This escalation threatens Washington’s nascent normalization track with Syria’s interim president, and former jihadist Ahmed al‑Sharaa. President Trump publicly courted Sharaa in Riyadh in May, providing sanctions relief and a future place in the Abraham Accords, a plan now in doubt after Israel’s strike on Damascus.

Israel threatened to escalate attacks on Syrian government forces unless they withdrew from Sweida, a southern province dominated by the country’s Druse minority.

The United States has reportedly asked Israel to cease bombing the Syrian capital of Damascus as Tel Aviv claims to defend the Druze minority from sectarian violence, a senior defense official told Axios Wednesday.

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Amidst renewed Middle East peace doubts and escalating violence in Syria, President Trump welcomed Bahrain's Crown Prince and Qatar's Prime Minister t

US secretary of state says clashes in Druze-majority area of Sweida led to 'misunderstanding' between Israel and Sharaa regime; UN, EU and others demand end to Israeli strikes

Fighting between Druze armed groups and government troops has continued in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda, with a ceasefire in tatters, as Israel launched further strikes on Syrian forces and warned it would escalate unless they withdrew.

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated on Thursday that safeguarding the Druze population and their rights is a top priority, following Israel’s pledge to target Syrian government forces accused of attacking Druze communities in southern Syria.

Syrian president vows state will protect its Druze minority, hold those behind the violence accountable; dismisses efforts to drag Syrians into hands of any 'external party'

Thomas J. Barrack Jr., the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, says Washington is facilitating the discussions and prioritizing economic development over nation-building in the Middle East.

The 1974 deal created a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two countries’ forces. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.