UNITED NATIONS, July 16. /TASS/. The ongoing hostilities in southern Syria’s Suwayda governorate have led to the displacement of civilians and disruption of basic services, and on top of that, UN aid operations have been suspended in the area, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

"The fighting in recent days has led to a major displacement of civilians," the OCHA said. The humanitarian partners of the UN in Suwayda reported "that medical services are overstretched, and that markets and basic services such as electricity, water and education have been disrupted," the organization specified. "UN aid operations are still suspended in the impacted areas, as movements along the main roads have been disrupted."

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria Adam Abdelmoula called for calm and for civilians to be protected, adding that Syrians desperately need stability, peace, and unity in order to recover.

Clashes between Bedouin tribes and local Druze fighters broke out in the Suwayda governorate on July 13. The fierce fighting resulted in the death of at least 46 Druze, 28 Bedouin, and four civilians. The Syrian government forces sent to the south from Damascus to halt the violence lost 18 officers in the clashes.

On Tuesday, Murhaf Abu Kasra, the defense minister in the Syrian interim government, ordered to cease fire in the city of Suwayda, the administrative center of the governorate. Syrian Defense Ministry Spokesman Hassan Abdel Gani told the SANA news agency that the Syrian government forces had begun withdrawing heavy military equipment and weapons from Suwayda. The spokesman added that the control of both the city and the governorate had been transferred to security forces, which would begin disarming illegal groups.

On July 15, Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out at least three airstrikes against Syrian government forces that were conducting a mop-up operation in the city of Suwayda, the Sham TV channel reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli army to attack the forces of the Syrian interim government that had entered the city of Suwayda. They said in a joint statement that "Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria" and that they were acting to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to the Israeli border.