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'Headed to real de-escalation': US on escalating tensions between Israel-Syria
Israeli strikes on Syria continued even as the Syrian government officials and the Druze religious minority announced a new ceasefire agreement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington and the concerned parties have agreed on "specific steps" that will bring the tensions between Israel and Syria to an "end tonight".
Israel launched fresh strikes on Syria on Wednesday and moved more troops to the border area to prevent attacks against the Druze minority community in the region.
"We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria. We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight. This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do," Rubio said in a post on X.
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Earlier, Rubio said in the Oval Office, in the presence of Donald Trump, that the rivalries between Israel and Syria are "historic" and long-standing.
"...and it led to an unfortunate situation and a misunderstanding... We're on our way towards a real de-escalation...In the next few hours, we hope to see some real progress to end what you've been seeing," the State Secretary added.
Earlier in the day, Rubio had said that the US was "very concerned" about Israel's bombing of Syria, adding that they wanted it to stop.
Meanwhile, Syrian government officials and leaders in the Druze minority announced a renewed ceasefire. The Syrian troops began withdrawing from the city of Sweida, which is home to the majority of the Druze minority.
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However, it is still not clear whether the ceasefire agreement announced by Syria's Interior Minority and a Druze religious leader would hold. The doubt comes as a previous ceasefire announced on Tuesday quickly fell apart, with key Druze leader, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, disavowing the new agreement.
Israeli strikes continued to take place even after the ceasefire was announced. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said that their military would "continue to operate vigorously in Sweida to destroy the forces that attacked the Druze until they withdraw completely".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also said on Tuesday that his country is "committed to preventing harm to Syria's Druze due to the deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria".
