Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Rubio says ‘real de-escalation’ in Syria expected in coming hours
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a ceremony at the US State Department in Washington, July 16, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says fighting between Syrian Druze and Bedouin in the southwest of the country led to a “misunderstanding” between the Israeli and Syrian governments that resulted in widespread IDF bombings of regime targets.
Rubio tells reporters in the Oval Office, “We’re on our way towards a real de-escalation, and then hopefully getting back on track to helping Syria build a country and arriving at a situation there in the Middle East is far more stable.”
He says the US hopes to see progress in this effort in the next few hours, though, there are already reports of a ceasefire in place in Syria, so it’s not clear whether Rubio was updated on that development.
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