By: Ariella Haviv

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that a diplomatic agreement has been reached to bring an end to the recent violent engagements in southern Syria—an accord that, according to Rubio, will halt hostilities “tonight.” The development follows a series of Israeli airstrikes conducted earlier in the day, aimed at preventing further attacks by Syrian regime forces on the country’s embattled Druze community. As reported by The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), this agreement represents a critical intervention in a rapidly escalating regional conflict.

Rubio, addressing the international community through an official statement, emphasized that all involved parties had been directly engaged in the negotiations. “We have engaged all the parties involved in the clashes in Syria,” Rubio declared. “We have agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end tonight.” His statement, cited in the JNS report, called attention to the diplomatic effort to avert a broader regional escalation and protect vulnerable civilian populations caught in the crossfire.

Rubio also made it clear that the success of this agreement would depend on the faithful adherence of all parties to their commitments. “This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made; this is what we fully expect them to do,” he stated.

The backdrop to Rubio’s announcement is Israel’s assertive military action earlier Wednesday, when Israeli Air Force strikes reportedly targeted the entrance to Syrian military installations in the south of the country. According to the information provided in the JNS report, these operations were carried out in direct response to Syrian regime assaults on Druze communities—attacks that have drawn both domestic and international condemnation.

Though the Israeli government has not issued a formal statement regarding the diplomatic breakthrough, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a brief but pointed comment attributed to Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of the general staff of the IDF. Shortly after Rubio’s announcement, the IDF posted Zamir’s remarks, which were reported by JNS: “We are acting decisively to prevent the entrenchment of hostile elements beyond the border, protect Israeli citizens and prevent harm to Druze civilians.”

The IDF’s intervention in Syria this week reflected a strategic effort to deter the expansion of hostile forces near Israel’s northern border, while also responding to mounting concerns about the safety of the Druze population—a community with longstanding familial and cultural ties to Israeli Druze citizens.

The fragile situation in southern Syria had intensified over recent days, with reports of Syrian regime forces escalating operations against local Druze militias and civilians. These developments prompted Israeli military action and a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at preventing a wider conflict.

The JNS report noted that Rubio’s announcement marks the first formal statement from a senior U.S. official regarding a coordinated international effort to address the hostilities. The Secretary of State’s remarks suggest that multiple actors in the region—both state and non-state—had been involved in securing the agreement. However, the specifics of the commitments reached among the parties have not yet been disclosed.

While details of the agreement remain undisclosed, the report at JNS said that Israel’s military posture along the northern frontier continues to reflect heightened readiness. The IDF’s actions and subsequent statements have highlighted Israel’s determination to prevent the establishment of hostile entities along its border with Syria, a policy that has long guided its regional security doctrine.

The protection of the Druze community holds particular significance for Israel, not only from a humanitarian standpoint but also due to the deep historical and societal bonds between Israeli Druze and the State of Israel. This context has played a key role in shaping Israel’s response to the crisis and its military engagement in the region.

With the agreement now in place, attention turns to whether the involved parties will uphold their commitments and whether the ceasefire will translate into a sustained reduction in hostilities.

As of Wednesday night, the mood within diplomatic circles, according to the JNS report, is one of cautious optimism—hopeful that this latest accord may serve as a temporary reprieve for the communities affected by the recent violence, while acknowledging the complex and volatile nature of the region’s geopolitical landscape.