Fresh clashes between Bedouin tribes and local gunmen in the Druze-majority province of Suweida in southern Syria erupted on Sunday, the latest in a wave of sectarian tensions in the region.
Dozens of people have been killed and wounded in the fighting with government forces deployed to the south and Israel targeting the Syrian military.
What is happening?
Fierce clashes erupted in the Al-Muqawas area in the east of the city on Sunday, with Druze militias and Bedouin tribes engaging in gun battles, firing mortar shells, and taking captives.
Medics in the local hospital on Sunday afternoon reported casualties suffering gunshot wounds and injuries caused by shrapnel, according to local outlet Suweida24.
The violence spread beyond the regional capital, with Suweida24 reporting that armed groups attacked a police checkpoint in the north of Suweida province and blocked the main road to Damascus.
It was the first bout of serious violence in the south since clashes in April and May between armed Sunni and Druze groups in Damascus and Suweida.
How many people have died?
The interior ministry said on Monday morning that more than 30 people had been killed and around 100 injured in the violence.
At least six members of Syria's security forces have been killed in the clashes, a security source told Reuters.
How has the government responded?
The government has begun deploying troops and members of the security forces into the city in a bid to restore calm.
In statements on Monday, the interior and defence ministries said they were coordinating their response to the violence and blamed the lack of government presence in the region for the escalating tensions.
"This dangerous escalation occurred in the absence of official institutions, which exacerbated the state of chaos, the deterioration of the security situation, and the inability of the local community to contain the crisis," the interior ministry said.
Since the ouster of the Assad regime in December, Syria's new authorities have been in negotiations with Druze leaders about reincorporating the autonomous region into national institutions.
The talks are yet to result in a full deployment of Syrian security forces in the province amid divisions in the Druze community about how far to integrate with the central government.
There have been concerns among Syria's minorities about the sectarian background of many officials in the new government, and the Druze - as well as the Kurds in the country's northeast - have been hesitant to hand Damascus full control over the region.
How have local leaders responded?
Syrian Druze leaders called for calm and asked Damascus to intervene.
Spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri denounced the violence as a "red line that must not be tolerated" and called on the government to act against the armed groups.
Suweida governor Mustafa al-Bakour called on those involved to "exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform".
Who else is involved?
Israel confirmed local reports on Monday that it had conducted raids in Suweida province coinciding with the clashes.
The Israeli military said it had struck a number of tanks west of Suweida, without providing further details.
Far-right Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 said the military had bombed the tanks after they began to deploy towards the conflict area.
Earlier, videos shared on Telegram claimed to show Israeli warplanes flying above Daraa province.
Israeli officials have declared ambitions to fragment the country and have tried to exploit sectarian divisions to weaken the central government.
It has voiced support for Syrian separatists and earlier this year threatened to intervene against the government under the pretence of "protecting the Druze".
In the wake of Assad's ouster, Israel seized hundreds of square-kilometres of Syrian territory in the south and bombed hundreds of military sites across the country.