A ceasefire was reached after clashes between government security forces and its allied groups with Druze minority fighters erupted south of the Syrian capital of Damascus, most of them Alawites.

Damascus

Israel and Iran have agreed a ceasefire after a twelve day conflict. Meanwhile, Israel strikes in Gaza continue with the humanitarian crisis deepening.

Middle East Conflict

Government forces and Druze fighters in Syria have reached a ceasefire following intense clashes south of Damascus. The violence, which lasted two days, resulted in significant damage to the town, including shops and properties. Local officials report that the ceasefire was agreed upon to end the fighting, with security forces now in place aiming to maintain peace in the region.

The clashes reportedly erupted due to an audio recording deemed blasphemous, leading to a rift between Syrian security forces, their allies, and local Druze groups. Syrian authorities have attributed the violence to outlaw groups, despite increasing concerns among minority groups like the Druze and Alawites about Sunni Islamist influences. The situation comes in the aftermath of extensive violence on Syria's coast, which saw mass civilian casualties.

In regional developments, Israeli forces were observed along the Israeli-Syrian border in the Golan Heights, following an Israeli strike in Syria under the pretext of protecting the Druze community. Israel has acknowledged numerous strikes on Syrian military sites since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Foreign Ministry has condemned foreign interventions and pledged to safeguard all societal components, including the Druze, amidst its internal challenges.



Syrian forces, Druze fighters reach ceasefire deal

The violence may have abated, but the aftermath has been difficult for residents of this town south of Damascus, which saw two days of intense sectarian clashes. The situation was very difficult and the damage was extensive. As you can see, the shop front and some items inside were affected. The town's governor said that a ceasefire agreement had been reached Wednesday night to put an end to the fighting, and security forces have been deployed to keep the peace. The clashes erupted between Syrian security forces, allied fighters and local Druze groups, sparked by the circulation of an audio recording attributed to a Druze citizen and deemed blasphemous. Syrian authorities distanced themselves from the attacks, blaming them on outlaw groups. The latest violence has only hardened fears among minority groups about the Sunni Islamists now in charge, and follows a series of massacres on Syria's coast in March, where security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites. The regime fell on the basis that there would be no sect, no sectarianism, that we would be one people. I don't know what is happening, why this killing, why this attack on the Druze, why this attack on the Alawites. Israeli forces were seen along the Israeli-Syrian border in the occupied Golan Heights Thursday, a day after Israel carried out a strike in Syria, claiming to protect the Druze community. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on military sites in Syria since Bashar al-Assad's downfall, and sent troops into the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights. In a statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry vowed to protect all components of society, including the Druze, and expressed its rejection of foreign interference. But it has to contend with divisions within its own ranks, including from radical fringes of its armed forces.

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