ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Washington’s Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack announced early Saturday morning that the United States has brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Syria after days of clashes between the Druze community and Sunni tribes left hundreds dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neytanyahu and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharra, with the support of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “have agreed to a ceasefire embraced by Türkiye [Turkey], Jordan and its neighbors,” Barrack said on X.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbors,” he added.
Israel and Syria have not commented on the truce, but it was announced just hours after the Syrian government said it was deploying a “specialized force” to end the clashes between Druze militants and Bedouin tribes in the southern province of Suwayda, which has been under the control of armed Druze groups since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.
The conflict has killed 718 people since it started on Sunday, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Ahead of the ceasefire, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Rudaw's Sinan Tuncdemir during a press briefing that it is essential to achieve "the unity of the Syrian state... with the full integration of the different communities" and to respect the territorial integrity of Syria.
He added that the rights of all communities must be respected in Syria.
The Syrian presidency expressed “deep concern and great regret” over the deadly unrest in a statement hours before the truce. It accused “armed groups operating outside the law” of imposing “de facto control” and endangering civilians, including “children, women, and the elderly.
Rubio and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan spoke on the phone to discuss the latest developments, Turkish state media reported on Saturday.
"Terrorist organisations must not be allowed to take advantage of the situation in southern Syria," Fidan said during the phone call without specifying the groups, TRT World reported. He accused Israel of "exacerbating the problem."
When the conflict broke out, Syria’s defense and interior ministries deployed forces, along with affiliated armed factions, but withdrew them on Wednesday, after Israeli bombardment.
Israel has intervened in support of the Druze, including striking the Syrian defense ministry building in Damascus. Netanyahu pledged on Thursday to continue targeting Damascus if the Druze are attacked. He has repeatedly warned that the Syrian army should not be present on its borders where Israel has declared a demilitarized zone.
“We are reaching peace through strength, quiet through strength, security through strength - on seven fronts. That will also be our policy going forward - we will not allow Syrian army forces to enter the region south of Damascus, and will not allow any harm to the Druze at the Druze Mountain,” he said.
The Syrian government announced a ceasefire in Suwayda on Wednesday, but clashes have continued.
Turkey, a staunch supporter of the Islamist rulers in Damascus, has played a key role in the efforts to end the tensions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who expressed his support for Damascus in a phone call with Sharaa on Thursday, accused Israel of using the Druze as a pretext to attack Syria.
“Israel is a lawless, rule-breaking, unprincipled, arrogant, indulged, and bloodthirsty terrorist state,” he said following a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Updated at 9:48 am
