DAMASCUS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Syria's interior authorities on Sunday accused Druze armed factions in the southern province of Sweida of violating a ceasefire agreement by launching coordinated attacks on internal security forces, reigniting violent clashes in the already tense region.

In a statement released Sunday afternoon, the interior authorities said the "rebel gangs" were attempting to drag the province into chaos for what they described as "personal motives of their leaders", and were exploiting the truce to mask "abusive" practices.

"Rebel gangs" or "outlawed groups" claimed by the authorities usually refer to Druze fighters involved in the current confrontation.

The statement confirmed attacks on several internal security positions across multiple axes, with authorities' forces responding to "restore order."

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, reported renewed clashes on the strategic Tal Hadid axis in Sweida's western countryside, where government forces launched a counteroffensive after local Druze factions had seized control of the hilltop earlier.

The observatory said three security forces were killed and at least 10 others wounded, some critically, in the clashes on Sunday. One fighter from the local Druze factions was also reportedly killed. The observatory noted that orders had been issued for the armed Druze groups to withdraw from the area.

Tal Hadid is considered strategically significant due to its oversight of nearby towns like Al-Thaala and its relative control over key roads linking Sweida to its western countryside.

A ceasefire in Sweida was declared on July 19 by interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa after weeks of sectarian clashes and Israeli strikes. Under the terms of the deal, interim government forces were to withdraw from populated areas, while local factions and Druze religious leaders would oversee internal security.

Despite the ceasefire, fighting has flared repeatedly, threatening to unravel the agreement. In recent days, several humanitarian aid convoys organized by UN agencies and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent entered the province, but the latest clashes have reportedly disrupted further aid delivery. ■