July 19: Druze said to regain control of Sweida city after Syria announces ceasefire

Rubio urges Syrian security forces to prevent ‘jihadists’ from committing ‘massacres’ in country’s south

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls on the Syrian government’s security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and “carrying out massacres” in the conflict-stricken south of the country.

“If authorities in Damascus want to preserve any chance of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria… they must help end this calamity by using their security forces to prevent ISIS and any other violent jihadists from entering the area and carrying out massacres,” Rubio says in a statement posted to X.

The statement comes after days of violence in the Druze-majority city of Sweida and the wider province, as Druze fighters clashed with Sunni Bedouin tribes, who were later joined by government forces.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Report: 2,000 Israeli Druze warn they’ll join fighting in Syria if attacks persist

Bedouin tribal gunmen walk in a neighborhood in Sweida in Syria's southern province, despite an announcement by the Syrian interim president of an immediate ceasefire on July 19, 2025 (Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Kan news reports that some 2,000 Druze in Israel have signed onto a document declaring their intention to join the fighting in Syria if attacks against Druze by Bedouin tribesmen and government-allied forces do not stop.

“We are preparing to volunteer to fight alongside our brothers in Sweida. It is our time to be ready to defend our brothers, our land, and our religion,” the document says, according to Kan.

Signatories include active reservists in the IDF, the network says, and the letter has sparked intense concern in the Israeli security establishment, which is striving to convince Druze leaders to leave it to the IDF to address any further violence.

Ceasefires have repeatedly been declared in the Sweida region in recent days but have been broken time and again.

In recent hours reports have indicated that clashes in the city of Sweida have been halted and the area was cleared of Bedouin tribal fighters following the deployment of Syrian security forces to enforce a ceasefire.

Priest at West Bank town attacked by settlers: I filed 14 complaints, police did nothing

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, left, is escorted by Father Jack-Noble Abed, priest of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, during a tour in the archeological site of the Church of St. George, the site of a recent Israeli settlers attacks, during his visit to the West Bank town of Taybeh, east of Ramallah Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A priest at a West Bank town attacked by settlers in recent days has said he filed multiple complaints over settler violence with Israeli police and that nothing was done.

Father Jack-Nobel Abed, of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church, hosted US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on a tour in Taybeh today.

He told Channel 12 news: “There have already been four arson attacks by settlers in our village. The latest was last Friday near the sixth-century Byzantine church — too close to its walls, which were burned, and to the cemetery walls and the surrounding area. Two weeks ago, they also set fire to our chicken coops.

“When I arrived and saw the damage, I almost cried. Nothing like this has happened to us since I’ve been in the village, for 35 years,” he said.

Taybeh is a quiet Palestinian Christian village south of Jerusalem w/ a lot of American citizens that has been vandalized-including fires set at ancient church. I visited there today. Desecrating a church,mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity & God. pic.twitter.com/fGI6tCLQuC

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) July 19, 2025

He added: “I personally filed almost 14 complaints at the Sha’ar Binyamin police station, and still nothing happened – we didn’t receive any response. Unfortunately, the police have done nothing, and for almost two years I’ve been filing complaints there, and they haven’t lifted a finger.

“There is fear among the residents because the settlers act with impunity – they beat people and bring weapons. Even so, many settlers from Kokhav HaShahar come to our village to buy bread, eggs, oil – everything – at our stores. We have good relations with everyone in the area. Nothing happened to us until these specific settlers arrived and started causing trouble. I still believe in coexistence.”

Report: Abbas sets elections for PLO legislative body for first time since 2006

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their talks in the Grand Palace at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, as part of celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during the World War II. (Sergei Bobylev/Photo host agency RIA Novosti via AP)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said elections will be held before the end of the year for the Palestinian National Council, for the first time since 2006, Haaretz reports.

The Palestinian National Council, comprising approximately 300 members, is the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The body was once the sole representative of the Palestinian people internationally, but its power has been diminished with the advent of the PA as a Palestinian proto-government, and today it holds mainly symbolic internal significance.

Like the Palestinian Authority, it is dominated by the Fatah movement.

Haaretz’s Jack Khoury notes that the announcement of new elections for the body appears to be an attempt to revive public legitimacy for the PA and the PLO, which are facing a deep crisis of popularity in the West Bank.

Rocket alerts sound in Nahal Oz near Gaza; IDF says false alarm

Rocket alerts were set off in Kibbutz Nahal Oz near Gaza a short time ago.

The IDF says the alerts were a false alarm.

Odeh says police stood by and did ‘nothing’ when he was attacked by hooligans

Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ayman Odeh accuses the police of standing by doing “nothing” when he was attacked by right-wing counter-protesters during an anti-war demonstration in Ness Ziona earlier today.

“This morning, we were informed that fascist extremists had threatened to attack us if we showed up, but we decided not to back down. We decided that no one will silence our voices,” he tweets.

“I was attacked by dozens of thugs. They assaulted my staff and me with stones, sticks, and anything they could get their hands on. They surrounded our car, shattered the windows, and shouted ‘Death to Arabs’ the entire time. All the while, Ben Gvir’s police stood by and did nothing. Not a single arrest,” Odeh continues.

Police later said they’d arrested three suspects.

A week ago, brave citizens who organize the weekly demonstration against the war and against the government invited me to speak tonight in the city of Ness Ziona.

This morning, we were informed that fascist extremists had threatened to attack us if we showed up, but we decided… pic.twitter.com/SBrCZk3lbG

— איימן עודה أيمن عودة Ayman Odeh (@AyOdeh) July 19, 2025

“But even in the face of such terrible violence, we will not be silent. On the contrary: it only strengthens our resolve, and our will to fight,” he says. “We do not surrender to fascism. We stand firm against it, Jews and Arabs together, and we will defeat it. The struggle is clear: Democracy or fascism. As we did tonight, I will stand tall in the face of fascists, with my head held high, and I will attend every protest across the country.”

