DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — Israel bombed the Syrian army's headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the country's Druze minority alone, as authorities announced a ceasefire in the community's southern heartland after deadly sectarian clashes.

France on Wednesday called for an end to "abuses targeting civilians" in Syria's Sweida, after a war monitor accused government forces of summary executions and other abuses.

Israel said it bombed the headquarters of Syria’s army in the capital Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the Druze minority alone in its Sweida heartland, where a monitor says sectarian clashes have killed nearly 250 people.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Poor infrastructure, regional conflict and sporadic Israeli airstrikes are holding back more airlines from returning to Syria, industry officials told Reuters, hampering efforts to rebuild a shattered economy after 14 years of civil war.

The violence underscores the government’s challenge to assert nationwide control as ethnic and religious tensions simmer after the end of the civil war.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior Kurdish-led northeast Syria (Rojava) administration official on Sunday thanked the US and France for backing Syria’s political process but voiced concern over hate speech and treason accusations after Washington’s envoy criticized Kurdish-led

Damascus has moved in to the city of Sweida after violent clashes between Bedouins, government forces and Druze left around 100 dead. In response, Israel's airforce, acting as the Druze minority's self-proclaimed protectors,

Syria has been navigating a delicate transition since Islamist-led forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of civil war.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - France’s foreign ministry on Tuesday described relations with Iraq as “very dynamic and very dense,” hailing the strategic partnership between Baghdad and Paris, as well as France’s ongoing support for Kurdish rights in Syria.