Israel's military chief has said his force struck "operatives" who attacked civilians from the Druze community on the outskirts of Damascus, after an outbreak of deadly sectarian violence.Lt Gen Eyal Zamir said he had instructed Israeli forces to prepare to strike Syrian government targets if such attacks on the religious minority continued.

A war monitor and an activist group say clashes broke out in the Syrian capital between local gunmen belonging to the minority Druze sect and pro-government fighters.