Israel's military chief has said it struck "operatives" who attacked civilians from the Druze community on the outskirts of Damascus, after an outbreak of sectarian violence that has reportedly killed more than 40 people.
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 BBC team witnessed air strikes around the mainly Druze town of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya and neighbouring Sahnaya, and heard the sound of sporadic but heavy gunfire.
Syrian forces later said they had completed an operation there to "restore security and stability" after attacks by "outlaw groups" killed 16 of their personnel.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, reported that six Druze gunmen had also been killed during the fighting in the area.
Another three Druze were killed by security forces as they tried to drive from the southern province of Suweida to Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, it said.
And three injured Druze were evacuated by Israeli forces to a hospital in northern Israel on Wednesday evening, the Israeli military said.
Earlier this week, at least 17 other people were killed in clashes between Druze gunmen, security personnel and pro-government fighters in the mainly Druze suburb of Jaramana, to the east, before calm was restored, according to the SOHR.
The violence erupted after an audio clip of a man insulting the Prophet Muhammad circulated on social media and angered Sunni Muslims.
It was attributed to a Druze cleric, but he denied any responsibility. The interior ministry also said a preliminary inquiry had cleared him.
The Druze faith is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs. Half its roughly one million followers live in Syria, were they make up about 3% of the population, while there are smaller communities in Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.