US says ‘specific steps' agreed to end Syria violence after Israeli military attacks Damascus
The Syrian foreign ministry accused Israel of 'treacherous aggression' as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the move and said its forces were 'working to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime's gangs'.
The Israeli hostilities have marked another escalation of violence in the Middle East region and this time against the Islamist-led administration of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Ahmed had warming ties with the US administration and the interim Syrian government had evolving security contacts with Israel, yet the country is facing a violent aggression from Tel Aviv.
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…
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 16, 2025
Reports suggest more than 300 people have been killed in Suweida since Sunday, when clashes between Druze militants and Bedouin tribes started.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
'My brothers, the Druze citizens of Israel: the situation in Sweida, the situation in south-western Syria, is very serious. https://t.co/p2CH6sIh7Y
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 16, 2025
The United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that he is 'very worried' about the violence in southern Syria and believed it would end within hours.
'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,' Rubio said in a post on X.
However, Israel has accused the new Syrian rulers as 'disguised jihadists' and refused to allow the Syrian administration to move their forces into southern Syria, in order to protect the area's Druze community from attack.
Diplomats have said that the United Nations Security Council is also poised to meet on Thursday to address the violence and sectarian conflict. The council must condemn the barbaric crimes committed against innocent civilians on Syrian soil,' Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said.
Syria's foreign ministry has said that it welcomes the efforts made by the US and Arabian sides to resolve the crisis peacefully. Syria's state news agency Sana reported that Syrian forces have started to withdraw from Suweida.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
YSRCP to launch App for reporting ‘harassment and injustice by officials'
The YSRCP is preparing to launch a mobile application next week that is designed to document and report 'instances of harassment and injustice by the officials.' Disclosing this at the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting on Tuesday, YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the app would be useful to lodge complaints against the officials who 'harass or mistreat' people or party workers. 'People can submit detailed accounts of the incidents, along with any supporting evidence, such as photos or documents. They will be securely stored in a digital library server,' he said, adding, 'The moment our government comes to power, we will open this digital library and ensure that those responsible are held accountable under the law. Those responsible will be brought to justice with interest. No one will be spared.' Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the NDA dispensation was engaged in 'deception and vengeance.' The Naidu-led government misused State machinery to target YSRCP leaders through false cases and arrests. The arrests of MP Midhun Reddy, Nandigam Suresh, Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy and Kakani Govardhan Reddy were politically motivated, he alleged. Allegations against police 'A few police officials, including DIGs, DSPs, and CIs, are involved in organised crime, extortion, and illegal liquor auctions, with kickbacks allegedly flowing to the MLAs and even the Chief Minister's family,' Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged. He called upon the leaders to shed complacency and take the lead in revitalising the party's organisational framework. 'Our honeymoon period is over. If we don't act now, we risk losing touch with the people,' he said, adding the party must prepare for elections at any time, and build a strong structure that would ensure YSRCP's continuity for the next 30 to 40 years. He directed that party committees be immediately set up at the village and booth levels. He highlighted the success of the party's campaign titled 'Recalling Chandrababu's Manifesto – Babu Surety, Fraud Guarantee'.
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Akhilesh Questions Timing Of Pahalgam Revenge, Hints At Ceasefire ‘Friendship' With US
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has stirred a major political storm by questioning the timing and intent of Operation Mahadev, the Indian Army-led offensive that killed three Pakistani terrorists linked to the Pahalgam massacre. During a fiery Lok Sabha debate, Akhilesh asked why civilians weren't protected in Pahalgam on April 22 and who would be held accountable for the security lapse. He claimed Operation Sindoor was necessitated by government failure, and even suggested a hidden understanding with the U.S. and Pakistan behind the ceasefire. Taking a poetic dig at PM Modi, Akhilesh said: "Main duniya ko manane mein laga hoon, mera ghar mujhse rootha ja raha hai." While acknowledging the Army's sacrifice, he criticized the media portrayal of the strikes as exaggerated. Is this political scrutiny or playing into enemy hands? Watch the full debate and its implications.#operationsindoor #operationmahadev #amitshah #akhileshyadav #akhileshyadavspeech #operationmahadev #pok #parliamentdebate #terrorism #modivsakhilesh #sindoorstrike #pakistan #parliament #loksabha #loksabhadebate #toi #toibharat #bharat #trending #breakingnews #indianews Read More
News18
41 minutes ago
- News18
Trump administration pressed to address starvation in Gaza
Washington, Jul 29 (AP) Senate Democrats are imploring President Donald Trump's administration to step up its role in addressing suffering and starvation in Gaza, with more than 40 senators signing onto a letter Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks and sharply criticising an Israeli-backed American organisation that had been created to distribute food aid. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Republican president's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, the senators said the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, created in February with backing from the Trump administration, has 'failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organisation's sites". It marked a mostly united plea from Senate Democrats — who are locked out of power in Washington — for the Trump administration to recalibrate its approach after the collapse of ceasefire talks last week. Trump on Monday expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation and broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that people are not starving in the Gaza Strip. But it is unclear how Trump will proceed. Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii said it was 'not at all credible" to think the Israeli military — one of the most advanced in the world — is incapable of distributing food aid or performing crowd control. 'They made a choice to establish a new way of doing food distribution," he said. 'And it's not working at all." The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, calls for a 'large-scale expansion" of aid into Gaza channelled through organisations experienced working in the area. It also says efforts for a ceasefire agreement are 'as critical and urgent as ever". The message was led by four Jewish members of the Democratic Caucus — Senators Adam Schiff of California, Chuck Schumer of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Schatz — and calls for the return of the roughly 50 hostages, 20 still believed to be alive, held by Hamas since its Oct 7, 2023, attack. The signatures from 44 senators — the vast majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus — on the letter show the extent to which Democrats have achieved some unity on a foreign policy issue that deeply divided them while they held the White House last year. They called for an end to the war that sees Hamas no longer in control of Gaza and a long-term goal of both an Israeli and a Palestinian state and opposed any permanent displacement of the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, Republicans are backing Trump's handling of the situation and supporting Israel. Sen John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he was satisfied with Trump trying 'to referee that, but the Israelis need to get their hostages back". Still, images of the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza seemed to be reaching some Republican members of Congress. Over the weekend, far-right Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who routinely calls for an end to foreign aid, said on social media 'what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific. This war and humanitarian crisis must end!" For Schatz, it was a sign many Americans do care about suffering in other parts of the world, even after Trump won the election with 'America First" foreign policy goals and kickstarted his administration by demolishing US aid programmes. 'They are seeing images of chaos, images of suffering that are either caused by the United States or at least could have been prevented by the United States," Schatz said. 'And it is redounding negatively to the president." (AP) SCY SCY view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
