The clashes come as Syria’s new rulers are trying to establish their authority, and contending with well-armed militias and Israeli troops determined to keep government forces out.

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.

Syrian Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri on Thursday condemned what he called a "genocidal campaign" against his community after two days of deadly sectarian clashes left 101 people dead.The violence poses a serious challenge to the Islamist authorities who ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.