Report: Druze regain control of Sweida city after Syria announces ceasefire

Bodies lie on the ground as Bedouin and tribal fighters drive along a street amid a cloud of smoke in the northern part of the city of Sweida in southern Syria's Druze majority province on July 19, 2025 (Bakr ALkasem / AFP)

Druze fighters have pushed out rival armed factions from Syria’s southern city of Sweida, a monitor says, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention.

Fighting nonetheless persists in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor says that “tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday evening” after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack.

Bassem Fakhr, spokesman for the Men of Dignity, one of the two largest Druze armed groups, tells AFP there is “no Bedouin presence in the city.”

In new clip, Odeh seen assaulted by rioters while speaking in Ness Ziona

In another video from Ness Ziona earlier today, apparently taken after MK Ayman Odeh was assaulted in his car, Odeh is seen speaking atop a balcony as right-wing protesters heckle and assault him, throwing objects at him and, in one case, attempting to prod him with a flag pole.

Policemen are seen pushing back the unruly crowd.

קריאות מוות לערבים, השלכת אבנים ושבירת שמשות אינם מחאה, אלא גזענות ואלימות גרידא. שרים, חברי כנסת ועיתונאים שמנרמלים בשתיקה את האלימות והגזענות כי מדובר בנבחר ציבור ערבי, אחראים לרצח הפוליטי הבא במדינת ישראל ולא משנה אם הקורבן ערבי או יהודי. pic.twitter.com/dqK2vLhNbE

— מוחמד מג'אדלה محمد مجادلة (@mmagadli) July 19, 2025

Protesters at US embassy office in Tel Aviv demand ‘big, beautiful deal’ to bring captives home

Thousands of people join hostage families in a march to the US Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv.

Among the leaders of the march are former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz, widow of slain hostage Oded Lifshitz, and other hostages’ relatives, including the wheelchair-bound Tal Kuperstein, father of Bar Kuperstein.

Outside the US mission’s beachfront entrance, the crowd is a mass of Israeli, American and yellow flags, the latter signifying the hostages’ cause. Protesters stand behind a large banner urging US President Donald Trump to reach a “big, beautiful deal” — a nod to the name of his recent spending bill. Splayed out on the sand is a massive sign reading: “Save the hostages, end the war.”

צעדת ענק מול שגרירות ארצות הברית, בקריאה להשגת הסכם כולל להשבת החטופים ולסיום הלחימה.

חיינו בישראל ב-2025, נאחזים בטראמפ שיושיע אותנו.

צילום: פאולינה פטימר. pic.twitter.com/5h1StQjdBh

— Michal Peylan • מיכל פעילן (@michalpeylan) July 19, 2025

Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, says the families will accept nothing less than all 50 hostages, living and dead, all at once.

“We won’t be satisfied with eight hostages, not with 10 hostages and not with 49,” she says. “This is the time for Israel to choose life. This is the time to end the war in exchange for all the hostages, to give us our breath back, to let us hug our loved ones again.”

She addresses Trump in English: “Mr. President, sir, we are counting on you — you brought hostages home before, please do it again. We need you, and we need your leadership. We are begging you, help us bring our children home now.”

Man shot dead in Jaffa; police investigating

The scene of a fatal shooting in Jaffa on July 19, 2025. (Magen David Adom)

A man in his 60s was shot dead in Jaffa tonight, law enforcement and first responders announce.

Police have opened an investigation into the incident.

Paramedics found the man laying unconscious on the road near a bench and pronounced him dead at the scene, says the Magen David Adom emergency service.

Another Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon

Another Hezbollah commander was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon earlier today, the IDF announces.

The drone strike in Yohmor killed Ahmad Mohammad Salah, who the military says was responsible for Hezbollah’s forces in the town.

Salah was involved in efforts to restore Hezbollah infrastructure in the Yohmor area, and his activities “constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF says.

The military previously reported that a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force was killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Khiam today.

חיסול נוסף: צה״ל חיסל את אחראי מתחם יוחמור בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה

צה״ל תקף באמצעות כלי טיס וחיסל מוקדם יותר היום, את המחבל אחמד מחמד צלאח, אחראי מתחם יוחמור בארגון הטרור חיזבאללה.

צלאח עסק בנסיון שיקום תשתיות טרור של הארגון במרחב יוחמור שבדרום לבנון.

צה״ל ימשיך לפעול להסרת כל… pic.twitter.com/lXzvlXs5Zj

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 19, 2025

Israel prepares to send medical gear to Sweida as clashes persist despite ceasefire

Tribal and Bedouin fighters deploy in southern Syria's predominantly Druze city of Sweida, amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 19, 2025 (Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)

The Health Ministry says it is preparing to send medical equipment and medicine to a hospital in Sweida, southern Syria, after reports the facility was severely damaged in recent sectarian fighting.

The supplies will be transferred by Israel’s security forces once full authorization is obtained from all relevant authorities, a statement from the ministry says.

“Our brotherhood with the Druze community is well known, but beyond that, we are committed to a ‘covenant of life.’ We cannot stand idly by when members of the community—inside or outside Israel—are in danger,” Health Minister Uriel Buso says.

Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov adds: “This initiative reflects the values that guide Israel’s healthcare system and our longstanding alliance with the Druze community. Providing medical assistance to the injured is a moral obligation.”

Syrian Bedouin and their allies battled Druze fighters in the community’s Sweida heartland for a seventh day today despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention.

