New Delhi, Jul 19: Syria and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire following several days of airstrikes and escalating violence in southwestern Syria’s Suwayda region, according to an announcement by the U.S. ambassador to Turkiye, Tom Barrack. The development, first reported by Al Jazeera, brings a temporary halt to intense clashes that had threatened to widen into a broader regional conflict. The ceasefire, brokered with backing from the United States and supported by Turkiye, Jordan, and Syria’s neighbours, comes after Israeli airstrikes earlier this week targeted both the Syrian Ministry of Defence in Damascus and government forces in Suwayda, reports Al Jazeera.
The strikes, according to Israeli officials, were aimed at safeguarding Syria’s Druze minority, caught in ethnically driven clashes involving Druze, Bedouin, and government-aligned forces.
In a separate move, Israel permitted the temporary entry of Syrian internal security forces into Suwayda for 48 hours to help stabilise the region. The area has seen renewed tribal violence, with hundreds reported dead from days of armed confrontations. A ceasefire agreement was also reached between Druze leaders and the Syrian government, facilitated by the United States, Turkiye, and Arab states. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged to defend Druze citizens and emphasised national unity in the face of what he described as external attempts to destabilise the country. Syrian military forces have since been redeployed to Suwayda in an effort to restore order amid ongoing unrest between tribal factions.
