Rubio demands Syrian government forces intervene to prevent jihadist attacks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio connected Saturday (July 19, 2025) called connected the Syrian government’s information forces to forestall jihadists from entering and “carrying retired massacres” successful the conflict-stricken southbound of the country.

“If authorities successful Damascus privation to sphere immoderate accidental of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria... they indispensable assistance extremity this calamity by utilizing their information forces to forestall ISIS and immoderate different convulsive jihadists from entering the country and carrying retired massacres,” Mr. Rubio said successful a connection posted to X, utilizing different sanction for the Islamic State radical (IS).

Sectarian clashes betwixt equipped Bedouin forces and the Druze successful the community’s Sweida heartland had drawn successful Syria’s Islamist-led government, Israel and different equipped tribes.

U.S.-brokered negotiations person sought to avert further Israeli subject intervention, with Syrian forces agreeing to retreat from the region.

“The U.S. has remained heavy progressive implicit the past 3 days with Israel, Jordan and authorities successful Damascus connected the horrifying & unsafe developments successful confederate Syria,” Mr. Rubio said.

He called for the Syrian authorities to “hold accountable and bring to justness anyone blameworthy of atrocities including those successful their ain ranks.”

“Furthermore the warring betwixt Druze and Bedouin groups wrong the perimeter indispensable besides halt immediately,” Mr. Rubio added.

Once successful power of ample swathes of Syria, the IS was territorially defeated successful Syria successful 2019 mostly owed to the efforts of Kurdish-led forces supported by an planetary coalition.

Violence betwixt the Druze and Bedouin groups that began connected July 13 has near an estimated 940 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based warfare monitor.

The number included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory.

The show besides included 312 authorities information unit and 21 Sunni Bedouin successful the toll.