AFP correspondents reported clashes in the west of the provincial capital as Druze fighters clashed with Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria.

The Syrian interior ministry announced that internal security forces had begun deploying in Sweida province and AFP correspondents saw them manning checkpoints trying to prevent more people from joining the fighting.

Demonstrators in the West Bank voice support for Gaza; some pro-Hamas chants are heard

This evening, several hundred demonstrators took to the streets in two West Bank cities in support of Gaza residents amid the ongoing war.

At a protest in Ramallah attended by a few dozen people, chants were heard including “We are your people, Hamas” and “Salute to the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.” A protest was also held in Nablus, where chants were heard in support of Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing.

Media outlets affiliated with Hamas claimed that Palestinian Authority security forces attempted to disperse the demonstrations, though there is currently no evidence to support this.

"تحية لكــتائب عز الدين" ..#شاهد| هتافات داعمة للمـقــاومة خلال مسيرة غاضبة جابت شوارع رام الله نصرةً لغزة وتنديداً باستمرار الإبادة والتجويع#غزه_تموت_جوعاً pic.twitter.com/h2kyryfdi0

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) July 19, 2025

Demonstrations by West Bank residents in support of Gaza have taken place only a handful of times over the past two years.

Man suspected in Los Angeles car ramming in custody

A man suspected of driving a car into a crowd in Hollywood early Saturday and injuring 30 people is in custody, a Los Angeles Police Department official says.

“He was transported to the hospital, he’s undergoing surgery, he is in stable condition. However, he is not free to leave, he is in the custody of Los Angeles Police Department, and we’re looking at charges such as attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon at this point,” Lillian Carranza tells broadcaster CBS.

Syrians protest Sweida killings in London, Paris

Dozens of Syrians from minority communities rallied today in London and Paris, calling for action to protect the Druze in their Sweida heartland, where sectarian violence has killed hundreds.

In central London, around 80 protesters chanted “God protect Druze” and “Stop supporting Jolani,” referring to Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s nom de guerre, which he abandoned after his Islamist group seized Damascus late last year.

The demonstrators in the British capital held up placards calling for an end to the deadly violence in Sweida and for a humanitarian corridor to be opened up via the Jordanian border.

More than 900 people have been killed in the Druze-majority province since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring organization.

At the Paris protest, Aida Haladi wore black and clutched a picture of her 52-year-old brother, whom she said was killed in front of his home Thursday morning in Sweida city.

She said he had stepped out to grab some blood pressure medication he had forgotten.

“He was an honest man. He never tried to hurt a soul,” she said.

“Where is France?” Haladi said, accusing Sharaa of complicity and angry at France’s leader Emmanuel Macron for having hosted Syria’s interim president in Paris in May.

Hours later, France urged all sides to “strictly adhere” to the ceasefire.

Lapid, Golan blast violence against Arab MK Ayman Odeh

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and The Democrats chairman Yair Golan condemn the earlier attack on Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh.

“I condemn the violence against MK Odeh and call on the police to find those responsible and bring them to justice. There is no place for political violence in a democratic state,” tweets Lapid.

Golan asserts that the incident was the “direct result of prolonged political incitement,” citing the recent failed coalition effort to expel Odeh over his comments on the war in Gaza.

“Those who vote in the Knesset in favor of ousting an Arab public official because of his opinions cannot be shocked when rioters attack him in the street,” Golan tweets — calling the incident “an attack against the entire Arab minority in Israel.”

Protesters also surrounded and yelled at Hadash-Ta’al MK Ofir Cassif, who later accused the government of supporting political violence.

“Just so it’s clear: There is legitimacy and even encouragement from the government to violence and murder of its opponents,” he tweeted.

Two reservists seriously wounded by roadside bomb in Gaza

IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip, in an image published on July 17, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Two reserve combat engineers were seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, the military announces.

The troops include a reserve officer in the 710th Combat Engineering Battalion and a reservist in the 749th Combat Engineering Battalion.

They were taken to a hospital for treatment, and their families were notified, the army says.

According to an IDF probe, the soldiers were hit by an explosive device while driving in a Humvee.

Ex-captive Doron Steinbrecher urges Netanyahu, Trump to ‘make Israel great again’ with Gaza deal

Speaking to some 2,000 people at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, Doron Steinbrecher, who was released from Hamas captivity as part of the truce-hostage deal in January, urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war, secure a hostage deal and “make Israel great again.”

“Six months ago I saw the sun for the first time after 471 days in the tunnels,” she says. “Six months ago I drew my first breath that wasn’t all fear.”

"לפני חצי שנה בדיוק עברתי משערי הגהינום למדינת ישראל. לא מאמינה שהייתי שם 471 ימים. לא מאמינה שישנם אנשים שעדיין שם 652 ימים."

שורדת השבי דורון שטיינברכר נשאה דברים הערב בכיכר, לפני יציאתה לצד משפחות החטופים בצעידה לכיוון שגרירות ארה"ב, משתפת את הקהל הגדול ברגעים הראשונים שלה… pic.twitter.com/Ts0cXW7V1X

— מטה המשפחות להחזרת החטופים והנעדרים (@BringThemHome23) July 19, 2025

“Now, after six months, I still can’t breathe… without fear,” she says. “It’ll take time. And the first step is that everyone comes back.”

She addresses Trump in English: “We have met and spoken; I know how personally important this is to you, how deeply you are involved, and I know what you are capable of. Make it happen. Let everyone emerge through the gates of hell so that we may rise.”

“Bibi and Trump,” she continues, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “Close the deal, [so] that we could make Israel great again!’

