Syrian security forces are deploying in the restive province of Suwayda after days of communal fighting in which hundreds of people have been killed, the country’s interior ministry says. Clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes have continued in Suwayda since last week,

Sectarian-tinged clashes left hundreds dead and drew in Israeli military intervention. A U.S. envoy said Israel and Syria had agreed to a truce.

The Syrian Islamist-led government announced a ceasefire in Sweida following deadly factional violence. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa praised international mediation while criticizing Israeli airstrikes.

More than 700 people have been killed following sectarian fighting which broke out last Sunday in the southern city of Sweida. | ITV National News

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday pledged protection for minorities in the country shortly after his administration announced a "comprehensive and immediate" ceasefire in the embattled province of Sweida following days of deadly sectarian violence there.

The Israel Defense Forces said it struck "the entrance" of Syria's military headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday.

Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to the Druze-majority Sweida city to quell fighting with Bedouin tribes, a Syrian interior ministry spokesperson said on Friday, further straining a fragile truce in Syria's south.