Armed Bedouin clans in Syria have withdrawn from the southern city of Sweida after over a week of deadly clashes.

The violence in Sweida Province between groups from Bedouin tribes and the Druse minority renewed fears of sectarian conflict and drew Israeli attacks before a cease-fire was announced Saturday.

The violence was the first major incident to emerge after the ouster of longtime President Bashar Assad in December.

An American citizen from Oklahoma was killed along with six male relatives during the sectarian violence that erupted last week in Syria

The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria's already fragile postwar transition.

Government forces that were initially sent to restore order but effectively sided with the Bedouins against the Druze were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted Thursday in the southern province of Sweida. The violence also drew airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel before a truce was reached.

Over 900 people have been killed in Syria's Sweida region as sectarian violence between Druze and Bedouin groups rages on despite ceasefire efforts., Middle East, Times Now

Clashes that shook southern Syria this week have killed hundreds of people, including civilians, and drawn in an array of both local and international players, harking back to the dynamics of the country’s nearly 14-year civil war.