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Fighting successful Syria's Sweida "halted" connected Sunday (July 20, 2025), the authorities said, aft the confederate metropolis was recaptured by Druze fighters and authorities forces redeployed to the portion wherever much than 900 radical person been killed successful sectarian violence.
Druze fighters had pushed retired rival equipped factions from the metropolis connected Saturday (July 19, 2025), a show said, aft the authorities ordered a ceasefire pursuing a U.S.-brokered woody to avert further Israeli subject intervention.
Sweida was "evacuated of each tribal fighters, and clashes wrong the city's neighbourhoods were halted", Syria's Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba said successful a station connected Telegram.
Israel had bombed authorities forces successful some Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to unit their withdrawal aft they were accused of summary executions and different abuses against Druze civilians during their little deployment successful the confederate province.
More than 900 radical person been killed successful Sweida since past Sunday (July 13, 2025) arsenic sectarian clashes betwixt the Druze and Bedouin drew successful the Islamist-led government, Israel and equipped tribes from different parts of Syria.
Earlier Saturday (July 19, 2025), an AFP analogous saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and equipped men mounting occurrence to shops aft looting them.
But successful the evening, Bassem Fakhr, spokesperson for the Men of Dignity, 1 of the 2 largest Druze equipped groups, told AFP determination was "no Bedouin beingness successful the city".
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights show besides said "tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida metropolis connected Saturday (July 19, 2025) evening" aft Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack.
Fighting nevertheless persisted successful different parts of Sweida province, adjacent arsenic the Druze regained power of their metropolis pursuing days of fierce conflict with equipped Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from different parts of Syria.
Israel sceptical
The woody betwixt the Islamist-government and Israel had been announced by Washington aboriginal Saturday (July 19, 2025).
U.S. pointman connected Syria Tom Barrack said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "have agreed to a ceasefire" negotiated by the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio aboriginal called connected the Syrian government's information forces to forestall jihadists from entering and "carrying retired massacres", successful a station connected X.
He besides urged the Syrian authorities to "hold accountable and bring to justness anyone blameworthy of atrocities including those successful their ain ranks".
Mr. Barrack, who is the U.S. ambassador to Ankara, said the woody had the backing of Turkiye, a cardinal protagonist of Mr. Sharaa, arsenic good arsenic neighbouring Jordan.
"We telephone upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to enactment down their weapons and unneurotic with different minorities physique a caller and agreed Syrian individuality successful bid and prosperity with its neighbours," helium wrote connected X.
Mr. Barrack aboriginal held a gathering successful Amman with the Syrian and Jordanian apical diplomats, during which they "agreed connected applicable steps to enactment Syria successful implementing the agreement", the U.S. envoy said successful a aboriginal station connected X.
The U.S. administration, which alongside Turkiye and Saudi Arabia has forged ties with the Islamist president contempt his past links with Al-Qaeda, was captious of its Israeli ally's caller aerial strikes connected Syria and had sought a mode retired for Mr. Sharaa's government.
Mr. Sharaa followed up connected the U.S. announcement with a televised code successful which helium announced an contiguous ceasefire successful Sweida and renewed his pledge to support Syria's taste and spiritual minorities.
"The Syrian authorities is committed to protecting each minorities and communities successful the country... We condemn each crimes committed" successful Sweida, helium said.
The president paid tribute to the "important relation played by the United States, which again showed its enactment for Syria successful these hard circumstances and its interest for the country's stability".
But Israel expressed heavy scepticism astir Mr. Sharaa's renewed pledge to support minorities, pointing to deadly unit against Alawites arsenic good arsenic Druze since helium led the overthrow of longtime person Bashar al-Assad successful December.
In Mr. Sharaa's Syria "it is precise unsafe to beryllium a subordinate of a number -- Kurd, Druze, Alawite oregon Christian", Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted connected X.
Humanitarian corridors
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based warfare monitor, said astatine slightest 940 radical had been killed successful the unit since Sunday.
They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory.
They besides included 312 authorities information unit and 21 Sunni Bedouin, 3 of them civilians who were "summarily executed by Druze fighters".
Another 15 authorities troops were killed successful Israeli strikes, the Observatory said.
Syria's Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa connected Saturday (July 19, 2025) evening said that aft the archetypal signifier of the ceasefire, which began connected Saturday (July 19, 2025) and progressive the deployment of information forces to the province, a 2nd signifier would spot the opening of humanitarian corridors.
According to the United Nations, the warring has displaced slightest 87,000 people.
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