The Hostages Square rally is shortened today so attendees can march on to a large demonstration outside the US Embassy Branch Office on Ben Yehuda Road.

A block away from Hostages Square, in front of the Begin Road entrance to IDF Headquarters, some 500 anti-government hostage relatives and activists are also holding a truncated demonstration and will march on to Ben Yehuda.

France urges all sides to respect Syria ceasefire

France’s foreign ministry urges all sides to respect a ceasefire announced for Syria’s Sweida, where tribal fighters have continued to clash with Druze fighters despite the truce.

“France welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire in the Sweida region. It urges all parties to strictly adhere to it,” the ministry says. “Fighting and violence must cease immediately.”

Hundreds in Tel Aviv rail against Haredi draft exemptions

Several hundred people are gathered at Habima Square in Tel Aviv for an anti-government protest.

The demonstration began with a moment of silence for 893 soldiers killed since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.

The silence was pierced by a quarrel that ignited on the square’s southern edge, where left-wing protesters typically gather ahead of Saturday-night demonstrations with signs decrying “war crimes” and “genocide” in Gaza. One man bearing an Israeli flag emblazoned with an anti-government logo was yelling at the left-wing activists that they should be “embarrassed” and appeared to almost come to blows with one of them before others separated them.

The moment of silence ended, and the MC, Ayelet Hashachar Seidoff, an attorney and head of  Mothers on the Front, an anti-government group of soldiers’ mothers, launched into a tirade against Haredi exemption from military service.

“You are more Jewish than all the Haredim in Bnei Brak,” she told the cheering crowd, naming a large ultra-Orthodox city that neighbors Tel Aviv.

One of the speakers, mother of two combat soldiers Vered Shavit Fima, slammed the government’s attempt to codify the Haredi draft exemptions.

Soldiers are suffering grave physical and psychological damage and are demanding an end to the war, she said. And when they come home, she added, they discover “deals made at their expense, the draft evasion law, the lengthening of service, money given to people who don’t serve while they are missing equipment.”

In the meantime, the left-wing activists left to attend a silent vigil for slain Gaza children on Kaplan Street.

Protesters will join up with hostage families marching from separate demonstrations on Hostages Square and Begin Road. Attendees of the three rallies will then march on to a large demonstration outside the US Embassy Branch Office on Ben Yehuda Street.

Right-wing activists assault, smash MK Ayman Odeh’s car, chant ‘Death to Arabs’

Right-wing activists assaulted the car of Hadash Party leader MK Ayman Odeh when he drove by an anti-government rally in Ness Ziona in central Israel earlier today. The far-right counter-protesters shouted at Odeh and damaged his car.

In a video, hooligans were seen spitting, kicking, and pounding on the car while calling Odeh a terrorist and other slurs. Some chanted “Death to Arabs.” The car’s rear glass was smashed.

ככה נראית מתוך הרכב התקיפה של ח"כ איימן עודה סמוך להפגנה בנס ציונה.
ניפוץ השמשות וצעקות: "מוות לערבים" pic.twitter.com/BifMivRtIY

— Noa Shpigel (@NoaShpigel) July 19, 2025

Police at the scene acted to defuse the situation. They later arrested three suspects.

Odeh drove away from the scene.

This week, a motion to kick Odeh out of the Knesset over his comments on the war in Gaza fell through.

Father of hostage Eitan Horn: ‘Netanyahu, you tore him away from his brother’

Itzik Horn (C), father of captive Eitan Horn, and relatives of other Israeli hostages in Gaza hold a press conference outside the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on June 7, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The father of hostage Eitan Horn says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tore his child away from his brother Iair, who was freed earlier this year in a ceasefire deal.

“My son Eitan is being held in inhumane conditions in a tunnel in Gaza and is dealing with a skin disease that is getting worse,” says Itzik Horn in a statement with other families of hostages, ahead of the weekly rallies.

“Netanyahu, you tore him away from his brother,” he says.

Iair and Eitan Horn were taken hostage on October 7, 2023, from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Iair was released in February in a hostage-ceasefire deal. His brother Eitan remains in Hamas captivity in Gaza. The families of those held in Gaza have long campaigned for a comprehensive deal that would see all of the hostages brought home.

Dozens of Syrians rally outside BBC headquarters in London calling for action to protect Druze

Dozens of Syrians from minority communities rally in central London calling for action to protect the Druze in their Sweida heartland, where sectarian violence has killed hundreds.

Around 80 protesters chant “God protect Druze” and “Stop supporting Jolani,” referring to Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s nom de guerre, which he abandoned after his Islamist group seized Damascus late last year.

The demonstrators in the British capital hold up placards calling for an end to deadly violence in Sweida over the past week and for a humanitarian corridor to be opened up via the Jordanian border.

More than 900 people have been killed in the Druze-majority province since Sunday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

The sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin tribes, who are Sunni Muslim, have drawn in the Islamist-led government as well as Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria.

In London, demonstration organizer Emad al Eismy tells AFP atrocities were still going on in Sweida.

“Shootings, beheadings, raping, killing children, [torching] shops, homes… it’s a barbarian movement going on in Sweida,” he says at the protest outside the headquarters of the BBC.

“We are asking for protection. We are asking for a humanitarian corridor,” he says.

AFP correspondents in Sweida reported clashes on Saturday, despite a ceasefire ordered by the government following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention.

The Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, said armed volunteers had been deployed with the support of the Islamist-led government. Druze fighters said those who arrived to support the Bedouin were mostly Islamists.

Protester Maan Radwan, who has family in Sweida, fights back tears as he says some of his relatives had died in a massacre at their guesthouse in Sweida city last week.

