“In light of the delicate circumstances that the country is going through, in order to save the blood of Syrians, preserve the unity of the Syrian territory and the safety of its people, and in response to national and humanitarian responsibility, the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic declares a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire,” the Syrian presidency wrote in a statement shared on Telegram on Saturday.
“This is a ceasefire achieved through strength,” Netanyahu said in a recorded statement. “Not through pleas, not through begging — through strength.”
The U.S.’s Barrack said the agreement is supported by Turkey, Jordan and neighboring countries.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbors,” Barrack wrote in his post early Saturday.
A conflict between the Druze minority and other tribes in Syria’s southern Sweida region has killed hundreds of people in the past week. Israel intervened by striking the Syrian capital of Damascus and the south of the country, vowing to protect the Druze, a community that is present in the Sweida region and also in Israel and Lebanon.
On Friday, Israel agreed to let Syria deploy troops in the Sweida region for 48 hours to end clashes, Reuters reported, citing an Israeli official.
