Trump envoy on Syria: ‘All factions must immediately lay down arms, abandon cycles of tribal vengeance’

US pointman on Syria Tom Barrack praises President Donald Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Damascus, and says all factions must immediately lay down their arms after a number of days of bloodshed.

Over 900 people have been killed in Sweida since last Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria.

“President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was a principled step, offering the Syrian people a chance to move beyond years of unimaginable suffering and atrocities. The international community has largely rallied behind the nascent Syrian government, watching with cautious optimism as it seeks to transition from a legacy of pain to a future of hope,” writes Barrack, the US envoy to Ankara.

“Yet, this fragile ambition is now overshadowed by profound shock, as brutal acts by warring factions on the ground undermine the government’s authority and disrupt any semblance of order,” he writes on X. “All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance. Syria stands at a critical juncture—peace and dialogue must prevail—and prevail now.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 940 people had been killed in the violence.

They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory.

They also included 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 said.