Israel and Syria agree to ceasefire, US envoy says
On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and claiming that Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze - part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.
'We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity,' Barrack said in a post on X.
BREAKTHROUGH —— Israeli Prime Minister @Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa @SyPresidency supported by the U.S.A. @SecRubio have agreed to a ceasefire embraced by Türkiye, Jordan and its neighbors. We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and…
— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) July 18, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
a minute ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Yemen's Foreign Ministry: Iran's Arming of Houthis Hinders Peace, Fuels Conflict
Yemen's Deputy Foreign Minister Mustafa Naaman sharply criticized what he described as Iran's ongoing 'hostile policies' against the Yemeni people, accusing Tehran of persistently arming the Houthi movement with large quantities of weapons that prolong the country's devastating conflict. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Naaman said Iran should have learned 'harsh lessons' from the thousands killed across the Arab world and the destruction of vital infrastructure that has drained regional resources. Instead, he said, Tehran continues to supply its allies with arms, fueling 'ventures that bring misery to Yemenis.' His remarks came two days after Yemen's National Resistance forces (NRF), led by Brig. Gen. Tariq Saleh, thwarted a major Iranian arms smuggling attempt off the coast of Hodeidah in western Yemen. The intercepted shipment reportedly included advanced sea-to-air and air-to-air missile systems, air defense units, modern radar equipment, drones, surveillance devices, and anti-tank missiles destined for the Houthis. Naaman praised the Coast Guard's 'precision operation' launched from their bases in Al-Mokha, calling it 'a reassuring signal of vigilance and readiness.' He urged recognition of the 'tremendous efforts' by the National Resistance and Coast Guard forces despite limited technical and military resources. Moreover, Naaman condemned Iran's actions as obstructing United Nations-led peace efforts in Yemen. 'It is regrettable that Iran persists in hostile policies against the Yemeni people by continuing to arm the Houthis with large quantities of weapons that negatively impact efforts to end the conflict,' he said. He added that instead of supporting peace, the Iranian government 'continues to place obstacles in the path of every peace initiative led by UN envoy Hans Grundberg.' Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), praised the actions of the NRF saying. 'We commend the legitimate government forces of Yemen who continue to interdict the flow of Iranian munitions bound for the Houthis,' he said. 'The interdiction of this massive Iranian shipment shows that Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region. Limiting the free flow of Iranian support to the Houthis is critical to regional security, stability, and freedom of navigation,' he added.
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syria Reportedly Believed it Had Green Light from US, Israel to Deploy Troops to Sweida
Syria's government misread how Israel would respond to its troops deploying to the country's south this week, encouraged by US messaging that Syria should be governed as a centralized state, eight sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and on Damascus on Wednesday in an escalation that took the leadership by surprise, the sources said, after government forces were accused of killing scores of people in the Druze city of Sweida. Damascus believed it had a green light from both the US and Israel to dispatch its forces south despite months of Israeli warnings not to do so, according to the sources, which include Syrian political and military officials, two diplomats, and regional security sources. That understanding was based on public and private comments from US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack, as well as on nascent security talks with Israel, the sources said. Barrack has called for Syria to be centrally administered as "one country" without autonomous zones. Syria's understanding of US and Israeli messages regarding its troop deployment to the south has not been previously reported. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on private diplomatic discussions but said the United States supported the territorial unity of Syria. "The Syrian state has an obligation to protect all Syrians, including minority groups," the spokesperson said, urging the Syrian government to hold perpetrators of violence accountable. In response to Reuters questions, a senior official from Syria's ministry of foreign affairs denied that Barrack's comments had influenced the decision to deploy troops, which was made based on "purely national considerations" and with the aim of "stopping the bloodshed, protecting civilians and preventing the escalation of civil conflict.' Damascus sent troops and tanks to Sweida province on Monday to quell fighting between Bedouin tribes and armed factions within the Druze community. Syrian forces entering the city came under fire from Druze fighters, according to Syrian sources. Subsequent violence attributed to Syrian troops triggered Israeli strikes on Syrian security forces, the defense ministry in Damascus and the environs of the presidential palace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel intervened to block Syrian troops from entering southern Syria - which Israel has publicly said should be a demilitarized zone - and to uphold a longstanding commitment to protect the Druze. Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for violations against the Druze. He blamed "outlaw groups" seeking to inflame tensions for any crimes against civilians and did not say whether government forces were involved. The US and others quickly intervened to secure a ceasefire by Wednesday evening. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the flare-up as a "misunderstanding" between Israel and Syria. A Syrian and a Western source familiar with the matter said Damascus believed that talks with Israel as recently as last week in Baku produced an understanding over the deployment of troops to southern Syria to bring Sweida under government control. Netanyahu's office declined to comment in response Reuters' questions. Israel said on Friday it had agreed to allow limited access by Syrian forces into Sweida for the next two days. Soon after, Syria said it would deploy a force dedicated to ending the communal clashes, which continued into Saturday morning.
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Report: Israel Seeks US Help on Deals to Move Palestinians Out of Gaza
The director of Israel's Mossad agency, David Barnea, visited Washington this week seeking US help in convincing countries to take hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza, two sources with knowledge of the issue told Axios on Friday. Barnea told White House envoy Steve Witkoff that Israel has been speaking in particular with Ethiopia, Indonesia and Libya. 'In their meeting earlier this week, Barnea told Witkoff that Ethiopia, Indonesia and Libya had expressed openness to receiving large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza,' the two sources said. Barnea suggested that the US offer incentives to those countries and help Israel convince them. One source said that Witkoff was non-committal, and it is not clear if the US will actively weigh in on this issue. In February, US President Donald Trump proposed the removal of all two million Palestinians from Gaza to rebuild the enclave. But the White House cooled on the idea after getting significant pushback from Arab countries, US officials say, and it hasn't gone anywhere. Israeli officials say the Trump administration told them that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to pursue this idea, Israel needs to find countries that are willing to take Palestinians from Gaza. Netanyahu tasked Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence agency with finding countries that would agree to receive large numbers of Palestinians displaced from the Gaza Strip.
