Syrian govt forces withdraw from Suwayda after Druze deal to end fighting

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa says protecting the rights of the Druze minority is his priority, but he has ceded security control of the southern region of Suwayda to local authorities. Government forces have begun withdrawing heavy equipment, after trying to break up fighting between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes. Dozens of military vehicles were seen leaving the city overnight. Sharaa accused Israel of trying to sow divisions within Syria. Those comments came hours after Israeli airstrikes on the Syrian defence ministry headquarters in Damascus. Two strikes hit the ministry, situated in the centre of Damascus. They were followed by more bombs close to the presidential palace, and on the outskirts of the capital. Israel claims the attacks were in support of the Druze minority in Syria. Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr has the latest from the outskirts of Suwayda, Syria and Nour Odeh has the Israeli reaction from Jordan's capital. She's in Amman because the Israeli government has banned Al Jazeera from reporting inside Israel and in the occupied West Bank. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://x.com/ajenglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #Syria #Israel #SyriaConflict #Suwayda #Bedouin #Druze #SyriaClashes #SyriaSecurityForces #SyriaSectarianViolence #SyriaWar #SyriaCivilWar #SectarianTension #SyrianGolanHeights #OccupiedGolanHeights #AlJazeeraEnglish