Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to the Druze-majority Sweida city to quell fighting by the Druze and Bedouin tribes, the Syrian interior ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Israel has said it warned the Syrian government to withdraw from the south and that it would not allow the extremist rulers to build up on its borders.

Private sources told Al Jazeera that Hikmat Al-Hajri, the cleric who leads the Military Council militia accused of committing massacres against the Bedouins, had requested the deployment of conflict resolution forces from Damascus.

Local sources said that tribal forces took control of the Al-Anqoud roundabout and entered the city of Sweida.

The tribal forces had launched a counterattack in the western Sweida countryside following violations and killings committed by armed Druze groups against members of the Bedouin tribes in the province. They tightened their control over the towns of Taara, Al-Dour, Al-Mazraa, Walgha, and other towns.

With Agencies