Syria's Sharaa vows to protect Druze rights as ceasefire holds

17/7/2025 17:00

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa promised to protect the rights of Druze citizens on Thursday as a ceasefire appeared to be holding in the country's south following U.S. intervention to end fighting between government forces and Druze fighters.



Overnight, the Islamist-led government's troops withdrew from the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, where scores of people have been killed in days of conflict pitting local fighters against the Damascus authorities and Bedouin tribes.



The violence in Syria escalated sharply on Wednesday as Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus while pressing attacks on government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying Israel aimed to protect Syria's Druze minority.



Describing Syria's new rulers as barely disguised jihadists, Israel has bombed repeatedly this year, saying it will not allow Syrian government forces to deploy forces into areas near its frontier. Facing calls from Israel's own Druze minority to shield Syria's Druze, Israel has also seized ground in the south.



In a speech to the Syrian nation on Thursday, Sharaa said Israel had "consistently targeted our stability and created discord among us since the fall of the former regime", accusing it of seeking to "dismantle the unity of our people".