He reproaches British Foreign Secretary David Lammy for his visit to Syria earlier this month, when he met Sharaa.

William Salha, like most of the protesters, also has family members still living in Sweida.

He says they are “helpless,” shut in their homes, attempting to keep themselves safe.

“It’s like ethnic cleansing. They want the city without its people. They are trying to do as much killing as they can,” he says, accusing the Syrian government of complicity.

Another protester, a teenage schoolboy from south London at the protest with his mother, says relatives in Sweida are “truly suffering.”

He says multiple members of his father’s family have been gunned down and killed, with the news filtering out through an aunt.

“The armed groups came to them, they tried to resist and they shot them,” he says.

Einav Zanguaker, whose son is held in Gaza: ‘Israel must join with the US, abandon the madness of eternal war’

Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv, on July 5, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Einav Zanguaker, whose son Matan is being held hostage in Gaza, calls on Israel to join with US President Donald Trump and “abandon the madness of eternal war.”

“This is the time for Israel to join hands with the US, to abandon the madness of eternal war and to advance Trump’s vision for ending the war and returning all the hostages,” she says in an address ahead of the weekly demonstrations calling for a hostage deal.

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump said he believes that a breakthrough in a partial deal that would see at least 10 living hostages released was coming “very shortly.”

Zanguaker issues a call for a comprehensive deal that would see the release of all 50 people held by terrorists in Gaza.

“This is the 652nd day that our children are rotting in Hamas tunnels. The entire nation wants to bring all 50 hostages home and end the war with a comprehensive agreement, but Netanyahu is delaying signing an agreement,” charges Zanguakar.

“[Netanyahu] is playing petty politics on the backs of the 50 hostages and our heroic soldiers. My Matan is sitting alone in the tunnels with muscular dystrophy that makes it difficult for him to stand on his own two feet. He doesn’t have time,” she says.

“Stop using selektzia. Jews do not make selections on their brothers,” says Zanguaker, addressing Netanyahu directly and referring to the Holocaust-era practice of Nazis to distinguish between Jews deemed fit for hard labor and those who were to be immediately executed.

“We see the pressure that Trump is exerting to bring about a comprehensive agreement and end the war. He understands what people here refuse to understand — that only ending the war will ensure everyone’s return,” she says.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to join a rally calling to free the hostages held captive on the Gaza Strip this evening in Tel Aviv, with organizers then leading a march to the US Embassy office in the city, to urge a comprehensive deal to return all remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza.

Clashes continue in Syria’s Sweida despite ceasefire; Fighter: ‘We’ll slaughter the Druze in their homes’

Tribal and Bedouin fighters cross Walga town as they mobilize amid clashes near the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria on July 19, 2025 (Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)

Smoke rises from burning houses in south Syria’s Sweida, and an Arab tribal fighter vows to “slaughter” residents as deadly clashes with Druze fighters and civilians persist.

Just hours earlier, Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced an immediate ceasefire, but Bedouin and tribal fighters who are allied with the Syrian authorities push on in the west of the Druze-majority city.

“Go forward, tribes!” says fighter Abu Jassem, addressing fellow combatants in the area, where the streets are largely deserted.

“We will slaughter them in their homes,” he says, referring to the Druze.

The tribal fighters have converged on Sweida from other parts of Syria to support the Bedouins, who have been clashing with Druze fighters since July 13.

The violence has killed at least 940 people, according to a monitoring group.

In recent days, brutal videos have circulated on social media, some appearing to show the execution of people in civilian clothing and the abuse of elderly Druze clerics, as dozens of people have published shocking accounts of the deaths of loved ones.

UK police: 55 arrested at rally for banned Palestine Action group outside British parliament

Protesters are escorted away by police officers at a demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action in Parliament Square, central London, on July 19, 2025 (CARLOS JASSO / AFP)

Fifty-five people were arrested at a rally for the banned Palestine Action group outside Britain’s parliament, London’s Metropolitan Police says.

The crowd in Parliament Square had been waving placards supporting the group that was banned this month under anti-terrorism legislation, the force says in a post on X.

People from the rally were taken away in police vans.

Delayed response to updated ceasefire proposal partly because Hamas leaders are in Gaza tunnels, source says

Family members and supporters of Israeli hostage Nimrod Cohen attend an event celebrating his birthday while he remains in Hamas captivity, at Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, July 17, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Part of the reason that it has taken Hamas several days to respond to the updated Israeli maps of the IDF’s partial withdrawal from Gaza during the 60-day truce under discussion is due to the time it takes to transmit and receive messages from the terror group’s military leaders who are hiding in tunnels underneath the Strip, a source involved in the mediation effort tells The Times of Israel.

Trump says Iranian nuclear sites ‘obliterated,’ threatens to hit future facilities

US President Donald Trump greets supporters during a dinner for Republican senators in the State Dining Room of the White House, July 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump says Iran would be better off rebuilding its nuclear sites in new locations that would then be “obliterated,” like the three sites the US says it destroyed in the war last month.

“It would take years to bring them back into service and, if Iran wanted to do so, they would be much better off starting anew, in three different locations, prior to those sites being obliterated, should they decide to do so,” he writes, as he fires off Truth Social posts.

“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he writes.

Hegesth congratulated Katz on Israel’s ‘remarkable performance’ against Iran, says US Defense Dept.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (R) meets with Defense Minister Israel Katz (second from left) at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on July 18, 2025. (Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth congratulated Defense Minister Israel Katz during a meeting yesterday at the Pentagon on Jerusalem’s “remarkable performance” in the recent war against Iran that paved the way for the major US strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear sites, according to a US readout.

