The US ambassador to Turkiye, Tom Barrack, has announced that Syria and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, putting an end to the recent conflict that has been ongoing in Syria’s southwestern Suwayda region. Barrack stated that the US supported the ceasefire while Turkiye, Jordan, and Syria’s neighbors embraced it.
Barrack emphasized the importance of Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis putting down their weapons and working together with other minorities to build a united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity.
As of now, there has been no response from Syrian or Israeli officials regarding the ceasefire. However, an unnamed Israeli official stated that due to the ongoing instability in southwest Syria, Israel agreed to allow the limited entry of Syrian internal security forces into the Suwayda district for the next 48 hours.
The situation escalated on Wednesday when Israel launched heavy air strikes targeting Syria’s Ministry of Defence in Damascus and hitting Syrians government forces in the Suwayda region. Israel claimed that their attacks were intended to protect Syria’s Druze minority, as ethnically charged conflicts between Druze and Bedouin armed groups and government forces have resulted in hundreds of deaths.
Despite an agreement mediated by the US, Turkiye, and Arab countries between Druze leaders and the Syrian government, Israel continued with their air strikes on the same day, resulting in at least three deaths and 34 injuries.
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa later stated that protecting the country’s Druze citizens and their rights is a priority, and although Syria prefers to avoid conflict with Israel, they are not afraid of war. He added that Syria would overcome Israel’s attempts to destabilize the country through aggression.
Heavy fighting resumed between the Druze and Bedouin tribes in Suwayda on Friday, leading to the redeployment of a specialized force by Damascus to restore calm in the Druze-majority governorate.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/19/syria-israel-agree-us-brokered-ceasefire-amid-suwayda-clashes-envoy-says?traffic_source=rss
