The scenes of elation following Monday night's declaration came in sharp contrast to the grim scenes in coastal communities wracked by days of clashes.

By Timour Azhari, Phil Stewart, Jonathan Spicer and Suleiman Al-Khalidi DAMASCUS (Reuters) - The United States encouraged its Syrian Kurdish allies to reach Monday's landmark deal with the Islamist-led government in Damascus,

Syrians from around the country celebrated an agreement signed by interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with the Syrian Democratic Forces to join new state institutions. The accord comes at a critical moment as Sharaa grapples with the fallout from deadly clashes between Syrian forces and militants loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Claiming that the suburb 3km southeast of Damascus is a Druze city under threat, Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed their troops to “prepare to defend” Jaramana. “We will not allow the extreme Islamic regime in Syria to harm the Druze. If the regime harms the Druze, it will be struck by us,” Katz said on Saturday.

Israeli warplanes launch airstrikes on outskirts of Tartus, Syria, with no casualties reported - Anadolu Ajansı