“Hegseth applauded Israel’s willingness to take bold action to lead in its own defense,” the report says

Hegseth told Katz that the US will “continue to enable Israel’s ability to defend itself,” it adds.

Katz had been trying to visit the US for months, but the trip had been put off due to visits by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yesterday’s meeting at the Pentagon passed with little fanfare.

Member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force killed in south Lebanon drone strike, IDF says

A member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force was killed in a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Khiam earlier today, the IDF announces.

According to the military, the operative was attempting to restore Hezbollah infrastructure in the area, and his activities “constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

UK police arrest demonstrators supporting Palestine Action, proscribed under terror laws

A protester is carried away by police officers at a demonstration in support of the proscribed group Palestine Action calling for the recently imposed ban to be lifted, in Parliament Square, central London, on July 19, 2025 (CARLOS JASSO / AFP)

The Metropolitan Police say a number of people have been arrested for showing support for proscribed group Palestine Action at a central London protest.

The arrests are made at a protest in Parliament Square, where demonstrators hold signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

Police say that they created a “sterile area” to prevent the anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian marchers from reaching the Stop the Hate counter-protest, calling for the hostages held in Gaza to be released.

Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstrations are also being held in Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Truro, according to Sky News.

Palestine Action’s proscription was approved by parliament earlier this month, and a last-ditch High Court challenge failed to stop it from becoming law.

The government announced plans for the ban under the Terrorism Act days after the group’s activists claimed to be behind a break-in at an air force base in southern England.

The proscription, which makes it a criminal offense to belong to or support the group, is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

South Syria death toll reaches 940, including more than 180 executed Druze, says monitor

Bedouin tribal gunmen in a neighborhood in Sweida in Syria's southern province, despite an announcement by the Syrian interim president of an immediate ceasefire on July 19, 2025 (Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

The death toll from violence in Sweida province, heartland of Syria’s Druze minority, has risen to 940 since last weekend, a war monitor says, despite the announcement of a ceasefire.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the dead include 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 182 of whom were “summarily executed by defense and interior ministry personnel.”

They also include 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were “summarily executed by Druze fighters.” Another 15 government troops were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory says.

Fire brought under control at Iran’s Abadan oil refinery, ministry news agency says

A fire that broke out at a unit of Iran’s Abadan refinery was brought under control with operations unaffected, Iran’s oil ministry’s SHANA news agency reports.

“Currently, the fire is under control, production at the refinery continues, and there has been no interruption to its operations,” SHANA says.

EU welcomes Syria-Israel ceasefire, says it’s ‘appalled’ by deadly violence in Sweida

Tribal and Bedouin fighters cross the al-Dur village in Syria's southern Sweida governorate as they mobilize amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 18, 2025. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

The EU welcomes a US-brokered ceasefire between Syria and Israel, saying it is “appalled” by the deadly sectarian violence in Sweida, Syria’s southern Druze heartland, that prompted Israeli strikes.

“Now is the time for dialogue and for advancing a truly inclusive transition. Syria’s transitional authorities, together with local authorities, bear the responsibility to protect all Syrians without distinction,” the European Union’s diplomatic service says in a statement.

It also calls for all perpetrators behind “grave violations” of international law to be held accountable.

US envoy Huckabee visits Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh in West Bank amid uptick in settler attacks

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (C) shakes hands with Father Daoud Khoury of the Greek Orthodox Church during his visit to the Christian Palestinian village of Taybeh in the West Bank on July 19, 2025. (Jaafar Aashtityeh/AFP)

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visits the Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh in the West Bank, which has been the scene of several attacks by settlers in recent weeks.

Taybeh residents and local church leaders say the town had experienced an upsurge in settler harassment recently. They point to an arson attack, which they said was committed by extremist settlers next to the ruins of the Church of St. George in the town last week, as one of the most serious incidents so far.

On Monday, the most senior church leaders in the Holy Land toured the Palestinian town and alleged that Israeli authorities have facilitated the ongoing harassment.

Huckabee’s visit to Taybeh comes amid growing concern from the US over Israeli actions toward Christians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement Thursday expressing regret after IDF tank fire killed three civilians in Gaza’s only Catholic church, heeding a demand from US President Donald Trump, who angrily phoned the Israeli premier over the incident.

Earlier this week, Huckabee threatened to declare publicly that Israel no longer welcomes Christian groups to Israel over what he said was Jerusalem’s failure to approve tourist visas for evangelical missions.

At least 21 dead in Iran as bus overturns, state media says

At least 21 people were killed and nearly 30 injured when a bus overturned in southern Iran, state media reports.

The accident, the cause of which remains unclear, occurred near Kavar, a town about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the capital, Tehran.

“Unfortunately, 21 deaths have been recorded,” Kavar Hospital director Mohsen Afrasiabi tells state television, adding that 29 people were injured.

Iranian media shows images of a bus lying on its side on a mountain road.

Iran has a poor road safety record, with nearly 20,000 deaths from traffic accidents in the 12 months to March, according to official news agency IRNA.

Sa’ar dismisses Sharaa’s pledge: ‘It’s very dangerous to be a member of a minority in Syria’

Bedouin tribal gunmen in a neighborhood in Sweida in Syria's southern province, despite an announcement by the Syrian interim president of an immediate ceasefire on July 19, 2025 (Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Israel dismisses a renewed pledge by Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to protect minorities after deadly sectarian clashes, saying it is “very dangerous” to be a minority in the country.

“Bottom line: In al-Shara’s Syria, it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority — Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posts on X.

“This has been proven time and again over the past six months,” he says, adding the international community has “a duty to ensure the security and rights of the minorities in Syria and to condition Syria’s renewed acceptance into the family of nations on their protection.”

