The government announcement came hours after a top U.S. envoy to the region said that the country and Israel had agreed to a truce after sectarian-tinged clashes had left hundreds dead.

Syrian security forces are beginning to move into the restive province of Suwayda after days of communal fighting in which hundreds of people have been killed,the country’s interior ministry says.

The conflict drew airstrikes against Syrian forces by neighboring Israel in defense of the Druze minority before most of the fighting was halted by a truce announced Wednesday.

Syria's government says its security forces are deploying in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida amid a fragile ceasefire after sectarian clashes. Follow below for the latest updates.

The move comes after days of clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters in Suweida that have reportedly left hundreds dead.

Syria and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, US ambassador to Turkiye, Tom Barrack, has announced, drawing an uneasy truce between the neighbours after days of air strikes and sectarian bloodshed in Syria’s southwestern Suwayda region.

Recent violence in Syria, which reignited sectarian tensions, now risks derailing fragile alliances with Israel, while possibly reshaping the country's ties with Turkey and its minorities.

Syria's defense minister has announced a ceasefire just hours after government forces entered a key city in the volatile Sweida province.