ANKARA/DAMASCUS - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday voiced strong opposition to any division of Syrian territory, following the end of heavy clashes in the country's south, Turkish media reported.

"We firmly oppose any fragmentation of Syrian territory," the Turkish leader told media aboard his presidential plane, reaffirming Türkiye's support for Syria's interim government, Hürriyet Daily News reported.

He accused Israel of attempting to exploit tensions in Syria's southern Sweida province as a pretext to invade the country, warning that Israel's actions threaten regional stability.

"The bigger strategic problem is Israel's attempt to occupy the region using this conflict as an excuse," the semi-official Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan also revealed diplomatic contacts with Damascus. He said Türkiye's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Defense Minister Yasar Guler are engaged in talks with their counterparts.

Displacement of Bedouin families

A ceasefire announced on Saturday has brought a fragile calm to Sweida province after eight days of intense fighting between Druze and Bedouin armed groups, with human rights groups reporting the full implementation of the deal on Monday.

The conflict left more than 1,120 people dead, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The violence also triggered mass displacement, with over 2,000 Bedouin families fleeing to neighboring Daraa province, official figures showed.  

According to the social affairs authorities, a total of 2,068 displaced families have taken refuge across towns and villages in Daraa. The displaced are identified as Arab Sunni Bedouins who fled Sweida during the fighting, with many citing fear of sectarian reprisals and forced eviction.

Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that evacuees were allowed to leave only with the clothes on their backs. "They took us out with nothing, no money, no belongings," said one man who had arrived in Daraa from Shahba city in Sweida.

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Israeli drone strikes tribal fighters

Meanwhile, an Israeli drone strike hit a convoy of tribal fighters in the city of Shahba in the Sweida province late Monday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Casualties were reported, though the exact number remains unclear.

The airstrike marked a sharp escalation in the already tense situation in southern Syria, where clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribal groups have continued despite a fragile ceasefire.

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Separately, breaches to the ceasefire were also reported in the nearby town of Umm al-Zeitoun, further fueling concerns about renewed military escalation in Shahba and adjacent areas.

The latest flare-up came amid an atmosphere of heightened insecurity in Sweida, while warplanes and reconnaissance drones were reported flying over the region.

The violence has persisted despite attempts by Syrian interim authorities and international mediators to enforce a ceasefire brokered last week. The terms included mutual prisoner releases and a gradual withdrawal of tribal forces from Sweida, but repeated violations have cast doubt over its sustainability.