Trump admin. says Syrian-Israeli ceasefire over Sweida close
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The US urges Syrian troop withdrawal to enable de-escalation with "Israel" after strikes on Damascus.
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Civil defense workers inspect the Syrian Defense Ministry building, heavily damaged after Israeli airstrikes in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 (AP)
The Trump administration is reportedly nearing a de-escalation agreement between Syria and the Israeli occupation, following a series of intense Israeli airstrikes on Damascus. According to Axios, a senior US official confirmed on Wednesday that Washington is mediating efforts to prevent further escalation between the two sides.
Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the White House that he expected “progress toward de-escalation in the coming hours,” referring to heightened tensions triggered by Israeli strikes on Syrian military targets in the capital.
The diplomatic push comes as the US State Department publicly called on the Syrian government to withdraw its troops, particularly from southern regions such as Sweida, where fierce clashes resumed despite a ceasefire agreement announced earlier this week.
“We are calling on the Syrian government to withdraw their military in order to allow all sides to be able to de-escalate,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in an interview for Fox News on Wednesday evening.
'Israel' escalates against Syria
The renewed violence in Sweida between Syrian government forces and local Druze fighters came just hours after Damascus announced a truce mediated by religious leaders. The US has voiced concern over the fragile security situation and is now actively pressuring the Syrian government to step back militarily.
Israeli occupation forces, meanwhile, have publicly declared that they will continue military operations in southern Syria, with the Northern Command vowing to “increase the pace and intensity of attacks” following troop redeployments from Gaza to the occupied Golan Heights.
Later in the night, the Israeli occupation forces renewed their aggression on Syria Wednesday evening, launching airstrikes on multiple sites across the governorates of Damascus, Daraa, and Sweida, just hours after bombing the capital.
The latest round of air raids targeted the Mezzeh Military Airport and the mountains surrounding Muadamiyat al-Sham with several strikes. The raids also hit the vicinity of the 100th Regiment base near Qatana in the southwestern Damascus countryside.
As the attacks unfolded, Syria’s Health Minister Dr. Musaab al-Ali revealed that Israeli aerial activity had obstructed the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to Sweida. He told SANA that “the occupation targets any moving vehicle,” preventing a medical convoy from reaching the embattled province.
The Ministry of Health convoy consisted of 15 ambulances staffed with medical teams, 10 specialized surgeons, and two vehicles loaded with essential medicines and medical supplies. The ongoing airstrikes forced the convoy to halt, leaving critical areas of Sweida without emergency support.
Intense airstrikes target Damascus, Sweida
In Sweida, the Israeli occupation targeted military positions belonging to Syrian General Security forces, amid intensified attacks across the southern region.
The renewed aggression follows a wave of Israeli airstrikes earlier in the day that hit locations in Damascus and its countryside, as well as other areas in Daraa and Sweida, killing at least three people and injuring 34 others, according to official Syrian sources.
According to Syria’s official news agency SANA, the occupation launched two separate airstrikes east of the town of Ghabagheb in northern rural Daraa. It also shelled targets near the international highway in the same area.
The Israeli occupation forces launched airstrikes on Syria hours after intense Israeli aircraft activity in southern Syrian airspace, coinciding with ongoing tensions and clashes inside Sweida city for the third consecutive day.
Local sources told Al Mayadeen that Israeli occupation warplanes conducted multiple airstrikes hitting supply routes used by military groups linked to Syria's transitional Defense Ministry, both near the city of Sweida and in areas surrounding Daraa province.
'Israel' repositions forces
The sources confirmed that the Israeli airstrikes directly targeted Thaala military airport, causing casualties among stationed forces, while also hitting positions and gatherings of armed factions linked to Syria's Transitional Ministry of Defense during two separate strikes on the 52nd Brigade east of Daraa.
These remarks come in the wake of reports from Israeli outlets that the occupation army has made the strategic decision to withdraw its elite 98th Division from northern Gaza and redeploy it to the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Violent clashes have broken out again in southern Syria's Sweida despite this week's ceasefire announcement, as Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported Wednesday that the truce agreement 'was not implemented' and that combat has escalated in intensity.
