze before a truce halted most of the fighting.

BEIRUT (Reuters) -One elderly man had been shot in the head in his living room. Another in his bedroom. The body of a woman lay in the street. After days of bloodshed in Syria's Druze city of Sweida, survivors emerged on Thursday to collect and bury the scores of dead found across the city.

The spokesperson for Syria’s Interior Ministry said Friday that security forces are preparing to redeploy in the majority-Druze city of Sweida to put an end to clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes.