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.

Clashes that shook southern Syria this week have killed hundreds of people, including civilians, and drawn in an array of both local and international players, harking back to the dynamics of the coun

The Syrian government withdrew its forces from Druze-dominated areas in the south on Wednesday after several days of heavy fighting, declaring a ceasefire in the process. Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa spoke to the nation for the first time since Israel began launching heavy airstrikes against regime targets.

But they represent something different, and not just because they led to a dramatic Israeli bombardment of Syria’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday that sent huge clouds of smoke billowing over central Damascus.

Israel and Syria agreed to a ceasefire after Israeli airstrikes defended Druze minorities from Syrian forces in Sweida province fighting.