U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a ceasefire following days of violence in Syria's Sweida province.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, supported by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have agreed to a ceasefire joined by Turkey, Jordan and their neighbors. We call on Druze, Bedouin and Sunnis to lay down their arms and, together with other minorities, build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with their neighbors,” the diplomat reported on his social networks.
On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, while pounding government forces in the south, demanding their withdrawal and claiming that Israel was seeking to protect Syrian Druze, part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
On Sunday, clashes erupted between Druze militias and Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes. Government forces intervened, nominally to restore order, but ultimately sided with the Bedouin against the Druze. That same week, Israel launched airstrikes against Syrian forces defending the Druze.
Fighting killed hundreds of people over four days, and pro-government fighters were reported to have executed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes.
Israel launched dozens of airstrikes against convoys of government fighters and even attacked the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus. The Druze form a significant community in Israel, where they are considered a loyal minority and often serve in the Israeli military.
Israel said it was defending the Druze community following deadly clashes between the minority, which has a presence in Israel, and Bedouins in Syria's southern Sweida region.
Some diplomats and analysts believe Israel is maximizing the damage it can to weaken its historic adversary, Syria, after Islamist Sharaa forces overthrew longtime Iranian ally Bashar al-Assad in December.
The State Department later stated that the United States did not support the airstrikes by Israel, its ally that enjoys US diplomatic and military support.
A truce brokered by the United States, Turkey, and Arab countries was announced on Wednesday. According to the agreement, Druze factions and clerics were to maintain internal security in Sweida while government forces withdrew, al-Sharaa reported Thursday.
Clashes between Druze and Bedouin groups flared again in parts of Sweida province late Thursday.State media reported that Druze militias had carried out revenge attacks against Bedouin communities, triggering a new wave of displacement.
This Friday, Syrian government forces are preparing to return to Sweida province with the goal of establishing stability and protecting state institutions, although a delay in the deployment was later reported. This new ceasefire was announced hours later.
