Following an outbreak of violence involving Syria's Druze minority, prompting Israeli intervention, parties involved in the recent clashes agreed on "specific steps" to bring an end to the fighting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.
"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," he wrote on X, calling on all parties to "deliver on the commitments they have made."
Rubio's statement followed shortly after Israel struck the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters, located next to a busy square in the heart of Damascus.
Syria's Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa denounced Israel's actions, claiming it sought to sow division in the country since the fall of the former regime, and said protecting Druze citizens was its top priority.
"We reject any attempt, foreign or domestic, to sow division within our ranks. We are all partners in this land, and we will not allow any group to distort the beautiful image that Syria and its diversity represent," al-Sharaa said early Thursday in an address aired on state television.
Israel said the airstrike was a response to the recent escalation of violence against the Druze minority, and said it sought to protect the community.
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said "a recurring phenomenon of persecution of minorities to the point of murder and pogroms in Syria" was unfolding, involving both regime forces and militias that formed the country's transitional government after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
The Israeli foreign minister said there was a noticeable pattern of violence against several minority groups over the last six months, including "mass murders against the Alawites in northwestern Syria, on a very large scale" and "constant acts of hostility" toward Kurds in the country's north.
The violence between the Druze and Bedouin groups, which erupted over the weekend, continued on Monday as government forces intervened to restore order and clashed with Druze fighters.
Shortly following Israel's intervention, Syrian government officials and Druze leaders announced a renewed ceasefire on Wednesday evening.
No official casualty figures have been released since the Interior Ministry said on Monday that 30 people had been killed since the start of the fighting.
However, UK-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a higher number, claiming more than 300 people have been killed as of Wednesday.
