President Trump’s particular envoy has urged all warring factions to construct a brand new “united Syrian id”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syria’s interim chief Ahmad al-Sharaa have allegedly agreed to a US-supported ceasefire proposal, after Israel carried out a number of airstrikes in opposition to the Protection Ministry in Damascus, ostensibly in protection of the Druze minority in southern Syria.
Particular envoy Tom Barrack, who additionally serves because the US ambassador to Türkiye, credited American diplomacy beneath President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the “breakthrough” settlement in an announcement posted on X on Friday.
“We name upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to place down their weapons and, along with different minorities, construct a brand new and united Syrian id in peace and prosperity with its neighbors,” Barrack wrote, including that the ceasefire was “embraced” by Türkiye and Jordan.
BREAKTHROUGH —— Israeli Prime Minister @Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa @SyPresidency supported by the usA. @SecRubio have agreed to a ceasefire embraced by Türkiye, Jordan and its neighbors. We name upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to place down their weapons and…
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) July 18, 2025
The announcement follows every week of lethal clashes between Druze militias, Bedouin tribes, and central authorities forces in Sweida province – in addition to a sequence of Israeli airstrikes concentrating on varied places, together with the Protection Ministry in Damascus.
Because the fall of Bashar Assad’s authorities, Israel has moved to broaden its presence in Syria past the beforehand occupied Golan Heights, citing the necessity to forestall hostile actors from entrenching close to its borders. In an in depth assertion on Thursday, Netanyahu stated Israel had set two guidelines for Syria: the demilitarization of the area south of Damascus and the safety of the Druze group.
“Each these guidelines have been damaged by the regime in Damascus… I due to this fact directed the IDF to take highly effective motion,” Netanyahu said. “Because of that highly effective motion, a ceasefire got here into drive, and the Syrian forces retreated again to Damascus.”
Syria’s new chief, Ahmad al-Sharaa, is a former commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized management of Damascus final 12 months. Because the upheaval, unaffiliated Islamists have reportedly carried out a number of massacres concentrating on Syria’s minority communities, together with the Alawites and Christians.
Amid stories of recent atrocities in opposition to the Druze, al-Sharaa insisted that authorities forces had solely deployed to Sweida to cease the violence. In a televised deal with on Thursday, he introduced a brand new cope with Druze factions – whereas accusing Israel of searching for to divide the Syrian individuals and switch Syria “right into a battlefield of chaos.”
Regardless of previous US designations of HTS and al-Sharaa as terrorists, Washington has more and more backed the brand new management in Damascus and has moved to ease sanctions on Syria. Final month, Barrack even likened al-Sharaa’s transition from militant chief to move of state to that of George Washington following the American Revolution.
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