The United States said early Saturday that it had negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Syria’s government as new clashes erupted in Syria’s Druze heartland following violence that prompted massive Israeli strikes.

“The Israeli Druze are now trying to use that and urge the Israeli government to protect fellow Druze in Syria,” he said, explaining, in part, the justification for Israel’s strikes on Syria, where the Druze community has traditionally been anti-Israel, even as some leaders grow closer to Israel.

"The minute we see terrorists going into hospitals and murdering children and patients, we cannot stand idle," Fares Alawi told the Israeli news site. Israel-Druze political activist Fares Alawi crossed the border into Syria on Wednesday,