Ceasefire Reached Between Israel and Syria Following Deadly Clashes in Sweida
The United States announced on Friday that Israel and Syria have come to an agreement on a ceasefire, following intense violence in Sweida — a predominantly Druze region — which resulted in the deaths of over 300 people.
Earlier in the week, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes targeting Damascus as well as southern Syrian government positions. Israel justified the attacks by calling for the withdrawal of government troops and asserting its intent to safeguard the Syrian Druze community — a small but politically significant minority with populations in Lebanon and Israel as well.
Tom Barrack, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syrian affairs, stated on social media platform X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa had agreed to the ceasefire, a move facilitated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The truce has also received backing from regional players, including Turkey, Jordan, and several other unnamed neighboring countries.
“We urge the Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to lay down their arms and, alongside other minority groups, help forge a new and unified Syrian identity,” said Barrack, without disclosing additional specifics regarding the ceasefire agreement.
Neither the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office nor the Syrian Presidential Palace issued any immediate statements in response.
The announcement coincided with the resurgence of violent confrontations between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes, triggering a deepening humanitarian crisis that has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Late Friday, the Syrian Presidency announced plans to deploy a specialized force in the southern region aimed at halting the violence. This deployment will be supported by political and security initiatives designed to restore order and prevent future outbreaks of conflict.
In Israel, meanwhile, a group of Israeli Druze crossed the border into Syria early Saturday morning.
Several dozen individuals crossed into Syrian territory from a larger gathering of Druze who had assembled near the northern Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams. According to Ynet News, some members of the group clashed with Israeli soldiers stationed in the area in an attempt to prevent a repeat of earlier mass border crossings that occurred earlier in the week.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed the Kan public broadcaster that its troops were actively working to bring the Druze individuals back into Israeli-controlled territory.
Earlier, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area of southern Syria for the next two days.
Damascus earlier this week dispatched government troops to quell the fighting, but they were accused of carrying out widespread violations against the Druze and were hit by Israeli strikes before withdrawing under a truce announced by the US on Wednesday.
Although Israel had consistently stated it would not permit Syrian forces to operate in the country’s southern region, on Friday it announced a temporary concession, allowing them limited access to address the renewed violence.
“Given the ongoing unrest in southwest Syria, Israel has agreed to a 48-hour window for the Syrian internal security forces to enter the Sweida district,” said an unnamed official speaking to reporters.
Israel, which views Syria’s current leadership as thinly veiled jihadists, has pledged to protect the Druze population in the area—an effort spurred in part by appeals from Israel’s own Druze community.
Early Friday morning, Israeli forces launched additional strikes on targets in Sweida.
The United States played a role in brokering an earlier ceasefire between Syrian government troops and Druze fighters. The White House said on Thursday that the agreement appeared to be holding.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has sought to improve relations with Washington, accused Israel of attempting to destabilize Syria and reaffirmed his commitment to defending the Druze minority.
Reuters journalists observed a convoy of Syrian Interior Ministry vehicles halted on a road in Daraa province, which borders Sweida to the east. A security source told Reuters that the units were awaiting final authorization to proceed into the district.
But thousands of Bedouin fighters were still streaming into Sweida on Friday, the Reuters reporters said, prompting fears among residents that violence would continue unabated.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said it had documented 321 deaths in fighting since Sunday, among them medical personnel, women and children. It said they included field executions by all sides.
Syria’s minister for emergencies said more than 500 wounded had been treated and hundreds of families had been evacuated out of the city.