IDF: Troops ‘fired warning shots’ near Gaza aid center when Palestinians approached ‘in way that threatened forces’

A Palestinian woman mourns over the body of a man said to have been killed near a food distribution center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israel-backed organization, at the Nasser hospital on July 19, 2025 (AFP)

After Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency reported that 26 Palestinians were killed and over 100 were wounded near aid distribution sites in Rafah, the IDF says it is aware of reports of casualties after troops fired warning shots.

The military says that overnight, Palestinians had approached Israeli forces in the Rafah area “in a way that threatened the forces.”

“Troops operated to prevent the suspects from approaching them, called for them to distance themselves, and after they did not comply, the troops fired warning shots,” the IDF says.

According to the army, the incident took place a kilometer away from the closest aid site and during the night, when it was not open for Palestinians to collect aid packages.

The IDF says it “is aware of reports regarding casualties,” adding that the incident is under further review.

In recent months, hundreds of people have been reported killed in repeated incidents of shooting near the aid centers run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

At least 20 wounded as vehicle drives into crowd in Los Angeles, fire dept. says

At least 20 people were injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Fire Department says.

The incident occurred on Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood.

The LAFD alert says that four to five people are critically injured, and up to ten have been seriously wounded.

Drone kills PKK member, injures another near Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah, sources say

An attack by an unidentified drone killed a member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and injured another near the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, security sources and local officials say, the first attack of its kind in months.

Giora Even Epstein, Israel’s most decorated fighter pilot and world’s top supersonic jet ace, dies aged 87

Brig. Gen. (res.) Giora Even Epstein (IDF)

Brig. Gen. (res.) Giora Even Epstein, the Israeli Air Force’s most decorated fighter pilot and the world’s top supersonic jet ace, dies at age 87.

Nicknamed “Hawkeye,” Even Epstein was credited with 17 aerial shoot downs —- 16 Egyptian fighter jets and one Egyptian helicopter -— making him a global aviation legend.

With an unmatched combat record, he served in the Israel Air Force from 1961 until 1997 and later flew for El Al.

Anti-Israel installation in Sweden features figures in concentration camp uniforms hanging from nooses

An anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian art installation in Umea in northern Sweden featured mannequins dressed in concentration camp uniforms, hanging from nooses, images on social media show.

The figures are dressed in striped uniforms with yellow star badges and are hanging underneath a sign reading “genocide is genocide.”

There are Palestinian flags surrounding the installation, and a figure at the front is wearing a keffiyeh and holding a baby doll.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, images of the installation were initially posted on the “Umea for Palestine” social media accounts, but were deleted.

Swedish media outlet Expressen says police confirmed they received at least one complaint about the installation and are investigating.

Micael Säll Lindahl, @polisen_umea gav ni tillstånd till judehatet i Umeå? När agerar ni mot nazisterna i Umeå? pic.twitter.com/tHbdCm4iPX

— ???????????? ????????⛳ Anna1849,Stockholm???????? &Lompoc,CA???????? (@Anna1849) July 19, 2025

IDF says some 90 terror targets hit in Gaza over past day; Palestinian media reports dozens of casualties

Smoke and fire rise to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The Israeli Air Force struck approximately 90 terror targets in the Gaza Strip over the past day, including buildings used by terror operatives and tunnels, the military says in a daily update.

Dozens of casualties were reported by media outlets in Gaza over the past day, though there are no immediate tolls announced by the Hamas-run health ministry or other authorities.

The strikes come as five IDF divisions, made up of tens of thousands of troops, continue ground operations across the Strip.

Man seriously injured after crashing paraglider near Netanya

A 63-year-old man is seriously injured after crashing a paraglider near Netanya.

An eyewitness told the Walla news site that the man crashed into a thicket of thorns and grass.

“He called Magen David Adom [emergency service] himself and asked for help. It was with great luck that he survived,” the witness tells the news site.

Syria’s Sharaa renews pledge to ‘protect all minorities’

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa receives Saudi Arabia's foreign minister in Damascus, Syria, on May 31, 2025. (SANA / AFP)

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa renews his pledge to protect minorities, after sectarian clashes left more than 700 people dead in the Druze-majority province of Sweida.

“The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country… We condemn all crimes committed” in Sweida, Sharaa says in a televised speech, shortly after his office announced an “immediate ceasefire” in the southern province.

IDF says Druze residents of Israel were violent toward troops as they broke through border to Syria overnight

IDF troops are seen deployed to the Syrian border near the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, early July 19, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF confirms that dozens of Druze residents of Israel broke through the border into Syria overnight, while “acting violently” toward Israeli troops.

The military says troops and Border Police officers tried to disperse a “violent gathering” of dozens of Druze residents of Israel on the Syrian border.

“After the gathering, the civilians crossed the border fence into Syrian territory near Majdal Shams, while acting violently toward the forces,” the military says.

The IDF says it “views violence of any kind against its personnel and the security forces gravely,” adding that it “emphasizes that crossing the border to Syria constitutes a criminal offense and endangers the public as well as IDF troops.”

The military says forces continue to operate to return the civilians to Israel.

Syria president announces ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Sweida after days of bloodshed

Tribal and Bedouin fighters cross the al-Dur village in Syria's southern Sweida governorate as they mobilize amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 18, 2025. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

The office of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announces an “immediate ceasefire” in Sweida following days of bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area that has left over 700 people dead.

The presidency calls on “all parties to fully respect” the truce.

The United States announced yesterday that Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire. There has been no comment from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Deadly violence has plagued Sweida province since Sunday, as Druze fighters clashed with Sunni Bedouin tribes, who were later joined by government forces.

On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying that Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze — part of a small but influential minority group that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.

