Syria’s president declared a ceasefire after nearly a week of sectarian bloodshed in the south, but civilians said there was no let-up in the violence.

Hundreds of people have been killed in days of violence in southern Syria which began with clashes between members of the Druze minority group and Bedouin tribes and drew a military intervention from Syria.

State Department says 'engaging diplomatically' with Israel, Syria at 'highest levels' to address present crisis - Anadolu Ajansı

Israel bombed the Syrian army headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday after warning the Islamist-led government to leave the Druze minority alone in its Sweida heartland, where a war monitor says sectarian clashes have killed nearly 250 people.

The US said it has brokered steps to ease tensions between Israel and Syria, after recent clashes and Israeli airstrikes in Syria. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the involved parties have agreed on “specific steps” aimed at ending tensions.

Twenty Palestinians were killed at a food distribution center run by an Israeli-backed American organization in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, mostly from being trampled, the group said. They were the first deaths reported at one of the Gaza Humanitarian Fund sites,

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