Ceasefire in southern Syria appears to be holding
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The Syrian government says the week-long sectarian clashes in the southern region of Sweida have now been halted - after the tribal fighters were made to leave.
The fighting, which started with clashes between Druze and Bedouin militias in the city of Sweida and drew in Sunni tribesmen and Israel, is among the deadliest since the fall of former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December.
Sectarian-tinged clashes left hundreds dead and attracted Israeli military intervention. A U.S. envoy said Israel and Syria had agreed to a truce.
Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has urged Sunni Bedouin tribes to honor a ceasefire aimed at ending deadly clashes with Druze-linked militias.
Syria's armed Bedouin clans on Sunday announced that they had withdrawn from the Druze-majority city of Sweida following over a week of clashes and a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, as humanitarian aid convoys started to enter the battered southern city.
Recent clashes in Sweida between armed Druze and Bedouin clans resulted in hundreds of deaths and escalated sectarian tensions. A US-brokered ceasefire brought cautious calm. Humanitarian aid is entering the city,
Syria’s Minister of Information said Saturday that the first phase of a ceasefire between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze-linked militias in Sweida will be in effect for the next 48 hours.
Syrian government forces were struggling to implement a shaky ceasefire in the southern province of Sweida on Saturday after factional bloodshed between Druze militias and Arab Bedouin tribes left hundreds dead, threatening the country’s postwar transition.
Syria's armed Bedouin clans on Sunday announced that they had withdrawn from the southern city of Sweida following over a week of clashes, as per a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced on Friday that Syria and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. Israel intervened in the conflict earlier this week, hitting government forces and the defence ministry building in Damascus as it declared support for the Druze minority.