Palestinians say 26 killed in shootings near Gaza aid sites

Palestinians pick up food parcels from a distribution point set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), on June 25, 2025. (Eyad BABA / AFP)

Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency says Israeli fire killed 26 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centers in the south of the Strip.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal, who Israel accuses of being a Hamas operative,  tells AFP that 22 were killed near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and four near another center northwest of Rafah, blaming “Israeli gunfire” for both.

The Israeli military said it was “looking into” the claims.

Hundreds of people have been reported killed in incidents of shooting near the aid centers run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Israel denies shooting at people waiting for aid, but says it has fired warning shots at those who come to close to troops.

One eyewitness said he headed to the Al-Tina area of Khan Yunis before dawn with five of his relatives to try to get food when “Israeli soldiers” started shooting.

“My relatives and I were unable to get anything,” Abdul Aziz Abed, 37, tells AFP. “Every day I go there and all we get is bullets and exhaustion instead of food.”

Death toll from south Syria violence rises to 718, including more than 160 executed, says monitor

Tribal and Bedouin fighters cross the al-Dur village in Syria's southern Sweida governorate as they mobilize amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 18, 2025. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

At least 718 people have been killed in Syria’s Sweida province, a war monitor says in an updated toll for nearly a week of violence in the heartland of the Druze minority.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights counts 146 Druze fighters and 245 civilians among the dead since Sunday, 165 of whom “were summarily executed by personnel of the defense and interior ministries.”

The violence also claimed the lives of 287 government troops and 18 Bedouin fighters, plus three Bedouin “who were summarily executed by Druze fighters,” the monitor adds.

Fifteen more government troops were killed in Israeli air strikes.

Federal judge blocks enforcement of Trump’s sanctions on ICC

International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during a press conference at the San Carlos Palace in Bogota, Colombia, April 25, 2024. (Luis Acosta / AFP)

A federal judge blocks the enforcement of US President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting those who work with the International Criminal Court.

The ruling follows an April lawsuit by two human rights advocates challenging Trump’s February 6 order authorizing potentially far-reaching economic and travel sanctions on people who work on ICC investigations of US citizens or US allies, such as Israel.

In her ruling, US District Judge Nancy Torresen called the executive order an unconstitutional infringement on free speech.

“The executive order appears to restrict substantially more speech than necessary to further that end,” she wrote.

“The executive order broadly prohibits any speech-based services that benefit the prosecutor, regardless of whether those beneficial services relate to an ICC investigation of the United States, Israel, or another US ally.”

The White House and the ICC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The executive order imposed sanctions on ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who is British. The US treasury department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also place him on a registry of sanctioned individuals and entities.

US citizens who provide services for the benefit of Khan or other sanctioned individuals could face civil and criminal penalties, according to the order, which has been condemned by the ICC and dozens of countries.

Group of several dozen Israeli Druze cross border into Syria

A group of Israeli Druze have crossed the border into Syria, amid fresh clashes between their Syrian coreligionists and local Bedouin in the Sweida area.

The dozens who entered Syrian territory were part of a larger group of Druze who arrived at the border near the northern Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams, where the Ynet news site reported some of them shoved Israeli troops stationed in the area to prevent mass breaches of the frontier such as those earlier in the week.

IDF troops are working to return the Druze back to Israeli territory, the army tells the Kan public broadcaster.

קבוצה של דרוזים-ישראלים חצתה את הגבול לסוריה בשעתיים האחרונות. בצה"ל אומרים כי ננקטות פעולות כדי להחזירם בבטחה | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/Fms7jjNE2G@CBeyar pic.twitter.com/knju6j5ZWM

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) July 18, 2025

Trump says hoping Gaza deal freeing 10 more hostages will be ‘finished quickly’

US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington on July 18, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

Another 10 hostages will be released from Gaza shortly, US President Donald Trump predicts.

Trump makes the comment during a dinner with lawmakers at the White House, lauding the efforts of his special envoy Steve Witkoff. Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been taking part in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since July 6, discussing a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that would see the release of 10 hostages and the remains of 18 slain captives.

“We got most of the hostages back. We’re going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly,” Trump says.

Israel and Syria have agreed to ceasefire, announces US envoy

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, right, meets with US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, at the People's Palace in Damascus, Syria, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack announces that Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, while also hitting government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying that Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze — part of a small but influential minority that also has followers in Lebanon and Israel.

Barrack, who also serves as special envoy for Syria, writes in a post on X that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, with the support of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, agreed to a ceasefire “embraced” by Turkey, Jordan and other unidentified neighbors.

“We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity,” Barrack says without offering any further details about the ceasefire.

There is no immediate comment from the Prime Minister’s Office or the Syrian Presidency.

UAE denounces strike on Gaza church, urges safety of holy sites

The United Arab Emirates calls an Israeli airstrike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law,” and urges the protection of holy sites.

Israel has said that the church was hit by a stray munition.

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry also warns in a statement “against the ongoing Israeli aggression and military escalation which threaten to further exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip.”

UAE Condemns Targeting of Church in Gaza and Reaffirms Importance of Protecting Holy Sites and Civilianshttps://t.co/7PVMc8yhWO pic.twitter.com/MS16U2DArQ

— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) July 18, 2025

Syrian president’s office says it will deploy force to end Bedouin-Druze clashes in southern region

Bedouin and tribal fighters deploy at the western entrance of Syria's Druze heartland of Sweida on July 18, 2025. (Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Syrian authorities will deploy a dedicated force to end clashes and resolve conflict between factions from the Druze community and members of Bedouin tribes in southern Syria, in coordination with political and security measures aimed at restoring stability, the presidency says in a statement.