Shaky ceasefire takes hold in Syria
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Sectarian-tinged clashes left hundreds dead and attracted Israeli military intervention. A U.S. envoy said Israel and Syria had agreed to a truce.
By Laila Bassam DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Sectarian clashes escalated in Syria's predominantly Druze region of Sweida on Saturday, with machinegun fire and mortar shelling ringing out after days of bloodshed as the Islamist-led government struggled to implement a ceasefire.
A U.S.-backed ceasefire appeared to be holding in Syria on Sunday, after deadly violence rocked the region, when hundreds of people were killed in the city of Suwayda. The violence marks the biggest challenge yet to the new government in Damascus that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December.
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.
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Interior minister says truce aims to pave way for prisoner exchange, restore stability as US envoy urges sustained calm in southern Syria - Anadolu Ajansı
Hezbollah chief says group won't relinquish arms to Israel • Damascus thought it had 'green light' from US, Israel to send forces south • Israeli-Druze group crosses border into Syria
Syrian security forces are beginning to move into the restive province of Suwayda after days of communal fighting in which hundreds of people have been killed,the country’s interior ministry says.