The Syrian government announces: 'Clashing in Sweida has ceased'

Tribal fighters have been evacuated from the southern Syrian city of Sweida, and violent clashes have ceased, according to the Syrian government. "Following intensive efforts by the Ministry of Interior to implement the ceasefire agreement, following the deployment of its forces in the northern and western regions of Sweida Governorate, the city of Sweida has been evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes in the city's neighborhoods have ceased," Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a Telegram post.

Rubio calls on Syrian government to contain 'violent jihadists'

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on the Syrian government to prevent the arrival of "violent jihadists" in the south of the country, the scene of bloody intercommunal clashes last week. Syrian authorities must use "their security forces to prevent the Islamic State and other violent jihadists from entering the region and committing massacres," Rubio wrote in X. ISIS seized control of vast swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory at the beginning of the civil war, which broke out in 2011, declaring the creation of a cross-border "caliphate" in 2014. US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces defeated ISIS in 2019, but the jihadists have maintained a presence, particularly in the vast Syrian desert.

Syria-Israel ceasefire agreement: '1,000 dead'

After a week of clashes and a death toll estimated at nearly a thousand, according to one NGO, Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire . Damascus has begun deploying its troops in the southern province of Sweida, the scene of clashes with the Jewish-backed Druze, and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has reiterated his government's commitment to protecting all communities. But Israel, which has not confirmed the agreement, has retorted that belonging to a minority in Syria today is very dangerous. The ceasefire was announced by US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack. Israel and Syria, he declared, have "agreed on a ceasefire, signed by Turkey, Jordan, and neighboring countries. We call on the Druze, Bedouin, and Sunnis to lay down their arms and, together with other minorities, to build a new and united Syrian identity, in peace and prosperity with its neighbors." A few hours later, President al-Sharaa, a Sunni fundamentalist former member of ISIS and Al-Qaeda, now more moderate and supported by Turkey, announced an "immediate" ceasefire in Sweida province, in the south of the country. This is the predominantly Druze area where Sunni militias linked to the government have clashed fiercely with local forces over the past week. The Druze fear persecution by the Sunnis now in power, as is happening to former dictator Bashar al-Assad's Alawites. For this reason, they have resisted Damascus forces attempting to take control of the province. The overall death toll from intercommunal clashes in southern Syria has risen to 940 since last Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Among the victims, the NGO writes, are many civilians, "summarily executed by personnel from the Ministries of Defense and Interior." Israel, which has always had a privileged relationship with the Druze community, has entered the fray, seeking to curb Arab aggression. The Jewish state has pounded government forces in Sweida and even bombed military power centers in Damascus. Israel's goal is to expand its control of the Golan Heights and southern Syria. The ceasefire, brokered by Turkey and Jordan, with the approval of the United States, has allowed government security forces to deploy in Sweida province.