Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced today that a ceasefire has been reached in Syria, following a series of intensified Israeli actions aimed at protecting the Druze minority and demilitarizing southern areas near Damascus.
In a statement, Netanyahu said:
“We have established a clear policy: the demilitarization of the southern Damascus zone and the protection of our Druze brothers. I instructed the IDF to act decisively because the Damascus regime deployed its army in the south of the capital and committed massacres against the Druze. As a result of our intensified actions, a ceasefire has been established, and Syrian forces have withdrawn back to Damascus.”
The Israeli leader attributed the ceasefire directly to the Israeli military intervention, saying that the Syrian army’s withdrawal was a response to the IDF’s show of force.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa had announced the withdrawal of its forces from Druze-inhabited regions, aligning with reports of a ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the spiritual leader of the Druze community, Sheikh Yousef Jarbou, confirmed that an agreement had been reached between the Druze and the Syrian government, and that the truce was to take effect immediately.
The Druze, an Arabic-speaking religious minority, have historically maintained a delicate position in Syria’s ongoing conflict, often caught between regime forces, rebels, and external actors.
This ceasefire comes amid rising international concern over escalating violence in southern Syria and renewed calls for humanitarian protections for minority groups.
