US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells reporters that Washington is “very concerned” by the fighting in Syria between various ethnic groups that has also led to Israeli strikes against regime forces.
“We want the fighting to stop,” Rubio says, adding that the US is in touch with all relevant parties in order to bring the conflict to an end. “Hopefully we’ll have some updates later today.”
The Trump administration has also asked Israel to halt its strikes in Syria and engage in dialogue with the government in Damascus in order to deescalate tensions, a US official tells the Axios news site.
This is the second day in a row in which the request has been made, with yesterday’s ask apparently falling on deaf ears in Jerusalem.
The requests have been made by US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack in conversations with Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
“We told the Israelis to stop and take a breath,” the senior US official tells Axios.
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